Read Mixed Blessing (Mixed Blessing Mystery, Book 1) for Free Online Page B

appointment, I thought winging it would be best. Somehow building up the courage to talk to someone who may or may not remember me on the phone just seemed like hard work. At least face to face I could maybe tweak his memory with a small glaze.
    I was inordinately relieved that I had fed last night. The scents that assailed me as I entered the main building were overwhelming. Industrial lemon-pine cleaner, mixed in with sweat, blood, days old coffee and a pungent scent of fear, made my fangs throb in my gums and my eyes sting with the need to bleed red. Every vampire reacts to stimuli the same way. First the fangs, then the colour change in the eyes.
    Our eyesight gets sharper, our hearing keener. The muscles in our body tense ready for a fight. And our fangs, yeah well, let's just say it's a hell of a lot harder not to lisp when the vampire wants to come out and play.
    I stood statue-still at the doorway and let the sounds and smells wash over me, as I forced my Dark Shadow back in her box. Vamping out here and now was not a good option. Even in central Auckland where the crazies all reside. And feeling the need to bite every human who sat in the waiting room was so not on my To Do List tonight. So I breathed in through my mouth and out through my nose and tried to think of sunny beaches and warm sun drenched tropical waters. Something I would never see again, but always seemed to work in calming the vampire-within back down.
    Finally, after what felt like ten minutes, but was probably more like only half of one, I approached the front desk and took in the overweight uniformed officer behind the bullet proof glass. Friendly, Central Police Station was not.
    “ Can I help you?” It seemed like a stupid question. Why else would I be standing patiently before him if I didn't think he could help me?
    “ I'd like to see Detective Mark Anderson please?” I asked pleasantly and gave him my best non-vamp smile.
    He didn't seem impressed. Clearly blondes weren't his kind.
    “He's busy. You got an appointment?”
    I'd been prepared for that answer, so kept the winning smile on my face and said, “No, but I'm an old friend.” Exaggeration, but I'd try every option before I resorted to a glaze.
    “Yeah, really?” he answered, barely looking up from his Classic Auto-mobile Magazine. “Well this ain't a family reunion, it's a police station. No appointment, no go.”
    The magazine took his attention again as he turned the page.
    “I thought you guys were meant to help the public, not hinder them?” I asked, the words came out a little lispy. Damn fangs.
    He glanced up again and ran his eyes over my body. I was dressed for work. Black skin tight jeans and a black singlet, under my grey denim jacket. I'd left my stakes at home. I had on flat shoes, but at five foot eight the lack of heels wasn't missed. The thing that took his attention though was the chunky chain and colourful peace symbol emblem hanging midway down my chest. It was in a shocking hot pink and as big as a saucer. Doug was going to love it. Not.
    “He's with someone right now,” old fatty cop said reluctantly, “but if you take a seat I'll check with him when he gets free.” I smiled sweetly again, no need to scare the poor man. “But it may take a while,” he added with a smirk and almost stole my smile away. I stayed true to all the dumb blondes out there and just blinked my eyes a few times and settled into a half grimace half smile, hoping it would do.
    It did take a while. I was going to be so late for work, but the image of Kara sitting so scared and defeated on my lounge room sofa kept me glued to the uncomfortable plastic chair. Trying not to breathe in the stink of humanity that surrounded me.
    Several sticky and out of date magazines later and there seemed to be some action. Fatty cop stood up and cleared his throat to get my attention.
    “ He's on his way out,” he said and sat back down. I could hear his seat groan under the excess weight.
    I