I grinned. “That Marco was a liar and a thief. I couldn’t believe he never got caught swiping the things he’d show off.”
“That’s another chapter that never made it into the city’s historic records.” He sat back in his chair. “Let’s go back to the ambush. Did you see anything else in your vision?”
“No, and I couldn’t see Vlad or anyone else when Candy talked about them. I just felt—” I paused to test the impression before I spoke the words. “I felt like I did in Normand’s court. Oppressed. Closed in. Controlled.”
Saber shrugged. “That’s the norm for vampire nests. Except for a few that are organized like companies or clubs.”
“Jo-Jo’s fraternities with fangs?”
He sent me a tired smile and rubbed the back of his neck.
“Look, before I forget, the Florida vamps are all present and accounted for. Tracker readouts show most of them moving around a fair amount.”
“What about Laurel’s tracker?”
“Her readouts have been stationary for a few days, but they would be if she’s confined to Ike’s residence. The odd thing is that they also flatline like a heart monitor would do.”
“Did mine do that when it stopped working in March?”
“Yes, but only for ten seconds. Then your signal stopped entirely. Laurel’s flatlines for an hour or two at a time then starts working again, so I’m guessing it’s an electrical short.”
I frowned. I’m no expert in electricity, but there was a clue here. I felt it.
“Saber, electricity makes a sound, doesn’t it?”
“One that’s usually too low or high for a human to hear.”
“I don’t think vampires hear it either. I didn’t hear my tracker go bad.”
“Where are you going with this?”
“The night the sniper shot at us, Pandora told me she’d been distracted by another signal. That she couldn’t find me.”
“When you were home?”
“I know, but I had the charm in a mug by my laptop, so that could cause interference. Plus, if a flatlining tracker emits an obnoxious beep that Pandora could hear, the sound could confuse her, couldn’t it?”
“So you think Laurel could’ve been the sniper?”
I shrugged. “I can’t see her up a tree, and I doubt she’s a card-carrying NRA member, but cell phone signals don’t seem to bother Pandora. What else could?”
“A whole list of things, I imagine, but I’ll order Laurel’s tracker records for the past few months to see if there’s a pattern, and tell Dave Corey to order a new tracker for her.”
“Good luck getting Laurel to have it implanted. She’s nasty to vampires. Imagine what she’s like with the average human.”
“überbitch.”
“On wheels. I hope she’s still in Ike’s doghouse on Saturday. It sure would be nice if she wasn’t at the club for Jo-Jo’s act.”
Saber chuckled. “You aren’t a princess. You’re the queen of avoidance.”
“Well, Laurel is a royal pain.”
“Honey, you energy-sucked her once. You can do it again.” I shook my head. “Not and free her afterward. Nope, if I have to energy-siphon Laurel that much again, I’ll have to kill her. I don’t think I can do that.”
“When it comes down to life and death, you’ll be surprised what you can do.”
One advantage to being buried all that time was that I’d developed focus. After Saber went to sleep, I used that skill to block thoughts of everything except my design homework. I worked steadily until seven, then slipped into bed with Saber on the happy thought that we’d be house hunting again later.
I was raring to go Friday afternoon, but Saber had to leave a message for Jo-Jo before we left. Saber’s attorney friend had given his seal of approval to Vince’s contract terms and had checked on any complaints filed by former clients. There were none. Looked like Jo-Jo had fallen into a great deal.
Saber wasn’t as lucky. By six Friday evening, we’d seen eight houses in four neighborhoods. The three affordable ones needed major updating, but Saber and I could do some of the labor. I’d learned to use a few basic power tools when I’d hung around Maggie’s construction crew while they worked on her Victorian house and my cottage. The men and women might’ve been amused at having a vampire pelting them with questions, but they taught me to cut and install crown molding and do other carpentry projects. Also, we could contact Maggie’s contractor for help with major things like plumbing and electrical work. When it was clear to Amanda that Saber wasn’t ready to make any offers, she went to her car to make a cell call, then asked us to see one more property.
“This one is on the island, a bit south of where you said you want to be, but I promise you it’s special.”
She said “special” with an odd glitter in her eyes. Something more than Realtor-fee fever, but why did she lob that comment at me instead of Saber?
We followed Amanda south on A1A, past where the road narrowed to two lanes. She talked on her cell phone during the entire drive, and when she turned east ahead of us, Saber muttered a curse.