Free Transylvania's Most Wanted by M L Dunn

sure could use a beer,” Rollo said.
    “You don’t want to go see a doctor?” Tom
asked.
    “Doctors can’t do much for us golems,” he
said dusting himself off. “A stone mason might patch me up some,
but there’s nothing a doctor could for me that a beer couldn’t do
better and cheaper,” he said. “Let’s go in my place here and have
one. Besides I got something to tell you guys.”
    Red and Tom followed Rollo inside the Rock
Bottom and lined up at the counter as the bridge troll poured them
each a beer.
    “Thanks,” Rollo said and then he proceeded
to down half his mug. He wiped his chin and turned toward Red and
Tom. “Both Stone and Titan looked like they’d been run through a
meat grinder.”
    “You got some licks in aye?” Red said
holding up his beer toward Rollo.
    “No,” Rollo said shaking his head. “I mean
they had scratches all over their face and hands already, before
they blindsided me. I don’t know what they were up to before they
came looking for me, but it must have been something nasty.”
    Red looked at Tom and then back at Rollo.
“We might have an idea where they got those.”
    “Where?’
    “A werewolf might have done it to them.”
    “Really?” Rollo said. “Well that’s exactly
what it looked like.”
    “ Say,” Red said. “You
don’t know what interest some witch might have going inside the
Mouth-of-Hell cave do you?”
    “Maybe,” Rollo said ordering himself another
beer, but Red and Tom waved off the offer of a second one, since
they were on duty. “Use to be, after they outlawed many of the
herbs them witches use in their potions, some witches hid some
contraband items inside there. Not too far in, as its get pretty
dangerous inside there, but finally the Administration sent some
firemen in there with orders to burn the place out and destroy
anything hid in there. And then some gates were installed at the
entrance so nobody could go inside there anymore.”
    “What happened to the gates?” Red asked.
    “Oh they finally tore them down about forty
years ago.”
    Red looked at his watch then. “I need to be
going. Chief Rogers wants to go over our security plans for the
ball tonight.”
    “Why didn’t they come here on one of them
zeppelins?” Rollo asked. “I would have like to seen one of
them.”
    “I guess because the king didn’t come along.
I guess the invite to Transylvania was a last minute thing and he’s
staying in Londonium for some meetings.”
    “Too bad,” Rollo said picking his mug
up.
    Red picked his hat up off the counter. “I’m
glad you showed up,” he told Tom. “Why don’t you come to this
meeting with me?”
    “If you want.”
    “Let’s get going,” he said. “Thanks for the
beer Rollo.”
     
    Red and Tom headed for the TCPD building to
meet with Chief Rogers. Just outside the Chief of Police’s office
at the end of the hallway, sat a vampire and Tom shot him a look as
he walked into the chief’s office. Several people were already
there, Commander Gates who was in charge of the regular constables,
Captain Clarke of the Fire Brigade and sitting with his back to the
door as Tom entered the room was another man.
    “Inspector Meriwether…” Chief Rogers said as
Red stepped into his office, “You are of course familiar with Count
Vasili,” he said gesturing toward the man.
    “Just by reputation,” Red said as Count
Vasili stood and turned around.
    He was not a man though, but a vampire and
while all vampires are rather good-looking, this one put all others
to shame. There was not a flaw to him, not a feature that could
have been improved. His hair was dark, thick, shiny and perfectly
combed. His eyes were so dark; it seemed you were looking down a
hole that had no bottom. His teeth were as white as snow and
glinted like metal. His suit and overcoat with scarf were
immaculate and fit his tall, trim build perfectly.
    “I am pleased to meet you Inspector
Meriwether,” he said extending a hand toward Red. His