“Why not?” Bobby asked me directly. “She tried to kill you once before. You did kill her boyfriend. She just threatened my life. And she knows Jane.”
“She didn’t really threaten your life,” I shook my head.
“Yeah, but she fits everything else.” He got more excited and turned to face me. “The only thing we know about Jane’s killer is that they knew Jane and they were a vampire.”
“What about that branding thing?” I asked. “Violet was the one that told us about that.”
“Exactly!” Bobby said. “She told us! It could be a total red herring. And we don’t even know if Jane was branded. Even if it’s true, it could be completely unrelated.”
“Come on.” I shook my head, but I couldn’t refute his logic. I looked over at him. “You don’t really think its Violet, do you?”
“No. I don’t know.” He shrugged and leaned his head back against the seat. “It could be her, though. You can’t discount that.”
“No, I guess I can’t,” I sighed. I didn’t want to agree with him, but at this point, I couldn’t cross anybody out.
“Well, who else do you think it could be?” Bobby asked.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. The truth is, I didn’t really want to think it was anybody.
“What about that Jonathan guy?” Bobby asked. “He’s a douche, right?”
“Yeah, he is, but being a total douche doesn’t make you a killer,” I said. “And right now, that’s all I have on him. That he’s douche.”
“What about those three assholes we met tonight?” Bobby asked.
“Nah.” I sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe. I mean… maybe they’re… I don’t know. They might’ve, I guess, but since I know nothing about them, I can’t say anything for sure.”
“How about Leif?”
“What?” I looked at him and jerked the wheel.
“Hey, take it easy!” He held up his hand. “Watch the road. I’m just saying stuff.”
“You can’t possibly think Leif did it,” I shook my head. “Why would he have any reason to do it?”
“He was part of a totally sadistic pack of lycan that already tried to kill you and Jane before,” Bobby said. “Or did you forget that?”
“No, I didn’t forget, but he did fight against them to save us.” I gave him a hard look. “And he saved your life, too.”
“Well, maybe he killed Jane for altruistic reasons. Like to protect you and Milo cause Jane is a bad influence.”
“Why would he want to protect me and Milo?” I asked.
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “But Leif does it all the time. Whenever I’m fighting with Milo about something stupid, he always comes in and defends Milo’s honor, even if Milo’s wrong. And I’ve seen him do it with you and Jack before. He’s always protecting you guys.”
“Well, that means he wouldn’t kill Jane, because he’d know that hurts us,” I argued lamely.
“Maybe.” Bobby didn’t sound convinced when he looked at me. “But you can’t say for sure it’s not him.”
“I can’t say for sure it’s not anybody!” I wanted to throw my hands up in the air, but I was driving, and it would be better if I didn’t kill Bobby. “It could be you, for all I know.”
“No, it can’t. I was in Australia with you when she was killed,” he said. “The only people you know for sure didn’t do it were me, you, Milo, Mae, Peter, and that brat of theirs.” He shrugged. “Maybe Jack did it.”
“Oh, Jack did not do it,” I rolled me eyes. We rounded the turn getting closer to our house. “You can’t tell Milo about those vampires we saw tonight, okay?”
“Well, duh,” Bobby said. “And you can’t tell Jack.”
“I know.” I hated having secrets from Jack, but he didn’t need to freak out and worry.
When we got home, only Milo and Jack were there. Peter had taken Mae and Daisy down to show them how things were coming in the tunnel, and I wasn’t sure if they were coming back to the house or not.
We found Milo in the living room, sitting on the floor next to the couch with a few of my textbooks lying around next to him. Jack had taken to the X-box, and he appeared to battling some kind of horrific demon in Dante’s Inferno. He’d already beaten the game twice, but he kept coming back to it.
“Are you even reading any of these?” Milo asked, not bothering to look up from the law book he had opened on his lap.
“I’ve read some of it.” I flopped down on the couch behind Milo. “I haven’t yet today, but today’s been busy.” I reached over him and grabbed the book from him.
“How did training go?” Milo asked, looking back at me.
Bobby sat down on the floor next to him, snuggling up to him already, which was good. If Bobby distracted him with affection, Milo would be less likely to lecture me about my schoolwork or pry too much about what happened tonight.
“Great,” I shrugged and flipped through the book.
“Did you kick Bobby’s ass?” Jack asked, keeping his focus on the video game on the screen.
“Nah, Bobby didn’t do a lot,” I said. “He was too busy pretending to be Batman.”
“If Batman were real, that’s exactly where he’d hang out!” Bobby turned back to glare at me. “That building is like Wayne Industries!”
“You’re just deflecting because you can’t fight.” Jack glanced away from the game to laugh at him.
“You’re one to talk,” Milo scoffed. “It’s not like you can fight either.”
“I can fight.” Jack paused the game when Milo and Bobby laughed at him, and he looked back at us. “You guys really think I can’t fight?”
“We’ve seen you fight, Jack,” Milo said with a smirk. “We know you can’t.”
“Oh, it’s on.” Jack shut off the X-box and tossed the controller in the chair and stood up. “You wanna fight, little man?”
“Really?” Milo arched an eyebrow.
“Yeah. It’s go time!” Jack pointed to his chest in some kind of weird dominant gesture, trying to stifle his own smile.
“She didn’t really threaten your life,” I shook my head.
“Yeah, but she fits everything else.” He got more excited and turned to face me. “The only thing we know about Jane’s killer is that they knew Jane and they were a vampire.”
“What about that branding thing?” I asked. “Violet was the one that told us about that.”
“Exactly!” Bobby said. “She told us! It could be a total red herring. And we don’t even know if Jane was branded. Even if it’s true, it could be completely unrelated.”
“Come on.” I shook my head, but I couldn’t refute his logic. I looked over at him. “You don’t really think its Violet, do you?”
“No. I don’t know.” He shrugged and leaned his head back against the seat. “It could be her, though. You can’t discount that.”
“No, I guess I can’t,” I sighed. I didn’t want to agree with him, but at this point, I couldn’t cross anybody out.
“Well, who else do you think it could be?” Bobby asked.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. The truth is, I didn’t really want to think it was anybody.
“What about that Jonathan guy?” Bobby asked. “He’s a douche, right?”
“Yeah, he is, but being a total douche doesn’t make you a killer,” I said. “And right now, that’s all I have on him. That he’s douche.”
“What about those three assholes we met tonight?” Bobby asked.
“Nah.” I sighed. “I don’t know. Maybe. I mean… maybe they’re… I don’t know. They might’ve, I guess, but since I know nothing about them, I can’t say anything for sure.”
“How about Leif?”
“What?” I looked at him and jerked the wheel.
“Hey, take it easy!” He held up his hand. “Watch the road. I’m just saying stuff.”
“You can’t possibly think Leif did it,” I shook my head. “Why would he have any reason to do it?”
“He was part of a totally sadistic pack of lycan that already tried to kill you and Jane before,” Bobby said. “Or did you forget that?”
“No, I didn’t forget, but he did fight against them to save us.” I gave him a hard look. “And he saved your life, too.”
“Well, maybe he killed Jane for altruistic reasons. Like to protect you and Milo cause Jane is a bad influence.”
“Why would he want to protect me and Milo?” I asked.
“I don’t know.” He shrugged. “But Leif does it all the time. Whenever I’m fighting with Milo about something stupid, he always comes in and defends Milo’s honor, even if Milo’s wrong. And I’ve seen him do it with you and Jack before. He’s always protecting you guys.”
“Well, that means he wouldn’t kill Jane, because he’d know that hurts us,” I argued lamely.
“Maybe.” Bobby didn’t sound convinced when he looked at me. “But you can’t say for sure it’s not him.”
“I can’t say for sure it’s not anybody!” I wanted to throw my hands up in the air, but I was driving, and it would be better if I didn’t kill Bobby. “It could be you, for all I know.”
“No, it can’t. I was in Australia with you when she was killed,” he said. “The only people you know for sure didn’t do it were me, you, Milo, Mae, Peter, and that brat of theirs.” He shrugged. “Maybe Jack did it.”
“Oh, Jack did not do it,” I rolled me eyes. We rounded the turn getting closer to our house. “You can’t tell Milo about those vampires we saw tonight, okay?”
“Well, duh,” Bobby said. “And you can’t tell Jack.”
“I know.” I hated having secrets from Jack, but he didn’t need to freak out and worry.
When we got home, only Milo and Jack were there. Peter had taken Mae and Daisy down to show them how things were coming in the tunnel, and I wasn’t sure if they were coming back to the house or not.
We found Milo in the living room, sitting on the floor next to the couch with a few of my textbooks lying around next to him. Jack had taken to the X-box, and he appeared to battling some kind of horrific demon in Dante’s Inferno. He’d already beaten the game twice, but he kept coming back to it.
“Are you even reading any of these?” Milo asked, not bothering to look up from the law book he had opened on his lap.
“I’ve read some of it.” I flopped down on the couch behind Milo. “I haven’t yet today, but today’s been busy.” I reached over him and grabbed the book from him.
“How did training go?” Milo asked, looking back at me.
Bobby sat down on the floor next to him, snuggling up to him already, which was good. If Bobby distracted him with affection, Milo would be less likely to lecture me about my schoolwork or pry too much about what happened tonight.
“Great,” I shrugged and flipped through the book.
“Did you kick Bobby’s ass?” Jack asked, keeping his focus on the video game on the screen.
“Nah, Bobby didn’t do a lot,” I said. “He was too busy pretending to be Batman.”
“If Batman were real, that’s exactly where he’d hang out!” Bobby turned back to glare at me. “That building is like Wayne Industries!”
“You’re just deflecting because you can’t fight.” Jack glanced away from the game to laugh at him.
“You’re one to talk,” Milo scoffed. “It’s not like you can fight either.”
“I can fight.” Jack paused the game when Milo and Bobby laughed at him, and he looked back at us. “You guys really think I can’t fight?”
“We’ve seen you fight, Jack,” Milo said with a smirk. “We know you can’t.”
“Oh, it’s on.” Jack shut off the X-box and tossed the controller in the chair and stood up. “You wanna fight, little man?”
“Really?” Milo arched an eyebrow.
“Yeah. It’s go time!” Jack pointed to his chest in some kind of weird dominant gesture, trying to stifle his own smile.
