IT'S RAINING WHEN I WAKE UP WEDNESDAY MORNING. I'm in bed listening to it beat against the windows and the deck and wishing I could pull the covers up over my head and go back to sleep.

Then I think about Culebra and those girls and I roll out of my blanket cocoon and propel myself up.

The newspaper is on the front porch next to its plastic sleeve. The exposed half of the paper is soggy and drips all over the floor when I carry it in.

Shit.

I get it over to the kitchen counter and spread it out. Page one headlines blare "Police Officer Killed. Fire at Cosmetics Company Warehouse Claims Life." Piecing together the story from rain-soaked newsprint, there isn't much to learn that I don't already know. The article says the warehouse was destroyed along with all the product being prepared for next week 's gala launch of Eternal Youth, the heralded new antiaging cream. An unidentified spokesperson for the company issued a statement saying how devastated they are about the fate of policeman Mario Ortiz, who died a hero when he entered the building to make sure no one was inside. Their condolences go to his family. Second Chance management plans to have the factory back up and running in the next few months.

Not happening.

Simone Tremaine, president and CEO of Second Chance, was not available for comment.

I'll bet. Burke has gone to ground.

I tap a fingernail against the paper. The article claims all the product was destroyed in the fire. I saw something being loaded into trucks when I arrived at the warehouse on Monday. And there was nothing at all on the conveyor belts just before the fire broke out. Burke stockpiled her precious cream before she had the place torched.

Not that she's going to have a chance to sell it. I'll make sure of that.

Williams calls just as I'm about to step into the shower. "I got the product analysis back," he says.

"And?"

"A lot of stuff with chemical names I can't pronounce along with one I can. Animal glycoprotein."

"Animal glycoprotein? What the hell is that?"

"Vampire blood."

"Animal glycoprotein? How can that be vampire blood?"

Williams pauses a long moment before he says, "You seem unable or unwilling to accept the fact that we are no longer human, Anna."

His words send a tremor through me. "I am not an animal."

He waits even longer this time to respond. "And you are not human, either," he says at last. "But this is not the time for debate. The point is, she was using vampire blood in her cream."

"Where would she get an idea like that? Didn't you say you'd never heard of vampire blood having any topical application?"

"I also remember saying just because I hadn't heard of it didn't mean it might not be possible. We now know it is. The extraordinary results she was getting must have been due to the infusion of vampire blood. It has to be. The remaining ingredients in the cream are found in every commercial product on the market."

I get another shiver of disgust. Explains the smell I detected-raw meat.

Williams continues, "I also found out from an associate that Burke seems to have disappeared. He said Simone Tremaine has disappeared and I didn't correct him. The PR rep for Second Chance has no idea where she is. The fire is being investigated as suspicious, possibly an insurance scam, though the same rep swears the cream is legit. They claim they lost everything in the fire, including formulas and the names of test subjects."

Not everything. I saw those trucks. To Williams, I reply, "Convenient, that. What about the security guard?"

"No record. He's an employee of Nelson, has been for several years."

"Then I'll be paying them a visit."

Williams releases a breath. "I wish I could go with you, but my place is with Brooke."

Certainly out of character for Williams, placing concern for a human over his own desires, but I 'm not going to argue the point. I don't want to spark more animosity between us.

A bit of the conversation I had with Gloria flashes into my head. "Is it true cosmetics are not regulated by the DA? " I ask.

Williams launches into cop-speak. "The FDA's legal authority over cosmetics is different from other products regulated by the agency.

There's no premarket approval process. The exception is color additives."

"Great. You can use blood but not red dye."

"Not really. Burke took a huge chance. Maybe she realized it."

"And had the place burned to the ground."

"Odd, considering the success she seemed to be having with the cream."

Maybe not. Something obviously went wrong. Like the fact that the test subjects were attacking people. Or maybe it was my involvement. Still, she's got a fleet of semis full of the stuff somewhere. Perhaps Jason can shed some light on that.

There doesn't seem to be anything else to say. I ring off, promising to call Williams as soon as I've had my talk with Jason Shelton.

BY THE TIME I HIT THE ROAD, THE RAIN HAS LET UP, but clouds still hang heavy over the beach, blurring the line between sea and sky. As usual, the commute is a bitch. Southern California drivers don't make exceptions for road conditions. They forge ahead at well over the legal speed limit, figuring if they ignore the standing water on the freeway, it can't hurt them. Unfortunately, I'm forced to slow to a crawl twice on my way to the Nelson Security office because some jackass in an SUV hydroplaned himself into an accident.

It's always an SUV.

By the time I get to the address listed for Nelson Security, I'm a coiled spring of aggravation. I've experienced enough shock, horror and frustration the last couple of days to be wound so tight, I can't wait to come face to face with Jason Shelton.

I'm ready to kick some vampire ass.