The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks Read Free Book Online Page B

Casimir’s password?’
    No one did. No one even knew his date of birth, or his nationality. (He’d always been very vague about both.)
    ‘I suppose I could go and have a look around his flat,’ Father Ramon finally offered. ‘I’d probably be safe if I went back there during the day. But I’m not sure …’ He hesitated, before turning to Sanford. ‘What should we do about Casimir?’ the priest wanted to know. ‘Should we report him missing? Should we pretend that he’s moved? Do you want the police involved, or not?’
    ‘We can’t let the cops get hold of Casimir’s computer.’ Horace was firm. ‘God knows what’s on his hard drive. Even if we can’t sneak it out, we should destroy it. Plug it in, turn it on, and throw it into a bath full of soapy water.
That
should do the trick.’
    ‘We can’t leave those ashes, either,’ I said. ‘It might not be obvious what they are, but the police have all these forensic people nowadays. They might be able to analyse stuff like that.’
    ‘Anyway, vampire dust is very valuable,’ Gladys piped up. When everyone stared at her in amazement, she was prompted to elaborate. ‘Vampire dust has alchemical properties,’ she went on. ‘People do things with it. Curses, mostly.’
    ‘Oh dear.’ Father Ramon wrinkled his nose. He’s always had an absolute horror of witchcraft. ‘In that case, we shouldn’t let poor Casimir fall into the wrong hands.’
    Finally, after much fretful dispute, our plans were laid. Father Ramon would first collect the generous supply of emergency sleeping-bags that were stored in his presbytery. He would then deliver them to my house, before returning home for a well-earned sleep. Finally, in the morning, he would proceed to Casimir’s apartment, where he would destroy the computer and dispose of Casimir’s ashes.
    ‘You’ll either have to dump them out the window or flush them down the toilet,’ Horace recommended. ‘You won’t be so memorable if you leave the place empty-handed.’
    ‘But—’
    ‘If you come out with anything at all, you’ll look like a burglar,’ Horace said impatiently, dismissing Father Ramon’s objections. To which Sanford’s response was, ‘Surely not, if he’s dressed as a priest?’
    Horace snorted. And I couldn’t help butting in.
    ‘Are you kidding?’ I cried. ‘If he’s dressed as a priest, someone’s bound to remember him.’ I was so sure of this that I leaned over to grip the priest’s arm. ‘Don’t wear your cassock, Father,’ I begged. ‘Just put on something bland.’
    Wearily he agreed. Then Sanford began to delegate the various other tasks that faced us. Back at my house, Father Ramon’s sleeping-bags would be distributed over my mother’s basement floor. Meanwhile, Dave would use my computer to track down the manufacturer of the silver bullet. Horace would also use my computer to communicate with Fangseeker, if possible. With any luck, some progress would have been made by daybreak.
    If not, we would continue our search the following night. Andthe night after that. We simply wouldn’t give up until Casimir’s killer had been identified.
    ‘As long as he’s out there, we’re in mortal danger,’ Sanford insisted, addressing us all in a solemn, self-important manner that – for once – didn’t seem overblown or inappropriate. ‘We have to act as a team and work together for as long as it takes. Because if we don’t, we might not get through this.’
    It’s funny – I hate so much about my life. I hate the cramps, and the nausea, and the boredom, and the listlessness. I hate surviving on guinea pigs, and not being able to get a decent haircut. But that night, when it came to choosing between life and death, I didn’t hesitate. Not for one second.
    I didn’t want to end up as a pile of ashes on a bedroom floor.

5
    There’s an abiding myth that vampires are afraid of garlic. This, of course, is a lie. The garlic myth was triggered hundreds of years ago, when