Lamplight glowed at the windows, though none of the curtains parted when David got out of the SUV. He ran through the downpour to the trailer and stepped onto the first of the stacked railroad ties that served as stairs. With Ulrich’s pistol, he fired two rounds into the crappy lock, the muzzle flash lending brief color to the falling rain. He topped the steps and threw open the door and rushed inside with no concern for his safety. If Mathers had his revolver close at hand, this might be the end of everything.

The stoner slouched in front of a TV, watching a soft-core erotic vampire movie: flashing teeth, the full bare breasts of a would-be victim. He was drinking a can of beer and spilled it on himself as he struggled up from an armchair with duct-tape-repaired upholstery, hampered by a mismatched ottoman. Wherever his revolver might be, it wasn’t within reach.

David went at him fast, while Mathers was off balance, lashed with the pistol, breaking some ear cartilage. The front sight tore the tender tissue, and bright blood dripped from the lobe. Mathers cried out in pain and lost his footing and fell back into the chair.

“Where’s Kendra?” David demanded.

Mathers could have looked no more shocked and terrified if the vampire had come at him from out of the TV. “What the hell, man, what are you doing, are you fucking crazy?”

“Where’s Kendra?” David repeated, looming over him, the pistol at arm’s length, giving the stoner a dead-on view of the muzzle. “Is she in the bedroom, the bathroom?”

“She’s not here, dude.”

“Where is she?”

“Why do you give a shit about Kendra?”

“When is she coming back?”

“Hey, the dumb bitch don’t live here no more. I threw her lazy ass out.”

“More likely, she came to her senses.”

Mathers winced as he put one hand to his bloody ear. “This is so wrong, man, this is deep shit you stepped in, you’ll do serious damn time for this.”

“I was never here,” David said. “Your word against mine. Guess who they’ll believe.”

“I’ll maybe go deaf from this, man. You disabled me for life, you piece of shit.”

Because of the rataplan of rain on the roof, the TV was turned loud. Spooky music swelled from it, and David shot the screen.

“Hey, hey, hey! That’s big bucks, dude.”

“No money, Richie. I’m done paying for information. Don’t have time for you to jerk me around anymore. Before I go back to Rock Point, I need to know what you withheld from me. I need to know right now.”

“You got more than you paid for, asshole. I didn’t withhold nothing.”

“The girl sitting in that bedroom, the girl who was in a trance or whatever.”