July 19

Monday, July 19, 2010

The roofers were putting the brand new tin roof on Bill’s house. One thing I could say about Ante Bellum construction is that it was made to last. I was standing there with my eyes shaded looking up. The house was nearly all painted and it looked like new money. Now to get Bill back home where he belonged. Barrister came to stand next to me. He looked up at the house, getting better by the day and then at me.

“He will love it,” he said.
“I hope so,” I said. Fairy was helping with the weeds around Bill’s house with Raki and Minnie. We had tossed out the moth balls and were hopeful there were no more snakes, though with the Louisiana climate being what it is, we didn’t take anything for granted. Maybe we should call Billy the Exterminator, he did just live in Shreveport. I wondered if he knew what to do with Vampire pests. We had a plague of them.

There was the rumbling of a jeep and we turned to see Sam with our lunch orders. Tommy was with him and it was all we could do to keep GS and Dude from surrounding him. Tommy helped Sam carry the boxes into Bill’s house. We followed them in. Scarlett was sorting out the orders, each with our names on the stapled bags. We divvied up our money and made nice big tip on top for Sam and Tommy, though I think GS was all for taking a leaf out of the Jessica Hamby playbook and not tip Tommy, but we gave it all to Sam and figured what he did with it would be up to him.

“You guys have really done a great job with this house,” said Sam.
“Did you know Jessie Compton?” I asked, as Scarlett handed over my chicken strip dinner.
“I knew of him, but not really,” said the shifter. “But I always thought it was a shame this old house was in such sorry shape.”
“Well, it keeps us out of the bars at night,” I said, with a wink.
“Hey, you all should come to Merlotte’s Friday night,” said the bar keeper.
“We may do that,” I said.
“You all hear from Sookie?” he asked.
“Well, she is really busy Sam,” I said evasively.
“I am sure, but I worry for her,” he said.
“We all do, Sam,” I said. “So how is that family reunion thing working out?”
“I just don’t know,” he said softly. We turned away and walked to the edge of the crowd a bit where Body Guard and Aolani were talking to Tommy. “I guess I make the mistake a lot of adoptees make.”
“Not your fault, just…be careful, know what I mean?” I said.
“I do,” he said. “But you all stop by Merlotte’s and have a beer, now.”
“We will, thanks,” I said. Sam called for Tommy and the two brothers headed out the front door. I shook my head. There were troubles brewing for those two. I went into the parlor and settled at the coffee table and began to open my supper box and dive into some fried chicken. I could hear everyone talking and laughing in the house, having their burgers and chicken strips and what all else they could get from Merlotte’s.

After our lunches, we went back to work. Renee, Scarlett and Fairy and I were painting the wrought Iron gazebo and Barrister and Dude and God Speed were digging out the grass in the area we were going to put up the gazebo. They were going to level the sandy soil, put down a weed barrier and lay some prick down for a patio underneath for the lovely wicker furniture Eric had sent us. He was being generous to us, not Bill, and I appreciated it. When we finished with the painting, and it dried, the boys would carry it to the spot and then lay the bricks. Westexan came over and flopped down on the old blanket with Butter, who was tending to the bun.

“Ugh…I will never get the paint off me!!!” she whined. She had been painting at her own house and in between times had been working on Bill’s house with us. “I even have paint in my hair…How did I get paint in my hair?”
I looked over and grinned. “It’s water soluble chere, it will come out with warm water and soap,” I said back her. I lit a cigarette and it hung from between my lips as I worked on painting a rosette. This paint we were using on the gazebo was oil based and I could foresee the use of linseed oil to get it off. My poor manicure was a lost cause.

As the sun began to go down, we either took off for home or headed upstairs to have a shower. I went up for a shower and change and so did Barrister. Jessica came out of her room and padded down stairs.
“Hey Aslinn,” she said.
“Hey Jessica, how are you?” I asked.
“Fine,” she said. “Would you and Barrister give me a ride to Merlotte’s?”
“Sure,” I said. She headed back upstairs to get ready and I went to heat her a bottle of Tru:Blood. When it dinged off, I got it and set it on the counter.

“You have gotten a lot done,” said a voice. I whirled around.
“Eric,” I said. He stepped in the back door. “Wanna Blood?”
“Sure,” he said. He leaned against the counter in the small galley kitchen. He filled up the small room with his frame.
“Have you heard anything about Pam?” I asked.
“She is fine right now,” he said.
“I know you will do what you have to, Eric,” I said. “So, your father’s crown.”
“My father’s crown,” he said. He sipped the blood and stared at the floor.
“Gonna get it back?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said.
“Well, it is yours,” I said. “You have his sword safe and sound in Sweden, and now you know where the crown is, all you have to do is snatch it away.”
“No word of worry or doubt?” he said. He looked up at me.
“You said for me to trust you right? So…I trust you,” I said. “You will do what is right. You will get Pam out, you will help Sookie, and you will help Bill, since you got him in this little predicament with the Magister. You may be a little underhanded in some of your dealings, but in most dealings, dealings of importance, you are honorable.”
“I appreciate your confidence in me,” said the Viking.

“Hey Eric,” said Jessica.
“Jessica,” he said. “All dressed for work I see.”
“Yeah,” she said.
“Do you need a ride to Merlotte’s?” he asked.
“Aslinn and Barrister are giving me a ride, thanks,” she said. She tipped the Tru:Blood bottle and took a long swig of it. She gulped that down and then took another.
“Slow down Jessica, there is more artificial blood where that came from,” said Eric. Eric tolerated the artificial blood as a gesture to mainstreaming but he really liked the little blood meals from this sister wives.
“If I drink it fast enough I don’t think about it,” she said.
“Eric be good,” I said.
“I am being good. I’m helping Jessica mainstream,” he said, smiling that lops sided grin.
“You are barely housebroken, “I said. “Admit it, you barely mainstream at all.”
“That is true,” he admitted.
“Are we ready?” asked Barrister.
“Sure, we are dropping Jessica off at Merlotte’s,” I said.
“And then I would like it very much if you followed me to Fangtasia for a quick meeting,” he said.
“All of us?” I asked.
“No, just you and my consigliere,” he said.
“Okay,” I said. “Let’s go.”

We drove Jessica to work and let her out, reminding her to have another TB later and she promised. I sighed. I had a feeling that girl was not living strictly from a diet of artificial blood. She was feeding when she could, and I just hoped she was careful. Lafayette put his hand up and at first I thought he was waving at me but then I realized he was waving at Eric, who nodded at him. When we pulled out, he followed us. I could see out the rearview mirror, the pale face illuminated by the dash board lights.

“Eric troubles me,” I said more to myself than to Barrister.
“I know he does,” he said.
“I have a feeling I am going to end up saying something to him he is not going to like,” I said.
“Maybe you shouldn’t say it,” said Barrister.
“He did me a favor, he said things to me to get my ass in gear over Bill, now I got to say what I gotta say,” I said.
“Be gentle,” he said. “He says what he likes because unless you have a silver stake to drive through his hide, he has nothing to fear. He could swat you like Serena Williams swatting a tennis ball and turn you into a tomato spot on his office wall. “I made a squishy squelching sound. “That’s not funny dearest.”
“Yes it is…at least I won’t suffer,” I said. You had to develop a sick sense of humor else you couldn’t run around with Vampires. “I wonder…”
“What?” asked Barrister.
“Where was Chow the night the bar was raided? Why didn’t he help Pam that night?” I said.
“Well, maybe it was his night off,” said Barrister.
“Maybe…Wonder what Eric knows about him,” I said. “You know, in the second summer we knew him, I had the feeling he was jealous of Eric. Remember, they were about to feed on Lafayette, and he said, ‘I don’t understand why we have to wait for Eric’. Makes me wonder if he isn’t the one who bugged Eric’s office.”
“And maybe called the Magister in and told him where he could find the V?” suggested Barrister.
“Maybe….” I said. “That is so random, but…it makes sense.”
“Are you going to ask Eric about it?” he asked.
“Yeah, maybe,” I said. “We’ll see.”

We pulled behind Fangtasia and Eric pulled up beside us and we got out. Eric went to the rear door and unlocked it and opened the door for us to step in. The lights were on and there were a couple of waitresses there.

“Two Guinness please Chow,” said Barrister. The Vampire nodded and we went to sit down at the owner’s booth. Yvetta sidled up to Eric and he snubbed her by walking past without a word. She gave Eric an evil glare. He sat down.
“Eric, you won’t get Yvetta back in the basement if you treat her like that,” I said.
“I’m bored with her,” he said. “Pam was keeping her occupied for a while.”
“How nice for you, to have someone to take on your hand me downs,” I said. I opened my bag and took out my phone and wrote a text and texted it to Eric. He took out his phone and looked at the sender and then he looked at me. I winked at him. He read the text.

>>How well do you know Chow?<<
>>Y?<<
>>Where was he when Fangtasia was raided?<<

Eric closed his phone and I did the same. He looked at me for a long time and then shrugged his shoulders. I nodded. It was something for him to think about. Ginger brought us our drinks and we gave her the cost of them. I sipped my perfect pint.

“So, what did you want to see me about?” asked Barrister.
“I need your counsel, about Edgington, what do you know about him?” asked Eric. “From the things you have collected from the books you took away from Markingham’s estate.”
“Virtually nothing Eric,” I said. “He is older than Godric, which fascinates me. I thought you said there was none above Godric?”
“And there wasn’t. I was speaking of his character and his abilities as a Vampire,” said Eric. I nodded.
“Eric, you have to pull it together,” I said. “You can’t let the discovery of the crown deter you from your main goal and that is get Pam out from the Magister.”
“I know,” he said.
“This Edgington is a backward thinking Vampire for all of his talk about being civilized,” said Barrister. “Can Nan Flanagan help us?”
“I don’t think I make her short list of friends, so I don’t think we can count on her much,” said Eric.
“A dangerous coupe attempt on the life of your queen will be a media disaster greater than Godric being taken by the Fellowship,” said Barrister.
“This is true,” said Eric.

“You worried about how Bill will react?” I asked.
“I want him to cooperate with me,” said Eric.
“Cooperate with him and he will cooperate with you. You boys need to trust one another. I know that isn’t a big thing with your kind, but you really have to do it,” I said. “Sookie has to be able to trust you both. You all got her in the middle of this, you all have to get her out.”
“How is it my fault?” asked Eric.
“It’s not just one of you at fault,” I said. “Bill should have kept her secret just that, a secret. And you should have left Lorena out of the picture. That was poorly played on your part. Sookie would have helped you without bringing Lorena in to keep him from going to her. And who do you think got Bill Compton taken? Lorena, of course, and this led to Edgington wanting to acquire Sookie.”
“Sookie is becoming something of a commodity,” said Eric.
“Well, you guys have been exploiting humans for a long time,” I said. “But be careful, be safe, and be clever. I don’t need to tell you those things, because I know you are those things. But I think sometimes you need to hear someone say that to you.”
“Thank you Aslinn,” he said.
“If I find anything of use to you, I will let you know,” I said.
“Thank you,” he said. “I have to go.”
“Take care,” I said.