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“Sometimes, they drank a special potion, to talk to the spirits,” she said.

But I didn’t want that. I needed my senses sharp.

“I am going after a very bad man,” I told her. “He may be a vampire pretending to be human.”

Tamara shook her head and muttered more. “Too strong,” she said. “Too strong.”

I nodded and got up. “Maybe, but I am going to try.”

“Wait!” she said and went off into a drawer, looking for something, handing me something slim. It looked like a letter opener.

“Silver knife,” she shrugged. “Could come in handy.”

The knife was dull and ornamental. It hardly inspired confidence but I took it anyway.

As I opened the front door, she said, “It is dark moon in two weeks. That is the best time. Good luck.”

I went home, packed a few things, got my bags with weapons and headed north.

I bought supplies at a small shop along the way, then had breakfast at a spot off the highway. I needed to make a few calls before I turned into remote mountain country. I left messages for Fuzz and Tina, apologizing for my sudden disappearance.

Then I called Josie.

“Hey, what’s up?” she asked.

“I need you to get me everything you can on Leo Da Salle,” I said.

“Why?”

I trusted Josie but the less she knew about all of this, the better.

“It’s dangerous,” I said.

“I’ll say,” she snorted. “He’s just about the biggest prick in the West and East, pretty much all over,” she paused, “I’ve heard a rumor he may be running for president.”

Jesus, I thought.

“Just get me whatever you can find on him,” I said, “and his movements for the next month. I’ll call again in a couple of days.”

“Kaya? What’s going on?”

I didn’t want to talk much more but I couldn’t leave my friend hanging.

“Look, there is more to him than meets the eye, ok?”

“How?”

“I think he’s one of them,” I said.

“One of…oh..” she said, catching on. “But… how is he able to act, all human-like? Go out in the middle of the day, eat food, all that?”

“But does he, eat? I mean, he could be pushing food around on a plate,” I said. “And you know there are things they can take for that.”

Jack had told me about this.

“I did see a dossier recently…” Josie’s voice trailed away. “All about power dynamics in the US and how things are changing politically. Just like elsewhere in the world. Shifting away from the moderates,” her voice was uneasy. “There is talk of greater regulation from the state, taxes and stricter controls.”

“What’s been happening in New York?”