The Night Beat, From the Necropolis Enforcement Files

The Night Beat

The nice thing about being a modern-day undead in general and werewolf in particular was that the whole clothes issue had been solved by brighter minds generations earlier. So while I went more wolfy, my clothes didn’t rip and shred so that I wouldn’t be naked when I went back to human form. The Spandex-poly blend was a shape-shifting undead’s best friend and it was spelled to let our fur through, so when we were in wolf form we didn’t look like we were wearing stupid dog coats.

I shoved my so far useless special gun back into its rear holster, did my best to guess where this thing’s vulnerable spot was, and gave it the old werewolf leap. I landed on what you could generously call its head and started clawing and biting.

“Go, Vicki, go!” Maurice was all over the cheering.

“This thing tastes worse than whatever’s in the trashcans. And a little aerial support wouldn’t be considered an insult.”

Amanda flew up and landed on what I was going to insist, until told otherwise, was the thing’s back. Vamps can do the whole extend the claws thing, too, and when they’re really pissed, frightened or fighting something a lot stronger, they go all Nosferatu. It wasn’t Amanda’s best look, but then again, I wasn’t going to win Best in Show, either.

Dedication

To all those who wear a badge, uphold the law, and fight the good fight -- thank you.

Also by Gini Koch:

TOUCHED BY AN ALIEN

ALIEN TANGO

ALIEN IN THE FAMILY

ALIEN PROLIFERATION

ALIEN DIPLOMACY

ALIEN VS. ALIEN (coming December 2012)

ALIEN IN THE HOUSE (coming April 2013)

ALIEN COLLECTIVE (coming December 2013)

From DAW Books

http://us.penguingroup.com/static/pages/daw/index.html

THE ROYAL SCAM

From Musa Publishing

http://musapublishing.com/

As G.J. Koch:

ALEXANDER OUTLAND: SPACE PIRATE

From Night Shade Books

http://www.nightshadebooks.com/

GINI KOCH

THE NIGHT BEAT

From the Necropolis Enforcement Files

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, incidents, and dialogues in this book are of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

The Night Beat, From the Necropolis Enforcement Files

Published by Gini Koch at Smashwords

Copyright 2012 Jeanne Cook

 ISBN: 9781476436470

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or any portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information, contact the author: [email protected]

The scanning, my uploading and distribution of this book via the internet or via other means without the express written permission of the author is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic and print editions, and do not participate in or encourage the electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s right is appreciated.

Editors: Mary Fiore and Veronica Cook

Cover Artist: Lisa Dovichi

Chapter 1

We pulled up to the scene of the crime. Such as it was. An alleyway in downtown, filled with trashcans and darkness.

“What do you think?” Jack asked as we got out of the ugly sedan that was supposed to fool the criminal class into thinking we weren’t undercover cops. So far as I could tell, it had never worked in the history of law enforcement, but we kept on perpetrating the illusion.

I looked around. There was an amazing lack of activity. There was also a lack of anything that looked even slightly crime-like. Not that this meant anything. “See, that’s what I love about you. We haven’t even taken a look at the crime scene, and you’re already asking me what I think about it.”

He shrugged. “You have good instincts.”

Yeah, if he only knew. Then again, I didn’t want him to know.

I sniffed. “Something smells awful.”

Jack pointed. “Well, those overflowing trashcans might be the stench culprit. Can your tender senses take it? Don’t want you fainting on me again.”

“Like you didn’t love it.”

He grinned. “Yeah, well, I’ll admit getting to act all heroic was kind of fun. But, damn, you come out of a faint nasty.”

Jack had been lucky I’d come out of the faint feeling sick, not hungry. Then again, I was lucky, too. Good partners are hard to come by. Good-looking ones who are also single and might, possibly, one day be interested in a high-excitement relationship were as rare as virgin groupies. Which, per some of my friends, meant very rare to potentially extinct.

I shook myself to get my mind back on the matter at hand. What I’d smelled wasn’t trash. “Why are we alone here?”

“No idea.” Jack pulled his gun as he reached into the car to grab the radio. “Darlene, this is Detective Wagner. Weren’t we supposed to have a couple black and whites here?”

The radio crackled. “Yes. Two cars, four uniformed officers.” Darlene sounded mildly worried. I was already past that.

I sniffed again. I didn’t smell anything living, though the trash could be interfering. But the stench I was picking up wasn’t trash, and the odds of anyone alive being in this alley were slim moving to none. I moved into the alley slowly, all senses on the alert.

“Victoria, get your damn gun at the ready!” Jack didn’t make it sound like a suggestion.

He was right, and I knew it. But I took out the special gun I kept at the small of my back. It was smaller, but the projectiles were more effective. I sniffed the trash bins as I went by. I also activated my wrist-com. I was far enough away from Jack that he wouldn’t hear. “This is W-W-One-Eight-One-Niner.”

“Good evening, Agent Wolfe.” The Count’s voice was silky as always. He had unperturbed down to an art form. In all the years I’d known and worked for him, he’d never once lost his cool. “Status?”

“Four uniforms and two squad cars missing. Downtown alley, loaded with trashcans and stink. Special stink.”

“We have so many varieties of special stink, Agent Wolfe. Truly, make a selection and advise.”

“Snacked on the uniforms as appetizers and ate the cars for roughage kind of stink.”

“Ah. Do you require backup?”

“Ya think? It’s just me and my partner here. My
human
partner.”

“Yes, the human partner you pant after.”

“Funny. The human partner I want to both keep alive and keep in the dark. I’d like to see the sunrise, too.”

The Count sighed. “It’s overrated. Fine. Aerial support on the way. Underground support already activated by Agent Goode.”