Book 4 - Lunatic Cafe

[Yoko]

Kaspar opened the door to the dining rooms. There were still people eating. Humans out for a night on the town. Carving their steaks, eating their veggies, oblivious to the potential destruction just two doors away. I had a horrible urge to yell, Flee, flee for your lives. But they wouldn't have understood.

(The Laughing Corpse, page 107, paragraph 1)

Reference
This is a "college-town" diner/eatery
* owned by Raina Wallis

[Yoko]

Chapter
Summary
1 Business is slow in the months between Halloween and Christmas, so Bert gets other jobs for his animators. George Smitz enlists the help of Anita to try to find his missing wife Peggy, who happens to be a lycanthrope. Anita calls Ronnie to get help.
2 Anita meets up with Richard at the Fox for a date to see Guys and Dolls.
3 They linger, and end up meeting Jean-Claude, who also came to the show.
4 Richard and Jean-Claude nearly come to blows. Anita finds out that Richard has been hiding lycanthrope politics from her and gets angry with that, since his life is also in danger. He is in a battle of succession with Marcus, his packleader. But then, Anita's beeper goes off, and she leaves them to hash it out, but not before telling Jean-Claude she hates him.
5 The beep was from Dolph, who needed her to come out to the Audubon Nature Center.
6 Anita meets Gretchen, Jean-Claude's current companion. The vampire wants Anita to relinquish her hold on Jean-Claude, which the animator is more than happy to do. But Gretchen doesn't believe her. When Jean-Claude emerges, he is very angry with Gretchen for making herself known and the two of them leap into the sky and "fly" off.
7 Anita makes it to the center, but when she tries to get out of her car, she is confronted by Detective Aikensen. When she shouts for her comrades, he pulls a gun on her. Clive Perry ends up coming to her aid. When Aikensen is distracted by Clive, Anita pulls her gun on him. Sheriff Titus makes Aikensen reholster his gun and continues his argument with Police Chief Garroway about jurisdiction. The caretaker of the center, Sammuel Williams, brings out coffee and confirms that the body was not killed by a bear, as was first believed.
8 Anita inspects the body and determines that it was killed by a shapeshifter.
9 When she gets home, Irving is waiting for her. He tells her a little bit more about Marcus and adds that he wishes to meet her. Irving also officially asks Anita for her protection.
10 Irving and Anita go to the Lunatic Cafe, where they are to meet Marcus. They are greeted by Raina. When they meet, Marcus wants Irving to leave, but Anita refuses. This is when they discover that she has offered her protection to him, and is therefore considered a rogue lycanthrope in their eyes. Eventually Anita makes a deal to keep Irving safe from being tortured by Raina. She agrees to be frisked by Alfred and listen to Marcus' request. Alfred misses her Firestar.
11 Other lycanthropes enter, including Christine, Rafael, Elizabeth, Gabriel and Kaspar. Again, Anita challenges Marcus' authority over her. She refuses his leadership and causes Marcus to lose face. When she pulls her gun, Alfred is ordered by Marcus to take it from her. She warns he will die, but Marcus maintains the order. When Alfred jumps her, she shoots him dead.
12 Alfred's blood stirs the lycanthropes and they begin to advance upon the body. Younger lycanthropes that scent the blood come in, including a very new werewolf, Jason. Jason tries to advance upon Anita, but Rafael prevents him from doing anything by offering his alpha blood to him, detracting his attention. Kaspar gets her out and gives her a folder with the information that Marcus would have given to her. Re-entering the dining room, Anita sees Edward in the Cafe, but does not acknowledge him.
13 When she gets home, Anita reads the files. There have been eight lycanthropes that have gone missing. She then uses the card that Edward gave her and calls him. When he returns her call, he explains why he was at the Lunatic by asking her to come to his hotel room so that he can show her something. She agrees.
14 Anita goes Christmas shopping with Ronnie and they discuss the George Smitz case.
15 Anita has an appointment with Elvira Drew, who wants to meet with lycanthropes for a book she is writing, specifically a wererat. Anita goes to chew Bert out, only to discover Kaspar is in his office. She argues with Bert, but in the end, returns to Elvira.

[Yoko]

16 After letting Elvira know she will get back to her, Anita meets up with Kaspar. He offers Marcus' apologies for last night, but she refuses it. Richard calls and they make a date for dinner. She then sees Kaspar out.
17 Richard was staying with Mrs. Pringle while he waited for Anita to come home. They go into her apartment and argue first, because Alfred was his friend. Then because he thinks she doesn't want him because he is a monster. In the end, however, he gives her a proposal, and without considering it, Anita accepts.
18 Anita finally goes to see Edward at the hotel. He orders steak for both of them. They watch a video. It's a porn movie, and at first Anita is annoyed, until she realizes that one of the stars is Alfred. The other is masked throughout. The masked one shifts into a leopard while copulating with the girl, and then Alfred takes over. He too shifts, and then kills her. The leopard joins in when Alfred begins to feed. Anita tells Edward she has already killed Alfred. She calls the Lunatic Cafe to get in touch with Richard and gets Polly instead. Eventually, she gets Richard to come.
19 Richard arrives and watches the flick. The sex affects him, but the sight of the blood and her fear affected him more. He agrees to go and talk to Marcus about it.
20 The next day, Anita makes an appointment to speak to Dr. Louis Fane, a wererat. She had sent his college information about the footprints at the Audubon murder site. They end up talking about Richard, but she is reticent. She mentions Elvira's request. He agrees to find some wererats who might talk with her about themselves.
21 When Anita emerges from the college, she is attacked by Gretchen. Louis in wererat form attacks her, but the vampire is stronger. About to kill him, Gretchen stops when Anita tells her that Richard asked her to marry him. Gretchen releases Louis on the promise that Anita will tell Jean-Claude. Then she disappears.
22 Police are coming, but Anita manages to get Louis out of the area and putting him into her Jeep. She calls Richard for help. When he arrives, he brings Stephen with him. Anita is very hurt because she no longer has any vampire marks. She tells him she has to inform Jean-Claude of their engagement and Richard doesn't want her to do so alone. But she insists, as always.
23 Lillian tends to Anita's wounds, and Richard and Anita have a few more words for each other before she goes to Jean-Claude.
24 Stephen takes her to Guilty Pleasures, greeting Buzz at the front door, where they are stopped inside by the holy item check girl, Sheila. When Anita says she has nothing to declare, Robert contests it. Despite no longer having any marks, Anita is able to meet his eyes. Stephen is sent to ask Jean-Claude if it is alright, and Gretchen comes out. She brings Anita in to see him. Anita can also meet Jean-Claude's eyes as well. She tells him she accepted Richard's proposal, but Jean-Claude still gets her to admit she loves him. Gretchen is furious, but Jean-Claude more so. He puts her into a coffin to sleep. And promptly notes he can now kill Richard.
25 Of course, he won't. Instead, he proposes that Anita allow him to woo her. If Richard is allowed to date her, then so can Jean-Claude. Whoever wins her heart after a few months is the victor. Anita grudgingly agrees.
26 Without warning, Raina, Gabriel and Kasper enter the office. Robert trails in afterwards, apologizing for letting them get by him, and Jean-Claude is about to torture him for failure, but Anita intercedes. Raina kisses Jean-Claude, and to make Anita jealous, he kisses her back a second time. It works, much to Anita's chagrin. Gabriel attacks Anita, distracting her with his trench coat, but when he pins her, she stabs him with her knife. He enjoys it. Robert is given to Raina for his punishment, and Kaspar is made to shapeshift before them. Anita leaves.
27 Richard is waiting for her at her apartment when she gets home. Lillian needed her to be awakened every hour for 24 hours because of a possible concussion from Gretchen's attack. She tells Richard of the deal, who realizes he has no choice in the matter.
28 Anita wakes up from sleep from a phone call. Dolph has found a skin and needs her opinion on it. She agrees to come as long as someone else drives. Zerbrowski comes to pick her up. He and his wife had been celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary.
29 Anita arrives and instructs MacAdam the diver on her plan of action. While trying to get to the skin to see if anything is in the river with it, she disparages Aikensen, who slips and falls in the river. Nothing attacks him. When Anita investigates further, she discovers the skin isn't alone. A naga is in the water as well. She helps to rescue him, despite Aikensen pulling his gun again. After the paramedics treat her, Zerbrowski ends up letting Anita borrow Kate's sweats in order to warm up again.
30 Anita comes home to both Richard and Jean-Claude in her apartment. When Jean-Claude heard Richard was at her house, he came to make sure that their deal was still set and that all was fair in their individual pursuits of Anita. It is at this time that they first experience the possible power of a triumvirate between them.

[Yoko]

31 After taking a hot bath, Anita returns to the living room where her two boyfriends are waiting for her. Jean-Claude explains he must interfere, lest Anita and Richard become a couple without his chance to try for her heart. Eventually, Anita gets both of them to leave - Jean-Claude's invitation is revoked, and Richard is made to leave.
32 Anita is woken up by a phone call from Ronnie. She thinks George killed his wife, because she has pictures of him with another woman. Anita agrees to meet her so that they can confront him. Then Richard calls to say that Jason is missing. Anita suspects George and asks Richard to give her intimidating werewolves as backup. He agrees.
33 Anita and Ronnie are in the car with Raina and Gabriel. Gabriel acts annoying as always. They make it to George's house.
34 Anita and Ronnie confront George directly, while Raina and Gabriel sneak in from behind. When he is shown the pictures, George gets angry and is about to get physical when Raina and Gabriel come in. They scare him into confessing his wife's murder, but he has nothing to do with Jason's disappearance.
35 Anita goes to the hospital to visit with the naga, Javad. She tries to get past Officer Kirlin, but cannot until Dolph shows up. When Dolph arrives, he and Anita are told by Dr. Wilburn not to take up too much time. Javad manages to tell them it was witches, there was a woman with eyes the color of an ocean, and that there were more shifters involved. Dolph doesn't get all the references, but Anita gets some of them. When Richard calls her to tell her that Louis is missing, it's confirmed. She gets Elvira's address from work and tells Dolph the deal.
36 Anita and the cops go to Elvira's house, but without a search warrant, they cannot enter. Anita breaks in from the back and screams so that the cops have to come in. It turns out Elvira and her witches were skinning lycanthrope skins in order to use them. Louis was drugged in an upstairs room. While there, a wereleopard attacked and nearly eviscerated Zerbrowski. Anita killed it and then tried to hold in Zerbrowski's intestines while waiting for the ambulance
37 Kate and Lucille meet them at the hospital. Zerbrowski will be alright. Anita gets home and meets Richard, he thanks her for saving Louis' life. The phone rings and it is Williams. While they are on the phone, someone comes to his door and ends up subduing Williams. Anita accuses Aikensen over the phone, but whoever it is doesn't reply, hanging up the phone. Anita and Richard go to the Audubon Center.

38
Edward is outside, so he tags along.
39 Williams is found dead, as well as Deputy Holmes and her partner from the original murder scene. While there, Anita is beeped by Kasper, who tells her to come to his house.
40 Titus and Aikensen are at Kaspar's house and the entire situation is made clear. They are working together to provide lycanthropes for hunters, including Carmichael, Fienstein and "Gray Hair". Kaspar has them searched for weapons, and then they are put downstairs in the basement. Anita is locked in a cage with Jason, who is fighting against changing, while Richard and Edward are placed into another cage.
41 Edward tries to open his cage with a set of picks they missed, but Carmichael comes down and stops him. Jason begins to lose control, but Richard stops him by dint of his alpha status. He orders Jason to stop, and the young lycanthrope does. Carmichael goes to get the others.
42 Titus gets Aikensen to reopen Anita's stitches and get blood flowing at Kaspar's suggestion. While they are doing this, Fienstein leans in a little too closely and Anita grabs his gun, pulling the trigger while keeping the gun pointed at his body. Edward gets Gray Hair's gun by breaking his neck, and then uses it to shoot Carmichael. Titus uses Anita as a shield, but Edward kills him anyway. Anita is freed at last, just in time, Jason can no longer hold himself back and begins to shift violently. Anita kills Aikensen. Richard leaves with Jason to hunt and Anita and Edward leave to talk to the incoming police.
43 Christmas comes and goes. Anita exchanges gifts with Richard and Jean-Claude. Edward sends her a package in February. A swan skin. Anita mounts it in a frame and puts it in her living room.