Kinsey moaned and sat up. He looked around and saw he was back in his room. He placed his head in his hands. "Oh dear lord, what am I going to do?" He mussed partly to himself. "I need to go back to the Cirque." He finally said, standing up.
"You're not going anywhere." I said, finally revealing myself; I'd been watching him ever since Butler brought him in here. "We have yet to finish our conversation."
"The conversation is over!" He yelled running towards the door.
Butler stopped him from running out the door, grabbing his slung up arm. He withered in pain, tears streaming down his face.
"Let me go, please." He begged, "The Cirque is my family, my friends. Please" He looked up at me.
"Let him go." I sighed turning away.
"Artemis?" Butler seemed surprised.
Kinsey slumped to the floor as Butler walked over to me. He got up, tears falling freely. "Thank you," He mouth before running away.
"Arty?" It was my mother. "Did your friend leave?"
"Yes mother," I said, "He wasn't feeling well." I lied.
I rubbed my eyes and stared at the screen again. Why were they back at that town? They were first there some 18 years ago. And then the only things that happened were a young boy, Steve Leonard, had been bitten by an unknown creature and had miraculously recovered, then there had been the death of another young boy, Darren Shan. On every site I looked his name popped up. Darren Shan… he was arrested a few years back for murder but the photograph looked like he did when he died. How was that possible? I sighed again, "Come on Artemis, you're a genius, one little dead criminal isn't that hard to figure out."
"Another coffee?" Butler asked. I had been drinking a lot lately.
"Better make it a decaffeinated one." I said, not taking my eyes off the screen.
Butler nodded and went downstairs; I reached out towards my printer and took the piece of paper lying there. "Ouch" I exclaimed as a paper-cut caught me off guard. Sucking the web of my thumb and forefinger I laughed, the great Artemis Fowl beaten by a paper-cut! What would Holly Short say? Glancing down at the piece of paper, I noticed a spot of blood and it hit me. The boy, Darren Shan was a vampire. He never died 18 years ago; he went with the Cirque Du Freak.
"That must mean he's there now." I muttered as the computer brought up a map of the town. "Butler come and look at this." I exclaimed as Butler came back with a pot of coffee. He set it down on the table and came over to me.
In fewer than five minutes I had filled him in on what had happened. And what we needed to do.