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Lyra didn t catch any of the grumbled words. Whatever had the woman in a tizzy-fit was
beyond Lyra.
 Can I ask what this is in regards to? Lyra asked after she d strolled down the stairs.
 I want to make sure my final wishes are followed to the letter when my time
comes. Mrs. VanNess glowered at Lyra.  You know how funeral directors are. All they
want is your money. They don t care about flowers or music. She glared down her
hawkish nose at Lyra.  I, for one, care about how I m sent off.
 I understand that, Mrs. VanNess. Lyra walked to where Niko s office was located
and tapped on the door. She opened the door a crack.  Mrs. VanNess is here to see you
Mr. Thorton, she called.
 Send her in, Niko responded.
The mere sound of his voice had her throat going dry and her pulse accelerating. The
lightness in her chest bloomed.  You can go in.
 There s nothing wrong with my hearing. She waved her hand in the air.
 Beg pardon, ma am. Lyra backed away from the door. She was about to pull the
door closed when Niko asked her to join them.  Yes, Mr. Thorton.
 I d like you to take some notes for me. He rose, shook Mrs. VanNess s hand, and
then motioned for the aged blood-sucker to sit.  Please.
Not sure why she was shaking, Lyra strode forward and took the pen and pad of
paper from him. Sitting in the companion chair, she nibbled on her lower lip. They waited
and waited some more.
 I ll tell you this, Mr. Thorton, I want my wishes carried out to the letter. Mrs.
VanNess placed her clutch-style handbag on the corner of his desk.  I don t want purple
pansies at my funeral. I want violets and lots of them.
 I see.
Lyra had the distinct impression Niko couldn t have cared less if the woman wanted
to be buried on the moon or not.
 You should be writing this down, Lyra. These are my final arrangements, after all.
Mrs. VanNess opened her purse and took out a hand-written list of things she expected to
have at her funeral.  There will be two viewings, one at precisely ten o clock at night and
the other at midnight. Do you understand, Mr. Thorton?
Niko nodded.  Will it make you feel better if I told you that you weren t going to die
anytime soon?
 Absolutely not. Mrs. VanNess took out another list.  This is the music I ve
selected to be played at the service. I ve marked three preferences for singers. My first
choice, of course, would be the one I expect you to play.
 You wouldn t like them there in person? Niko drawled.
Lyra couldn t tell if Niko was teasing the woman or being sarcastic. Taking in the
cold, black stare he d planted on the vampiress, she took the list from Mrs. VanNess
while the two tried to stare each other down.  I ll see that this is filed with your other
preferences.
 See that you do. Mrs. VanNess frowned.
Many of the residents of Strange Hollow considered Mrs. VanNess an eccentric.
They whispered her bark was far worse than her bite. Lyra always thought the snob was a
royal pain in the ass.
 Also, on the first anniversary of my death, I wish my body to be exhumed, a light
placed in the casket with my remains and reburied. That is not open to debate.
 Fine. Niko nodded.
 You ll see to this personally.
 I said,  fine .
 There is no need to be rude, Mr. Thorton.
He didn t apologize. He did stand and walk to the door.  I will see that your wishes
are carried out to the letter, but don t expect me to sit idly by while you malign my
assistant with your thoughts.
 You read my mind?
 Didn t I just say I did?
 How dare you.
 Mrs. VanNess, I dare anything.
 Mayor Fergus will hear about this. Grumpily, Mrs. VanNess grabbed her purse,
snorted at Lyra and headed for the door.  You can count on that, elitist.
Pure panic ripped through Lyra. Oh no.
 Give her my best. Niko slammed the door behind her.
 Go after her, Lyra commanded.  She ll have the whole town after you.
 Elitists will be eaten on sight, my ass. Niko returned to his seat.  But snobs don t
count. This town makes no sense.
 You have to understand. Mrs. VanNess was one of the first people to move to
Strange Hollow after it was founded. She s been given some leeway with her attitude.
Lyra reconsidered her explanation when he cocked an eyebrow at her.  Okay, she s been
given a lot of leeway with her attitude, but you have to come to grips with the fact she is
a fixture in this town.
 I don t have to come to grips with anything. He raked his hand through his hair.
What part of this don t you understand? That you can t win against Mayor Fergus or
that these people will come after you?  Niko, you can t fight the whole town.
 That was never my intention, Lyra.
Something snapped inside her. Tears filled her eyes.  Then what is your intention?
Tell me? Are you on vacation or something? Are you hunting? She surged to her feet so
fast she knocked the chair over.  Why the hell are you here? To turn Strange Hollow on
its ear? To make my life miserable?
His sigh was ripe with exasperation.  I m hunting. He picked up his fountain pen
and tapped it against the blotter.  Now that I ve acquired the location of my target, I will
perform my duty and get the hell out of this town.
Her heart broke on his statement of truth.  You found who you were looking for?
 Thanks to Mrs. VanNess and her wayward thoughts, yes. She was complaining
about the new renter next door to her house allowing his dog to dig up her flowerbeds.
 Mr. Carney?
 You know him? There wasn t a hint of accusation in his tone.
 No. I ve never met the man. She brushed the tears from her cheeks. What did I
expect? Him to hang around here forever? God, I m such a fool. She swallowed hard,
trying to choke down the truth and the sobs inching up her throat.  Gossip is like dry
leaves in the fall around here. Before you hit the city limits everybody is buzzing about
it.
 I suspected as much. I also concluded Mayor Fergus has put a binding spell on him,
thinking she ll prevent me from releasing his soul.
 That won t stop you.
 She s not aware of that, nor is Leslie Carney.
 Then you ll leave& 
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