There were two officers standing outside, their guns drawn when I pulled the door open. "Is there a problem?" I asked, shivering a little. I had no idea what was going on. I'd been shot before and survived it, but had no idea how badly Winkler or Weldon might be wounded if they were hit. How did werewolves react to gunshot wounds? Were silver bullets required, like in the movies? I had no idea. Compulsion also came to mind, but if these guys had been sent to our room for a reason, then more would come.
"Back up, put your hands against the wall there and spread 'em," the officers still had their guns trained on me.
"What's the meaning of this?" Weldon was behind me now and Winkler was right behind him.
"You're all under arrest," the second officer said. "On suspicion of murder."
"You will tell me now just exactly why you think we murdered someone," I placed compulsion, then. No way was I going to stand there and let them put their hands all over us. We hadn't done anything. Not in the last couple of weeks, anyway, and these were Wichita cops. "And put those guns down, too."
Both cops lowered their weapons. "There are two dead hotel employees downstairs and somebody placed a phone call saying you three did it," one of the officers said.
"We didn't do it, we've been asleep," Winkler asserted. "Besides, what proof do you have?"
"We have the murder weapons," the other officer said.
"You'll not find our fingerprints on them," Weldon scoffed.
"Oh, lord," I muttered. "How quickly will somebody else be up here to check on you two?" I asked the officers, placing yet another compulsion for them to answer my questions only with the truth.
"About five minutes," one said. We had a dark haired officer and a nearly bald officer. Baldy was the one who spoke.
"Winkler, get on your cell phone," I ordered, thinking as fast as I could. "Call Tony Hancock. Now. If you don't have a direct number, I do." I still remembered the number he'd given me; it wasn't the one on his card. Somehow, I knew he'd answer the one I had when he might not answer anything else.
"Here," Winkler handed the cell phone over to me. I dialed as fast as I could.
"Winkler, what the hell do you want and how did you get this number?" It was an hour later on the east coast but still too early to be calling anyone. Tony's voice was rough from being wakened from a sound sleep.
"Tony, it's not Winkler." I knew he'd recognize my voice.
"Lissa? Lissa, where have you been?" Tony was wide-awake now.
"Tony, I don't have time to chat. We've got real trouble here. I'm in Wichita, Kansas right now and somebody is trying to frame me, Winkler and another man. Tony, I only figured out recently that they've been collecting our fingerprints and now the cops are here, telling us that somebody was murdered in our hotel and they have the murder weapons. I'm giving good odds right now on whose fingerprints will show up on whatever it was they used to kill those people."
"Lissa, which hotel?" Tony was up and getting dressed, I could hear that plainly.
"The Saint James," I told him. "I only have a minute or two before more cops show up. They'll arrest Winkler and someone named Weldon Harper, Tony."
"Is there some way I can get in touch with you?" Tony asked. I gave him my cell number. "Got it," he said.
"Call me during night hours only," I said and hung up.
"Weldon, your little shithead Kelvin has been collecting our fingerprints," I said, turning to mist. "I'm sorry but I can't go to jail with you guys. For obvious reasons. I'll take the blood and my phone charger with me." Weldon and Winkler both nodded so I waited until I was nearly mist to take my present compulsion off the cops and to place a new one: "You never saw me, I wasn't here," I said and disappeared.
Winkler and Weldon both growled but allowed the cops to search and handcuff them. I'd given Winkler's cell phone back to him before changing and they took that. The cooler of blood was now with me, along with my purse and cell phone charger. At the last minute, I floated into Winkler's room and pulled out the envelope of cash I'd stuffed inside my suitcase, turning my laptop case to mist along with it. I waited until the werewolves were herded toward the elevator before I left as well; the forensics team had shown up, ready to take our hotel rooms apart. Misting inside Kelvin's room, I found that the little shit had left, taking his bags and other belongings with him. It was probably a good thing, too—the cops would've had a third murder on their hands if I'd found him.
Compulsion is a wonderful thing. It got me a room at a nearby hotel with cash, no credit card and an assumed name. Once inside the room I called Merrill in New York and brought him up to speed. It was too late to call Wlodek or Charles; it was day in Great Britain and they'd be sleeping. It was nearly daylight in New York, too, so I had to hurry and give Merrill the information I had. Charles got an email as well—a rather lengthy one, as I explained the current situation with Winkler, the Grand Master and me. I also called the hotel desk clerk, informed him that I was a day sleeper and hung the Do Not Disturb sign on my door. No sense in tempting fate any more than I had to. The last thing I did was call Davis. Thankfully, he kept his cell phone by his bed so I told him what was happening. He said he'd have Winkler's lawyers out in force in no time and he would be on the next flight up. I thanked him, told him to call if he needed something and barely ended the call before I conked out with the sunrise.
* * *
"Lissa?" It was Merrill's voice on my cell. He'd been trying to get me to wake for several minutes already.
"Merrill?" My voice and my head were still thick with sleep.
"Lissa, sweetheart, we have a safe house set up for you. There are two vampires on their way to escort you there," he said. "Get your things together. Is there any incriminating evidence inside the other hotel room? Anything that might raise suspicions?" He was asking if anything would point to my being vampire.
"No, I don't think so. I got the blood and my laptop out."
"Thank goodness." Merrill heaved a sigh of relief.
"I don't have any clothes, though, other than what I'm wearing," I said.
"I understand. The two who are coming will help with that."
"Do you know who they are?"
"No. This is someone that Charles and Wlodek were able to get. They just happened to be in the area. They're not local."
"All right," I said. It didn't matter, I'd know by their scent they were vampires.