Dead Is Not an Option (14 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

The next night
was Grad Night, which was held at the Black Opal, an all-ages club in Santa Cruz. Half of Nightshade was going to be there. This year's event was supposed to be more spectacular than any in previous years.

We were lucky that the vampires and shifters had finally realized that neither side was responsible for the horrific death and attacks of the past few months. The arrest of the woman known as Trinity St. Claire did much to soothe the paranormal population.

Ryan picked me up early.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"Yep," I said. "But I'm not sure if I can stay up all night."

He laughed. "We'll have to see about that."

"I hope they're serving coffee," I commented.

"They are," he said. "And beignets."

Grad Night had a New Orleans theme, and I was looking forward to some authentic Creole food. Slim was catering the event, and he'd been doing menu test runs at the café.

The other thing I liked is that I didn't have to dress up for the event. I was wearing my most comfortable pair of jeans, a cute top, and high-tops. At the last minute, I added the locket that Ryan had given me for my seventeenth birthday.

Ryan wore jeans, a dark green T-shirt, and sneakers.

"Are Sam and Sean riding with us?" he asked.

"They're meeting us there," I replied. "Sam had a last-minute wardrobe change to deal with."

The Black Opal had been transformed into New Orleans at Mardi Gras—that was clear from the full-size Mardi Gras float parked out front. I spotted my father's pink T-bird in the parking lot. It still made me cringe when I saw that car, but it made my father happy, so I couldn't bear to tell him its history.

My parents were at the front door with armloads of green, gold, and purple beads. My father draped a bunch of beads around my neck and then kissed my cheek. "Congratulations, graduate," he said. His voice wavered a little, but his smile was bright.

I gave him a hug. "I didn't know you were going to be here tonight."

He still didn't like to be in large crowds. Or around other people, except for immediate family, which was a result of his confinement at the hands of the Scourge.

"Are you kidding?" he said. "Nothing could keep me away."

"Thanks, Dad."

"We'll see you later," Mom said. "And have fun."

I grabbed Ryan's hand. "Can you believe this place?" I said.

"It's pretty cool," he admitted.

I spotted Samantha and Sean at a table with a bunch of the cheerleaders and their dates.

"Let's go talk to Sam," I said.

"You guys see each other all the time," Ryan protested, but with a smile. "When do I get a little alone time?"

"Later," I promised. I squeezed his hand. I'd find a way for a little alone time, even in a crowd this size. His stomach growled loudly. "We should feed you first," I said.

Rose and Nicholas were working the buffet. I spied Poppy and Liam and Grandma and the count, but I didn't see Ryan's dad anywhere.

"I thought your dad was going to be here."

He shrugged. "He said he had something to take care of. He'll be here."

"What do you want to try first?" I asked him.

"I've been thinking about those beignets all day," he said. "Let's eat dessert first."

"I could use a cup of coffee," I admitted.

We followed Ryan's nose toward the dessert bar, but before we could get there, Sam spotted us.

"Daisy!" Sam shrieked when she saw me. She ran over to us.

"Isn't it great?" she said, gesturing to the awesome spectacle of Grad Night. She wore a new pair of designer jeans and a purple top from the Tête de Mort boutique, along with about eight strings of beads around her neck.

At the dessert bar, I was shocked to see Circe Silvertongue frying up beignets. I knew she was up and around, but I had no idea she'd be at Grad Night.

"What is she doing here?" I hissed.

"I don't know," Ryan said. "Penance?"

When it was our turn in line, Circe handed me a beignet with a frosty smile. "Daisy."

"Circe," I said. "I'm not going to turn into a pig if I eat this, am I?"

"Only those who have truly hurt me become pigs," she said. "You, I would make an annoying little gadfly, which I would take great pleasure in squashing."

The little bit of pity I'd felt when she alluded to how much Balthazar had hurt her evaporated at her last comment.

"You have my pig," Circe said.

"He's
not
yours. Or a pig," I said. "At least, not for much longer."

Ryan took my hand. "Let's go before you say something you'll regret."

We sat around munching on delicious food, but dread gnawed at my brain. Something wasn't right. For one thing, I didn't recognize half of the Black Opal staff, and Ryan and I had been to the club many times to see Side Effects May Vary play.

"There's a mask-decorating station!" Ryan said. He dragged me over to the table and decorated a mask with huge bright green feathers, gold glitter, and fake pearls.

"Are you really going to wear that?" I laughed despite my worries.

"You bet," he said. He put it on and continued to wear it as we wove our way through the crowd.

Penny and Tyler were posing for photos underneath a giant purple and green balloon arch, so we went to have our photo taken too.

As we posed for the camera, Ryan put his hands on my shoulders and rubbed them. "Why so tense?" he said. "You've been edgy all night."

"I don't know," I said. "Sixth sense maybe?" I didn't want to ruin the evening by telling everyone that an inexplicable sense of dread had been building since I walked into the Black Opal.

Sam overheard us. "Should we add premonition to your powers, Daisy?"

I forced a laugh. "Of course not," I said. "I'm just being foolish. I'm so used to things going wrong that I don't know how to cope when they don't."

A four-piece jazz band started playing on the main stage, and we drifted over to watch them. There was so much to do and see and eat that I didn't think I'd have much trouble staying awake after all.

A bunch of little kids were there, volunteering with their parents. Sean's sisters and his parents were all working the ring-the-bell strong-man game, and we went over to say hi.

"Show me how strong you are," I teased Ryan.

He picked up one of the mallets and struck a pose, flexing his considerable muscle.

All of Sean's little sisters giggled at his antics, even Jessica.

I'd finally shaken my bad mood, shedding it like a second skin, and I was able to enjoy our graduation party. Even overhearing Penny Edwards's mom bragging about Penny's admittance to Arizona State didn't pop my happy bubble.

"What do you want to do now?" I asked Ryan.

My boyfriend whisked me into a dark corner. "This," he said. He gave me a sweet kiss and then another. We passed a very enjoyable half hour before I put a hand to his chest. "We should get back to the party," I said. "Mom and Dad are chaperoning, and they'll freak out if they notice I'm gone."

He sighed. "I guess you're right. I just got back into your dad's good graces."

We rejoined the party and hit the candy buffet, which was exactly what it sounded like. Every sweet imaginable in the Mardi Gras colors of green, purple, and gold.

We each took a cupful of candy and sat down at a table with Penny, Tyler, Sean, and Samantha. The feeling I'd been trying to ignore for weeks was back again, building inside me, no matter how hard I tried to shove it away and just be happy.

"I'm going outside for a breath of fresh air," I told Ryan quietly.

"I'll go with you," he replied.

"No, it's okay," I said. "I just need a second or two of quiet. The noise in here is getting to be too much for me." I slipped outside.

I saw Spenser Devereaux move stealthily in the parking lot. He was acting weird, like he didn't want anyone to notice what he was doing. I looked around, but nobody else seemed to think it was odd. On impulse, I followed him.

He made his way to his car, a newer-model BMW, which was parked near my father's pink pride and joy. He glanced around, and I ducked into the shadows, feeling slightly foolish. He was probably just getting something out of his car.

I started to turn away, but then curiosity got the better of me. What was he getting? A graduation present for Sam?

It was hard to see in the dark, but I heard him chuckling to him self as he popped the trunk. Then he walked to my dad's car and fumbled with a key ring before inserting a key into the trunk of the T-bird. After he popped the trunk, Mr. Devereaux went back to his BMW, picked up something heavy wrapped in what looked like trash bags, and dumped it into my dad's car. He had to shove the package down before the trunk lid would close.

Then he rubbed his hands together and chuckled diabolically. He scanned the parking lot, and I stood as still as I could, hoping that my cover held and he wouldn't spot me. Seemingly satisfied that he hadn't been observed, he stripped off the gloves he'd been wearing and threw them into the Dumpster. He chuckled again, and the sound sent chills down my spine. He didn't sound like the man I'd known my whole life.

What was going on? Was this some weird prank or something more sinister?

I waited a long time after he left before I finally released the breath I didn't even know I'd been holding. I returned to the club, slipping in the back, through the kitchen entrance.

Natalie gave me a distracted wave, but Rose sent a message my way.
Are you okay?

I shook my head.
I just saw something weird. Mr. Devereaux—

The thought was cut off when Ryan came striding toward me. "I've been looking for you everywhere," he said. "I should have known to look in the kitchen."

"Sorry," I said. "Hey, is your dad here yet?" The chief would know what to do. I was already questioning whether or not I'd seen what I thought I'd seen. Mr. Devereaux was Sam's dad and my father's friend. But he'd seemed like a completely different person out there.

Ryan frowned and looked at his watch. "No," he said. "And he's been gone for hours and hasn't checked in with me. That's not like him."

A thought occurred to me. I had seen Officer Denton with his fiancée at the buffet line about an hour ago. Maybe he could help. "I'll be right back," I told Ryan.

On the way, I spotted my mom conversing with one of her friends from work.

"Mom, I need to talk to you about something," I said. I had to raise my voice in order to be heard over their conversation. I noticed the frown on her face and added, "I'm sorry to interrupt, but it's important."

"Please excuse me for a moment, Joyce," Mom said. We went into the hallway by the bathrooms, where it was a little less noisy.

I explained to her what I'd seen. "Mom, it was just so weird," I said. "And it looked like a body he was stuffing in there." I shivered at the thought.

"Did you tell Chief Mendez?" she asked.

"I want to," I said. "But he's not here yet."

"What?" she said. "He left the station hours ago."

I had a very bad feeling in my stomach. I realized then what it was I'd actually witnessed.

"Mom, Dad needs us," I said.

I ran outside without waiting to see if she followed. Officer Denton and my father were looking at something in the open trunk of my father's pink convertible. They both had horrified expressions. Mr. Devereaux stood off to one side, but I thought I detected a smirk on his face. I nearly threw up when I saw a leg dangling from the trunk. Somehow I knew the person that leg belonged to was dead. I took in the scene, and in an instant I knew what had happened. Spenser Devereaux was framing my father for murder, and Officer Denton was buying it. He said something, and my father put his hands behind his back so the officer could cuff him. Panic set in as I streaked toward them.

"Rafe Giordano, you are under arrest for the murder of Chief Mendez. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say—"

"No!" I said. The force of my protest sent Officer Denton flying against the car.

"Daisy, it's okay," my dad said. "Calm down."

I inhaled and then exhaled several times, trying to do as he asked.

"It's not okay," I replied. "The reality of what Officer Denton had said sunk in, and my stomach gave an awful heave. "No," I said again. No, it couldn't be. Not the chief. Not ... Ryan's dad.

"My father didn't do it, and I can prove it," I said. I relayed what I'd seen Sam's dad do.

Mr. Devereaux looked at his watch. "I'm afraid I don't have time for this," he said.

I added, "He threw his gloves in the Dumpster over there."

That wiped the smirk from the professor's face.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

Sam chose the worst
possible moment to come outside.

"What's going on?" she asked, looking from one of us to the next in puzzlement.

"It's nothing, Samantha," the professor said. "Go back inside."

"It's not nothing," I said hotly. "Chief Mendez is dead."

"I don't understand," she said. "What's happening? Why is your father in handcuffs?"

"Sam," I said. "Your dad..." There wasn't an easy way to say it. "He killed Chief Mendez and tried to frame my father."

Officer Denton came back with a pair of gloves in an evidence bag.

"No!" Sam screamed. "No! Daddy, tell them it's not true." The look on Samantha's face confirmed that she had been as oblivious as I was. It was worse than I had ever imagined.

To my relief, Officer Denton took the cuffs off my father's wrists. "Think about it, Samantha," I said. "His weird disappearances? The woman with the birthmark? We both saw her that night, and then she was caught trying to poison everyone at Slim's."

I saw the exact second when realization dawned in her face.

"These people are my friends, Dad," Samantha said. "I can't believe you've been plotting to hurt them for all these years."

"Ridding the world of vermin is expensive, but it's worth every penny," he said. "And I eventually found a way to recoup some of my losses." He grinned evilly.

"You mean, illegally?" she asked.

"I did it for you, Samantha," he said. "To make the world safe for you to live in."

"What about Chief Mendez?" she said.

"It was necessary," he said.

"Necessary?" she screamed at him. "Necessary? He was Ryan's father. You killed Sean's best friend's dad. He was a good person."

"He was a Were. Vermin." The disgust in her father's voice made Sam start to cry.

Mr. Devereaux was telling us an awful lot for a criminal. It was almost like he didn't think it would matter.

Mr. Bone stepped out of the shadows. His normally smiling face looked grim as he grabbed Mr. Devereaux by the arm. "Come with me, Devereaux."

"What is this? A citizen's arrest?" Mr. Devereaux scoffed.

"Not exactly," Mr. Bone said. The look in his eyes made Mr. Devereaux cringe. "Officer Denton," Mr. Bone continued, "please arrest this man." Mr. Devereaux was lucky that Mr. Bone was a law-abiding citizen.

Sam collapsed into my arms as her father was cuffed by Officer Denton. Tightly.

Strangely, there was a smirk on Mr. Devereaux's face. "I'm sure your graduation party will be a major blowout," he called out as the officer led him away.

What did he mean by that?

Mr. Bone and my parents followed them, and then it was silent, except for the sound of my best friend's pain.

"Shhh," I said. "It'll be okay. It'll be okay." I was trying to convince myself as much as Sam. How could it be okay? Ryan's dad had been murdered. It couldn't get worse than that, could it?

Then a terrified scream echoed in my mind. I looked around to make sure I hadn't heard it, and there was silence, except for the sound of Sam's sobs. I glanced over at the Black Opal. It was completely dark. Something was wrong. The power had been cut.

"Sam," I said. "I need you to be strong now."

She sniffed. "But my father..."

"Something's wrong," I said. "Something is terribly wrong. I heard a scream."

My words drew her out of her own misery for a moment. "I didn't hear anything."

"I know," I replied. Sometimes I forgot that not everyone had powers like mine.

I sent a message to my sister.
Rose, is everything all right inside?

Inside? Where are you?

Never mind that. Are you okay?

The power just went off.

Something Mr. Devereaux had said finally sank in. The graduation party would be a blowout. Would he actually be crazy enough to endanger his own daughter? I started to shake when I realized the answer.

You need to get everyone out of there now.

WHAT? WHY?

Please, Rose, just do it. I think the Scourge plans an explosion. Get everyone out of there! We'll be there to help in a minute.

No, stay there.

There was no way I was going to follow her advice.

"Sam, I have to go inside for a minute," I said. "But no matter what, don't come in after me, do you hear me?"

"Daisy, what's going on?"

The dread on my face answered her question.

"Something bad," she said with certainty. "And my dad's responsible. I'm going with you."

"Sam," I protested.

"Sean's in there," she said, her voice trembling. "And the rest of his family, including Katie. How could he do that?"

I couldn't say no. "Let's go," I said. "But stay close to me no matter what. And keep a lookout for the members of the Scourge."

"What do they look like?" Sam asked.

"You'll know 'em when you see 'em," I said. "They'll be the ones trying to kill us."

We approached the front door, which was blocked. A huge silver bar was wedged through the door handles, preventing anyone from escaping.

A pudgy middle-aged man was guarding the entrance.

He didn't seem to notice me at all, as his entire attention was focused on Samantha. He grinned evilly and stepped into Sam's personal space.

"Late to the party are you, princess?" He was busy with Samantha, which meant I could use my powers of telekinesis to unlock the door. It was tougher than I thought, but I tried to remember Poppy's coaching and finally managed to get one end of the bar to wiggle a little.

"Hands off, you moron," Sam said.

I whipped my head around and saw that the creep had his hands all over Samantha.

"What do you think you're doing?" I said.

"He obviously doesn't know who my dad is," Sam said. She gave him a shove, and he released her.

"Who's your daddy?" the man leered, but he sounded worried. Good.

"Spenser Devereaux," she said. "The leader of the Scourge."

"What?" the man said. He sounded caught off-guard, maybe even a little scared. "The boss didn't say anything about his daughter being here."

It looked like he was buying Sam's story, so I returned my attention back to the bars.

"He must have forgotten," she lied convincingly.

I finally managed to free the bar. It hovered in the air, but I couldn't get it to move.

"Let me call it in," the man said. He reached for his phone. That's when the bar flew through the air and smacked him across the face. He fell to the ground.

"It took you long enough," Sam said. "That guy had breath as bad as a zombie's."

"Is he breathing?"

She stepped over him. "Would it be so bad if he wasn't? Let's go rescue our friends."

Inside, it was chaos. Members of the Scourge were locked in combat with the citizens of Nightshade, paranormal and normal alike.

Sam disappeared for a minute and I panicked, wondering if she'd already been snatched by one of the Scourge.

They weren't really trying to do much damage, I noticed. There were no guns or serious weapons. They were just trying to keep everyone inside, until the explosion.

Bane carried a bleeding Mrs. Wilder as Elise and Wolfgang forged a trail by knocking down anyone who got in their way.

Sam reappeared at my side. "There's Katie!" she said.

Jessica carried Katie as the rest of the Walsh sisters trailed behind. I flinched when I saw a short red-haired man move toward them. Jessica put Katie down behind her and then grabbed a nearby folding chair. She brought it down on his head, and the man crumpled to the ground. A tattoo stood out in stark relief on her arm and then faded away.

As they moved toward the exit, a large blond woman stepped into their path and raised her fists. Before she could strike, Samantha launched herself at the woman and tackled her to the floor.

"Come with me," I said to the girls.

Sam was still smacking the woman with her purse. "Sam, let's go. We need to get the girls out of here and then find Sean and Ryan."

With one last thump from Sam, the woman passed out. Sam smiled in satisfaction and then shouldered her purse again.

"What do you have in there, rocks?" I asked her as we moved through the crowd. Jessica had picked Katie back up and the rest of Sean's sisters followed.

"Even better," she said. "I loaded it up with rolls of quarters from the ring-toss booth."

All around us, Nightshade citizens were doing battle with the Scourge.

Flo was a whirring, kicking blur. She seemed to be everywhere at once.

"I didn't know she could fight like that," I said. A voice at my ear said, "She's a virago, Daisy. A woman warrior whose powers are only activated when the city is in peril."

"Slim! You're okay," I said, relieved. "A virago, huh?"

I filed the information away for later. I was fairly certain there was a virago in Sean's family, one who would be starting high school in the fall.

Natalie was on his other side, but she didn't speak to me. She was reciting a chant, and I was relieved when I realized it was a protective spell for the little kids.

The few times she got close enough, I saw that Flo's tattoos were swirling as she moved.

"Can you take the girls and get them out of here? As far from the club as you can go?" I asked Slim. "Sam, you go with them."

"Absolutely," he said. "I'll take them to the restaurant. I have my catering van. They should be safe there. Please watch out for my sister."

"I'll do my best," I said. But he and the girls were already gone.