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of the Hibernian had spent a lot of time renovating the building, developing it into the magic-science facility he'd always dreamed about. Because of the delicate nature of the work done in all the various sections-- the medical bay, the brand-new morgue, the Theoretical Magic (R&D) Department-- there
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    were no windows, and the temperature was carefully controlled. Although he had the run of the entire building-- shared only with his two assistants-- the owner still chose to work in the smallest, darkest laboratory, and that was where they found him.
    Kenspeckle Grouse looked around when Skulduggery said his name.
    "You again," he said in a voice that was not overflowing with warmth and hospitality. "What do you want?"
    Kenspeckle was a small, elderly man with a mass of white hair and very little patience.
    "We have something for you," Skulduggery said, showing him the syringe that had fallen from Dusk's pocket. "We were wondering if you'd have time to analyze it."
    "Oh, as if I'm not kept busy enough as it is," Kenspeckle said gruffly. "Valkyrie, I haven't seen you in weeks. Staying out of trouble?"
    "Not really," Valkyrie admitted.
    "Nor did I expect you to," he said with an exasperated sigh. For all his crotchety behavior and ill manners, the elderly scientist seemed to have a soft spot for Valkyrie. "So what has he
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    dragged you into this time?"
    "I haven't dragged her into anything," Skulduggery said defensively.
    Valkyrie smiled. "Fights, kidnap attempts, more fights. Business as usual, you know how it is."
    Skulduggery's phone rang, and he stepped away to answer it.
    Now that Skulduggery was out of earshot, Kenspeckle let his voice soften in tone. "How is the shoulder from last month?"
    "Much better," she answered. "I was barely left with a bruise."
    Kenspeckle nodded. "I used a new mixture. The ingredients are a little harder to find, but for my favorite patients I like to make sure the healing process is as painless as possible."
    "I'm on that list?" Valkyrie asked, her smile growing wider.
    Kenspeckle snorted. "You are the list."
    Valkyrie laughed.
    "Your partner certainly isn't," Kenspeckle continued, returning his attention to Skulduggery as his phone call ended. "Let me see that syringe."
    Skulduggery handed it over.
    "Where did you get it?"
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    "It fell out of a vampire's pocket."
    Kenspeckle held the syringe up to the light, examining the liquid within. "Fascinating creatures, vampires. Two completely separate layers of epidermis, the upper layer of which regenerates when the sun comes up. Human by day, gifted with slightly enhanced speed and strength, but essentially mortal. But at night..."
    Valkyrie nodded. "I know what they're like at night."
    "Hmm? Oh that's right. You have firsthand knowledge, don't you? How did you get that, I wonder? Oh, yes." He glared at Skulduggery. "Someone with absolutely no sense of responsibility dragged you in front of a vampire and almost got you killed."
    Skulduggery tilted his head. "Are you talking about me?" he asked innocently.
    Kenspeckle scowled, and went back to examining the syringe. "I've seen this before," he said, "but only once. It's a rare concoction of hemlock and wolfsbane. It would be used by a vampire to suppress his bestial nature at night."
    "Makes sense," Skulduggery murmured. "Dusk is of no use to Vengeous if he loses control every
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    time the sun goes down."
    Kenspeckle loosened his tie and undid his top shirt button. "I had a run-in with a vampire in my youth, and I barely escaped with my life. That's why I carry this with me, everywhere I go."
    He showed them a glass vial that hung around his neck.
    "Is that holy water?" Valkyrie asked, a little doubtfully.
    "Holy water? No no no, Valkyrie. It's seawater."
    "Right," she said, slowly.
    "Holy water doesn't work," Kenspeckle explained, "and stakes through the heart won't kill them. Decapitation is effective, but then, decapitation is effective against most things. The one vampire legend that does