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"What do you want?" Beck asked his visitors, all the while looking at his ith a troubled face and a troubled mind

"We want you to let us search your car," Andy said He’d gotten closer while Alcee was staring at his wife "And just in case you think I’d plant so in your car, we’d like it if you’d let this young lady do the search"

"You think I’ered bull’s

"Not for a second," Mr Cataliades reassured him "We think you have beenbewitched"

Alcee snorted "Right"

"So with you, and I think you know it," Mr Cataliades said "Why not let us check this si, if only to rule it out?"

"Alcee, please," whispered Barbara

Though he was obviously unconvinced there was anything in his car, Alcee agreed with a nod to the search He withdrew his car key from his pocket and unlocked the car doors with the electronic key withoutthe key "Knock yourself out," he told the girl She gave hiht smile and was in the car so fast she seemed to be a blur

The three men moved closer to Alcee Beck’s car

"Her nah Alcee hadn’t asked out loud

"Another fucking telepath," Alcee said, with an ugly sneer "Just like Sookie Our town didn’t need the one we got, much less another one"

"I’m the telepath She’s much more Watch her work," said the part-demon proudly, and Alcee felt coirl as she patted and probed every inch of his car, even leaning close to sirl - Diantha - slid bonelessly from the front seat to the back and then froze in place If she’d been a dog, she’d have been on point

Diantha opened the back door and e clutched in her left hand She held it up so they could all see it It was black and stitched with red, and it was ue resemblance to the omnipresent dream catchers sold in fake Indian stores, but it e much darker than the desire to ?" Alcee asked "And why is it in et thrown in, when you had your car parked in the shade at Merlotte’s Soh your " Andy tried not to sound relieved He tried to sound as though he’d been confident all along that such an object would be found "It’s a char It’s made you do stuff you really don’t want to do"

"Like what?" Alcee didn’t sound disbelieving, just startled

"Like persecute Sookie when the evidence is far froood alibi for the night of Arlene Fowler’s murder," Mr Cataliades said, reasonably "And also, I believe you haven’t been yourself at home since the murder" He looked at Barbara Beck for confirmation She nodded violently

"Is this true?" Alcee asked his wife "I’ve been scaring you?"

"Yes," she said out loud, and took a step back, as though she feared he would sock her in retaliation for her honesty

And with that clear evidence that Barbara feared hie, Alcee had to ad with hirued "And I still hate Sookie, and I still think she’s a murderess"

"Let’s see how you feel once we destroy this thing," Mr Cataliades said "Detective Bellefleur, do you have a lighter?"

Andy, who sar, slid a Bic out of his pocket and handed it over Diantha squatted to the ground and laid the charrass blown out by the Beck laer She flicked the Bic, sht fire iher than Andy would have guessed, since the charered back when the flaan to catch hold, and by the time the charm had burned away, he’d sunk to his knees in the doorway, clutching his head Barbara called for help, but by the tiet to his feet

"Oh, my Lord," he said "Oh, my Lord Help me to the bed, please" Andy and Barbara steered him back inside the house while Mr Cataliades and Diantha waited outside

"Good work," said Mr Cataliades

Diantha laughed "Kid’swork," she said "Iknehereitwasafterasecond Ijustwantedtoood"

Mr Cataliades’s pocket buzzed "Oh, bother," he said quietly "I’ve ignored it as long as I can" He took out his phone "I’ve got a text ht have said, "I’ve got herpes"

"Who from?"

"Sookie" He studied the screen "She wants to knoe knoho tied up Copley Carmichael and left him in her hidey-hole," he told Diantha

"What’sahidey-hole?" she asked

"I have no idea You would have told me if you’d captured Carorously She added proudly, "InaNewYorkoodness I wonder who put hiested

Without further ado, the two part-debird Road

SOOKIE’S HOUSE

I was glad to see Diantha and Mr C

"We un-bewitched Alcee Beck," Diantha said slowly, by way of hello

"There really was a voodoo doll in his car? Dang, it’s good to be right"

Enunciating carefully, Diantha said, "Not a voodoo doll A complex charm I found it I burned it He’s in bed Okay too that far," said Mr Cataliades "But I’m sure he’ll admit you couldn’t have killed Arlene Fowler and that he rong to drive the investigation in a false direction The district attorney is going to be e as they know I couldn’t and didn’t kill Arlene, they can dance naked on the courthouse lawn and I’ll show up to clap," I said, and Diantha laughed

"To get back to your query via text e," Mr Cataliades said "We don’t knoho is responsible for capturing A him inwhatever you’ve found him in"

"My vampire hole," I explained "See? In here" I led the way into the bedroom and opened the closet I knelt with some difficulty and reached in for the hidden lever Eric had had installed It hitched up the edge of the false floor Then it was easy to work e and hoist it up, especially when Mr Cataliades knelt besideit out of the closet We looked down into Copley Carry as before, but that ht have been because he’d spent soht’s shelter for a va place An adult could lie down in it in a fetal position, without curling up tightly At least it was deep enough that he could sit up with his back against the wall