Page 20 of How to Stake a Vampire

Ellie reappeared at Virgil’s elbow. I stared at what she was carrying as she stepped out from behind the counter.

It was a tray of drinks that looked suspiciously like regular coffee with red coloring.

“Ellie, wait—” Virgil started, alarmed.

She’d already reached a table.

“Two Type-O lattes and a B-positive cappuccino,” she announced cheerfully.

We stared as the vampires reluctantly accepted their order and took polite sips that couldn’t completely hide their disappointment.

I hated being right.

“She’s been giving vampires normal coffee?” I asked Virgil.

Barney sucked in air. Gavin’s horns popped out.

Didi muttered something under her breath that didn’t sound like a compliment.

“The customers are too polite to complain. Besides, it’s not like regular coffee will kill them.” Virgil sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I thought she was getting the hang of the supernatural drink recipes, but apparently I wasn’t clear enough. I should have kept a closer eye on her.”

Having known Ellie since preschool, I could see how Virgil had fallen into the trap of thinking she could understand simple instructions without a map. I shuddered as I recalled the sandpit incident of 2002.

My best friend had flooded the sandbox with the garden hose in a mistaken attempt to cool everyone down during a blistering summer. This resulted in a quagmire that had trapped five children, two teaching assistants, and Gerald, the school’s pet hamster. The fire department chief said he’d never seen anything like it, a statement Ellie had chosen to take as a compliment rather than a dire indictment of her burgeoning life skills. Mrs. Henderson, our teacher, had to take the week off to recuperate from the trauma. As for Gerald the Hamster, he was never quite the same afterward.

“Is what you said true?” Virgil said warily. “Someone cleaned out Eternal Reserves?”

“They even hit the emergency stock,” Gavin confirmed.

“Ouch.” Virgil rubbed his chin, a thoughtful frown wrinkling his brow. “I’m afraid I didn’t sense anything unusual while I was there.”

“The staff we interviewed told us you looked a little preoccupied that day,” I said carefully.

“And you seemed oddly fixated on their client board,” Didi added with a grudging trace of suspicion.

Virgil’s expression grew shuttered.

“I was just seeing if they had enough Type A negative,” he finally confessed. “The other blood banks seem to have almost run out. And I’ve been having some—family issues lately.”

“You mean, with the Tremaines?” Didi asked.

Virgil stiffened. “How did you know that?” He shot an accusing look at Gavin.

The dragon newt put his hands up. “It wasn’t me. One of the blood bank staff accidentally spilled the beans.”

“Besides, I know who you are,” Barney said irritably.

Virgil didn’t look happy about any of this.

“If you must know, my father’s been pressuring me to come back to the family,” he said stiffly. “Since he’s not above usingunderhanded tactics to get what he wants, I’ve been kinda on edge lately.”

Barney studied him for a moment. “I have to admit I wouldn’t put anything past Gregory Tremaine, but sabotaging a coffee shop seems a bit far-fetched.”

“You don’t know my father like I do,” Virgil said darkly. “He’s never forgiven me for rejecting my role in our family. In his mind, I’m bringing shame to the Tremaine name by serving coffee to the masses instead of ruling over them from some ivory tower.”

An awkward silence followed. I started to feel sorry for the vampire.

“I’m afraid we still have to ask you this. Where were you at midnight on Saturday?”