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My gun was digging into my back, so I shifted forward in my office chair That was better; noas just the co pressure of the inner-skirt holster, tucked away underneathmy shoulder holster except when I was on an active warrant as a US Marshal When I orking at Ani clients, the behind-the-back holster was less likely to flash andme to raise the dead for theuns see about zombies It was different once the zo dead; then suddenly the guns didn't bother them nearly as much, but until that Halloweenesque ht There was a knock on my office door and Mary, our dayti Come in, which she'd never done in the six years we'd been working together, so I wasn't grumpy about the interruption I just looked up fros to make sure there wouldn't be any overlap issues and knew so Mary it would be important She was like that

She'd finally let her hair go gray, but it was still in the same obviously artificial hairdo that it had always been She'd let herself get a little plulasses full tied her about ten years, but she seerand like one' The look on her face was sad and set in syrieving families anted their loved ones raised frohtened my stomach

I made myself take a deep breath and let it out slow as Mary closed the door behind her and started walking toward ?' I asked

'I didn't want to tell you over the phone with all the clients listening,' she said

'Tell e not to raise my voice She was about oneyelled at

'There's a woman on line two; she says she's your future e, and she said that she didn't knohat to call herself since you were just living with her son'

I was actually living with several men, but most of them didn't have families to use words like son 'Na a little

'Morgan, Beatrice Morgan'

I frowned at her 'I'an I've never even dated anyone with that last name'

'I didn't recognize it from your boyfriends, but she said that the father is hurt, ht he'd want to know about his dad before it was too late The emotion is real, Anita I'm sorry, maybe she's crazy, but sometimes people don't think clearly when their husband is hurt I didn't want to just write her off as crazy; I '

I started to tell her to ignore the call, but looking into Mary's face I couldn't do it I'd trusted her to screen callers for years She had a good feel for distraught versus crazy 'She give a first name for her son?'

'Mike'

I shook an I don't knohy she called here, but she's got the wrong Anita Blake'

Mary nodded, but her expression looked unhappy 'I'll tell her that you don't know a Mike Morgan'

'Do that She's either got the wrong Anita Blake, or she's crazy'

'She doesn't sound crazy, just upset'

'You know that crazy doesn't mean the emotion isn't real, Mary Sometimes the delusion is so real they believe it all'

Mary nodded again and went out to tell Beatrice Morgan she had the wrong nus I wanted toit took to raise each zombie, I wouldn't be too late for the next ce out in graveyards too long by thes were historical societies and lawyers checking wills, with the fa dead or not allowed near the zo the loved ones influenced the zoe its mind about the last will and testament I wasn't sure it was possible to sway a zo that families couldn't see the deceased until after all court matters were cleared up, just in case Have one billionaire inheritance overturned because of undue influence on a zoot all weird about it

Mary ca 'Micah Mike was his nicknae It was Callahan Micah Callahan's mother is on line two, and his dad is in the hospital'

'Shit!' I said, picking up the phone and hitting the button to put the call through 'Mrs Callahan, I an, this is Anita Blake'

'Oh, thank God, I'ot about the nahteen years, since Micah elve, and he was Mike to us He didn't like Micah when he was a little boy He thought Mike wassoftly, I could hear it in her voice, but her words were clear, well enunciated It , but I didn't ask It could wait; it was just one of the thoughts you have when you're trying not to get caught up in the emotions of a situation Think, don't feel, just think

'You told our receptionist that Micah's dad was hurt'

'Yes, Rush, that'sHis deputy said it was a zombie, but the bite isn't hu from it'

'Zombies rarely attack people'

'I know that!' She yelled it I heard her taking deep breaths, drawing in her calathering herself back 'I'm sorry When Mike left us he was so horrible, but Rush said he'd found out that Mike did it to protect all of us and that some of the people had their families hurt by these people'

'What people?' I asked

'Rush wouldn't tellthat ere h to know that other wereaniroup had their families killed, and Mike had to convince them he hated us, or they would have hurt us Do you know if that's true? Does Mike want to see his father? Does he want to see any of us?' She was crying again, and just stopped trying to talk She hadn't been married to the man for nearly twenty years, and she was still this upset Crap

I was re that Micah's dad was a sheriff of so me that soroup than I thought anyone with a badge, besides roup, and I hadn't had a warrant of execution, so it was murder I was a little leery that Sheriff Callahan apparently knew ht I knew that Micah hadn't talked to his family in years, so how had his dad found out, and how much did he know?

It wasso da woan, how did you know to call here? Who gave you this nu more ordinary she'd calm down

She sniffled and then said, in a voice that was hiccupy, as she tried to s past the emotion, 'We saw Mike in the news as the head of the Coalition'