Sookie heard the door click shut. She stood, motionless in the midst of the chaos that still remained of her things. She had to think quickly. It hadn't sounded like a threat when the vampire said he would be next door, but she had no question about why. His intension was to be close, so he could watch her. She was sure of it. She didn't have a car, and doubted her abilities to shake him even if she did. She would have to get creative and do her research from here, and quietly. Vampires were notorious for heightened auditory abilities.

What would she be doing if she hadn't gotten that phone call right now? Probably cleaning up this mess – so that's what she decided to do, just in case he was listening next door. She took her time refolding every piece of clothing. She remade the bed as best she could, knowing maid service would take care of it properly in the morning. Then, as quietly as she could, she sorted through her purse in search of that damn card. She turned the TV on to TMC where they were showing an old Robert Redford flick, This Property Is Condemned. She slide her cell phone out of her pocket, and prayed that Agent Byron's number was a cell phone. Nervously she began typing a quick text to him.

Mr. Byron, this is Sookie Compton. Can't call, someone may be listening. But there is another man that wasn't in the picture you showed me. He said his name was Leif Joshua, but it isn't. It's Madden. Do you anything about him?

She hit send and waited nervously for a response. After what seemed like forever (only about three minutes), her cell phone buzzed with a new text.

I don't know who this Mr. Madden is, but I could be wrong about who killed your husband. Let me look into it. I'll see what I can find out. Can you describe him?

Sookie could do better than that. She had snapped a few shot with her phone at the comedy club earlier. She picked the best picture she could find – 'Leif' in profile ginning widely at something the comedian had said. She sent the picture in response to Byron and once again, waited impatiently.

She decided to leave the television on and go run a bath in the tub. Anything that would cause noise interference would be useful and she could try to relax a bit. After about ten minutes of sitting in the steaming water her phone, once again buzzed. She opened the message eagerly.

That man is most certainly not Victor Madden. That was a name she'd never heard before, but she continued reading. Victor Madden was the fifth member of your husband's software development team. Victor wanted to sell the software to Las Vegas, but the others didn't agree. After the negotiations with Queen Sophie-Anne, Victor's home state of Nevada launched a coup against the late Queen, as you know. Both sides lost vampires that night and Victor Madden met his final death, gunned down by silver bullets and left for the sun. So you see, this man cannot be Victor Madden.

Sookie shook her head, feeling like she was falling deeper down the rabbit hole. So, if he's not Victor, then who is he? And why does he want that money?

His response was quicker this time. If 2.8 million dollars were up for grabs, wouldn't you want it, Mrs. Compton? Don't go getting any ideas, mind you. As for who this 'Madden' is, he could be anybody, but he's certainly very dangerous. Be very careful Mrs. Compton. Perhaps you are in a position to discover his true identity. Any information you could give us will be helpful in assuring your safety.

She thought about it for a moment before replying. Couldn't he really be Victor Madden? I mean nobody actually saw him die, and he wasn't staked or decapitated. He could still be alive.

The reply from Byron was almost immediate. No, that's impossible, Mrs. Compton. Victor is dead. Ashes were found and he has not since resurfaced. He would have turned up on the radar sometime. Your husbands program even confirms him as finally dead. You're our best insider on this. He trusts you. Se what you can find, and be in touch.

Sookie tossed the cell phone onto a pile of towels. In for a penny, in for a pound. She shook her head and sunk down deeper into the water.

She slept late into the afternoon, waking and getting ready for a day away from the hotel. She drove out to Merlotte's to visit Amelia and arrange to begin work again in a few days. Then it was back to Shreveport to wait for her mystery vamp to rise and begin his nightly routine. She settled herself in the Starbucks adjacent to the hotel and waited until after dark. It was the perfect spot for surveillance. There was a door leading between the hotel lobby and the coffee shop, and while the lobby was open and spacious, there were all sorts of displays and tables to cover her from sight in the shop. She could see directly to the front desk.

She sipped her mocha and waited for a tall blonde vampire to appear at the concierge station. Shortly after dark, she was rewarded.

Madden walked over to the concierge, a petite brunette this evening, and very nice to look at. He put on his best smile and leaned over the desk slightly locking the girl with his gaze. "Have there been any messages for room 1026?"

"No, sir. Nothing this evening." She smiled brightly at him, blushing slightly.

"My friend, Mrs. Compton was staying next door. Have you seen her recently?"

Her smile began to fade at the mention of his 'friend'. "She left late this afternoon to run some errands, we called her a cab. I haven't seen her in a few hours, Mr. Madden." Her phone began ringing and she excused herself to answer it. He was turning to walk toward the exit when the young woman spoke his name. "Mr. Madden? There's a telephone call for you," she was holding the receiver out to him. He turned back and took it from her hand.

"Yes."

"Good evening, Mr. Madden." His smile disappeared instantly.

"Sookie?"

She could see him standing at the desk, tethered there by the telephone cord. She began walking out the exit to the street. "It's the only name I've got. How about you?"

"So I'm caught red handed? Sorry to disappoint you. What do you want me to tell you?" Madden was gripping the phone in frustration. He knew she had her suspicions thanks to Clancy, but he was counting on her being too afraid to confront him.

"Why you lied to me."

"I needed to know how involved you were. You could have been on their side. You can't blame me for being cautious."

"Ok. So now I know you were lying to me. How about you tell me who you really are?" Sookie turned the corner of the block, not wanting to go too far, but trying to keep her distance in case she needed to get away in a hurry.

"You said it yourself. My name is Madden." He was growing tired of this, but trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice.

"Victor Madden is dead."

How had she found out that little bit of information? "Yes, he is. I'm his brother."

"What? How's that possible? Being a vampire isn't exactly a family trait." Sookie had heard of vampire families, where husbands had turned wives, sisters had turned brothers, but she was sure that was pretty uncommon. What were the chances?

"He turned me only a few months after his turning. Blood ties are strong. The AVL thinks he was killed in the coup for Louisiana, but I think they did it – Stan, Maxwell and Clancy – because he wanted the program for Nevada, and when they wouldn't go along with him, he sold them out to King Felipe. It's a high offense in our society and I'm trying to prove it. They think I'm working with them for a cut of the money, but that's not my agenda, Sookie. You have to believe me."

"How can you expect me to? You lied to me, just like Bill. But I guess you never actually promised you wouldn't, did you? What's your real name, by the way? It'd be nice to know. Hello? Hello?" There was silence on the other end she thought her phone might have dropped the call.

After calling his cell phone twice with no answer, she decided to go back up to the room and wait there.

Clancy's hands were protected by a pair of leather gloves. Not a good sign. He pulled the gun out of his pocket once he and Madden began moving along the street.

"Silver bullets, Madden. Though you'd probably already guessed." He shoved the gun up against Madden's spine. It wouldn't take many shots in that area to take him out of the equation.

"Where are we going, Clancy?" Madden had abandoned the phone when he saw Clancy making his way through the lobby. He had a bloodthirsty look on his face, and it had been better to go willingly than to cause any kind of collateral damage here in the hotel.

"We're going somewhere cozy, to have a little chat."

He steered Madden around the block towards the back and the service entrance to the hotel. They boarded the freight elevator and rode up to the 17th floor, one that was still being renovated. The workers had left the sight before dark and it was now deserted.

They entered a long hallway with a floor to ceiling window overlooking the street entrance to the hotel.

"Turn around," Clancy ordered.

"Nice view. Now what?" Madden already had an idea where this was going.

"Now I'm going to give you a chance you would never give me. Tell me where the money is!"

"You're joking. You're wasting our time. She has it and I could be working on her right now, not fucking around with…"

"And what if you both have it?" Clancy yelled interrupting him. "Last chance, Madden. Where is it?"

"Even if I knew where the money is, what the hell makes you think I'd give it up to you. You know, I've never much liked you, Clancy. You're just a means to an end. What do you think Stan and Maxwell will do when you disappear with the entire take?"

"That's it! Stop talking!" Clancy was visibly upset now. He reached into his coat and pulled out a delicate silver net. "I could put a bullet in your spine, but I'd risk getting blood all over my suit. How would you like to see the sun once more before you die?"

Madden had only fractions of a second to make his move. Clancy cast the net into the air with one hand while keeping the gun trained on him with the other. There was a stack of scrap wood leaning against the wall next to the window, and Madden cast his hand out for the two by four closest to him. He caught the edge of the net with the wood and tossed it to the ground. The net whipped around and caught him on the exposed edge of his face before falling lifeless on the floor, sending pain through his body and igniting his rage.

He lunged at the stunned vampire in front of him. Pride was one of Clancy's greatest sins. He would never have considered the fact that a plan of his wouldn't work, and so he was unprepared for that scenario. If he had been thinking, he would have shot Madden in the back, incapacitating him from the beginning.

Madden was in mid flight toward his enemy when Clancy snapped back to reality and pulled the trigger. It hit Madden in the shoulder, sending him crashing back to the floor. A bright light exploded in his vision for moments and he cried out, an almost inhuman howl. His left arm was limp and useless, but his right arm had landed mere inches from the silver wrapped piece of wood.

As Clancy stepped forward aiming his gun straight for the heart, Madden's hand reached out clasping the wood and bringing it down on Clancy's gun hand. The silver net didn't do much damage, but the gun was sent to the floor, and the other vampire was caught off his guard, trying to avoid full contact with the net. Madden took the opportunity to take possession of the weapon. He stood, quickly, pressing the gun to Clancy's temple.

"You made an unfortunate mistake. Off with the gloves." Clancy growled angrily at his defeat and stripped the gloves from his hands. "Now, pick up the net." He looked up at Madden in horror. "You can live with the burned flesh, or we can see how well you survive without your head. Pick it up."

Clancy grimaced and reached for the net now lying at his feet. He grunted and dropped his fangs as he took hold of the burning metal. With Clancy struggling to hold onto the net without screaming, Madden tugged the gloves onto his own hands. He motioned Clancy to the window. Placing the barrel of the gun to his temple once more.

"You said I wouldn't give you a chance. You were wrong. Perhaps you'll only be a little scorched when the workers find you." He took possession of the net and spread it over Clancy's body, huddled in front of the grand window. "I'll even cover you up." He threw a tarp over the weakened vampire, and made his way back to the service elevator.

Madden knew that Clancy would likely escape before dawn, but making him doubt it was half the torture. Madden grimaced at the pain lancing through his shoulder as he punched 10 on the keypad and rode down to his floor, hoping Sookie would feel obliged to shelter the wounded.