Blood Sport (The American Arcane Book 2) Page 6

  Caleb spoke up as he slowly rose off of the chair. “Sir Eric, Knight of the Bay, for you, My Lady.”

  She looked to us, where her dark eyes focused on me. “Eric Carpenter. Have you enjoyed my hospitality so far?” The sarcasm in her tone was not lost on me.

  I offered my most polite smile as I stood up. I holstered the Colt before extending my hand. “Lady Yukiko. If I had any idea about the quality of hospitality, I would have come sooner.”

  “Caleb. Go with the boys. We will talk later.” She snapped.

  Caleb looked like he was going to hesitate for a moment, but then he gave a polite nod. “Certainly, Baroness. I'll leave you be with the good Knight.” He remarked, and he departed, leaving a fuming Yukiko.

  Yukiko finally extended her hand, and we shook hands. “Let's get formally introduced. Eric Carpenter, Knight of the Bay.” I said.

  “Baroness Yukiko, owner of Ruby, Baroness of the Covens.” She took my hand and firmly shook it. “Now, what brings you down to my abode?”

  As our hands touched, I felt the subtle power rolling off her. Yukiko was old, older than James, at least, definitely older than Caleb. Part of me suspected that Yukiko might have made at least one of them. “Your employee of yours was killed, Lady Yukiko, Luis Otero and his partner Katrina. I've been asked by Count Ishmael to take a look into the matter, and to assist the police in finding their killer.”

  Yukiko's pleasant smile disappeared. “Yes, indeed. I just heard about it this afternoon. It's a terrible thing, for two of our kind to meet their true end in such a matter.” She took a seat in one of the chairs, near the one I had been sitting in. “Anything you need, I will try to provide, to help you find justice for my employees.”

  “We can start with a few questions.” I said, and I pulled out a roughed-up notebook from my jacket pocket. I took a seat. “I suppose the first I should ask is how well you knew the victims.”

  “Quite well, if I do say so myself. Katrina had been working for me on and off since before Four-Thirteen.” As she said the date of the Arcane reveal, a little shiver went down my spine. “I think we were going on close to ten, twelve years, perhaps. I hired Luis on three years ago, when my accountant didn't enjoy the prospect of working with a vampire any more. Luis wasn't as good, but it was nice to get some work for one of my kind.”

  “Was your relationship limited to just the workplace, or did you know anything about their personal lives?” I asked while I took down notes.

  “I had drinks at their apartment a few times, and Katrina and I were rather close. We would often talk while she was working with my dancers.” She sighed. “It seems so strange. How did they die?”

  I bit my lip. I wasn't quite sure how much information to give her. I didn't want to cause panic by telling her someone out there had tied up and ritually cut two vampires, with a knowledge of silver. “I'm not at liberty to say.”

  “That is very disappointing.” She said. “I would very much like to know.” She said as she looked straight at me.

  Our eyes met, and I felt just a simple push of will from her. A growl slipped from my lips. I pushed back with my own will, imagining a baseball bat slapping away her attempt to poke at my mind. I felt her powers recede, and I glared.

  There was a much greater focus behind Yukiko's gaze. I knew immediately that Caleb was her progeny. I had been prepared this time, though, and I had enough magic to knock it off.

  “Don't do that again,” I warned. “You're not the first vampire to try that little hypnosis trick on me.”

  For just a moment, Yukiko shrunk back from me, but she shook her head. “My apologies. But I had not tested a witch in a long time. Your powers are raw, but impressive.”

  “Why ruin the surprise?” I leaned forward, smiling. “As for the details of the murder, all I can say is that I know for a fact our killer had some working knowledge of vampires. Some certain things, they knew that the Oteros were vampires, and they knew some Arcane weaknesses.”

  She frowned. “That is...troubling.”

  “It is. Now, did the Oteros have any enemies? Any one they might have upset, maybe a human who didn't like getting fed on the morning after...”

  “We've never had any complaints, and Katrina and Luis never came to me with anything, despite me being their direct liege.”

  I took a sip from my beer, considering. “What about you? Is there anyone who might be trying to do this to send a message?”

  She shook her head. “I haven't had any recent threats. There is the usual hate mail from human purity groups, but we haven't had anything serious in the past few months. Not even a rock thrown.”

  I made a few chicken scratches in my notebook, and thought for a moment. “Well, any chance it might be something Arcane? Some rival noble with a grudge?”

  “Please, Mister Carpenter. Those things are settled in more civilized arenas.”

  I forced myself to not laugh. Vampires had a lot of pretenses towards civility, proper protocol, and playing the rules, but there were a lot of them willing to skirt the rules, just for a quick kill or advancement. “Vampires, sure. But weres, Red Angels, they can be a lot more vicious if they wish.”

  Yukiko scoffed at that. “I steer very clear of Finnegan and his zoo, and Catherine and I have always had an excellent relationship.” She offered a pleasant smile. “Really, I can't say who might have done this. I wish I could offer more.”

  “Well, My Lady, it was my pleasure to meet you.” I stood, and offered a nod. “I hope we meet again under better circumstances.”

  “May that be the case.” She nodded politely. “I certainly hope you can find the ones who did this.” She stood, and I did as well.

  “I hope I can.” I extended my hand to her, and she bowed her head forward, and she kissed my wrist through the leather of my jacket. I felt a shudder run straight through me, making the rodent part of my head quiver and tell me to run. Well, go for a handshake, get crept out by a vampire.

  “You know, I'm flattered, but I'm already dating one vampire.” I said, making sure to keep my voice soft.

  She had a little smile. “I'm not interested, romantically. From a culinary standpoint, however...can you blame a girl for trying?”

  I returned the smile. “Baroness, good evening.” I said, and as I turned, I bumped into someone. Smooth, Carpenter. “Oh, uh, sorry.” Tingles ran through my body, and I was sure I was still hyped on Yukiko's power.

  “It's all right, really.” A dark-haired woman was staring up at me, dressed in a simple black blouse and slacks. She was a good deal shorter than me, I guessed about five-four.

  “Mister Carpenter, this is my assistant, Breanna Harper.” Yukiko said.

  I looked to the woman, and smiled. “A pleasure, Miss Harper.”

  “The same,” she replied, and nodded curtly. “What brings you here, Mister Knight of the Bay?”

  “He's here about the Oteros. They were killed last night.”

  “Oh, my.” The smile faded from her face. 'That's terrible.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, it is. I'm just trying to find their killers.” I looked back to Yukiko. “Thanks again for your time, Baroness.”

  “Anything to help our local Knight.”

  "I'll be seeing you around." I nodded to her, and looked back to Breanna. "Miss Harper, good evening."

  I left the room, and headed back towards the front door, moving through the people in the club. After fighting through the crowd, I found my way to the exit and reentered the cool evening air.

  I pulled out my cell phone, and dialed up Matt.

  After a few rings, he picked up. “Hey there, man, what's up?”

  “Got some time? I need to spill some stuff on the case, need a human set of ears.”

  “Go for it. How's Chau's sound?”

  I grinned. “Fantastic. I'll get a table.” I hung up, and headed down the block, walking through the brightly lit Covens down to Chau's.

  Chapter 8

  I had discovered Chau's while
following up on a Bliss ring a few months ago. I had never met the owner, but damn, am I a sucker for good noodles.

  I found a table and ordered for myself and Matt. Matt came around about five minutes later, and sat down across from me. “So, what's the situation?” He asked, ordering a soda from the waiter.

  “Well, I headed down to Ruby. Heard of the place?”

  He nodded, and I wasn't surprised. Matt had a lot of party knowledge in his head, and knowing he knew about a vampire bar was no shock. “Vamp joint, lots of loud music, drinks are okay. Run by some Japanese woman, right?”

  “Baroness Yukiko,” I supplied. “She was the boss of the two victims I was asked to look at last night.”

  “Really? Well, that never sounds good.” He grabbed a pair of chop sticks as our food was delivered. “So, what did she tell you?”

  I shrugged. “Not a lot, really. She apparently doesn't have a single enemy, and the Oteros didn't have any problems.”

  “Oh, I'll believe that one.” Matt snorted in laughter. “So, what's your guess?”

  “I would be willing to believe that she's lying, if I had anything to tie her to it. I'm not seeing anything to tie her to the murders, and I can't figure out motive. Yet. So maybe I'll have to ask around the dancers tomorrow. See if any of them knew anything.”

  Matt's eyes lit up. “Dancers? Vampire dancers? Can I come?”

  I tried to conceal my groan of annoyance around the noodles in my mouth. After swallowing, I said. “Matt, it's a murder investigation. I am not letting you tag along.”

  “All right. Though, some day, I will ask questions about you and Teresa.”

  I took a sip of my soda, stalling for time. “We're not...I don't...” I sighed.

  “You guys, really? But you're all over each other.”

  My mind flashed to the scars on my neck. “I'm not sure I'm ready. I mean, just to open myself up to a vampire like that...” I trailed off.

  Matt mimed taking out a pencil. “Am I going to have to start charging you by the hour now?”

  “Hey, you're friends with me. I at least get some freebies, Freud.” I shook my head. “All I do is, you know, keep the Bay safe.”

  He glared at me a moment. “Don't make me fling vegetables at you.” Matt's gaze softened, and he smiled. “But, seriously, you might want to try trusting Teresa. She's not a bad woman from what I've seen of her. Hell,” He started ticking off his fingers. “She's gorgeous, intelligent. I mean, she definitely seems educated.”

  “She's got five degrees,” I said. “and an MBA.”

  “How do you even find the time?” Matt mused. “That's...”

  I offered him my best shrug. “When you've got two centuries and you're loaded, you can go for a few degrees when the moment suits you.”

  Matt thought about it for a second. “Gorgeous, intelligent, loaded.”

  I was about to chide him that I didn't care about money. Well, not really, but I still was the one asking the ruling council to pay me a salary. “The last doesn't make or break a relationship for me. I'm not a coffin digger.”

  “Okay, fine.” He groaned. “She's great. Hell, the only thing she's got going against it is that she's two centuries older than you, and she's probably had more and better sex than you ever will.”

  I stared at Matt for a moment, trying to think about how to respond to that. Shit, he got me there. “You are a horrible, awful person.”

  Matt starred at me for a moment, then he just started to laugh. “I'm sorry, but the look on your face, man...” He shook his head. “Really. I'm sorry.”

  I shook my head, resisting the urge to hit him. “I'm not being ridiculous, am I? I mean, I know vampires consider it an intimacy thing. They like to have that bond.”

  “Well, does she have any reason to think you aren't taking this seriously?” Matt asked.

  I shook my head. “No, I think I am. I mean, after college, there really hasn't been too much in the romance side of things, but Teresa? Sure, it gets crazy from work, but I care for her. A lot.”

  Matt stared at me for a second. “Then I don't see the problem. Jesus, seven year-olds are harder to counsel. Hey, you know what you should do?” He leaned forward, lowering his voice. “As a human being who actually considers romantic relationships healthy for our species, my best advice is you talk to her about it.”

  “You think that would work?” I deadpanned. “I mean, talking?”

  “Hey, don't knock it. Believe it or not, it works with adults and three year-olds pulling each other's hair out.”

  “I'm not entirely sure, but I think Teresa and I have a whole other kind of hair pulling in mind.”

  That earned me a left jab from Matt right on the arm. “Jerk.”

  “Loser.”

  There was still one last thing for me to wrap up my evening. I needed to report my findings, at least what little I had so far, to the boss. The boss, in that case, was Count Ishmael.

  While the County of Iron and Gold each had their own leader, Ishmael was the dominant one of the three interested leaders. The Fae, while they technically had some leverage, weren't too involved in the mortal world in California. Or Earth in general. I headed back to my car, and gave the Last Drop a ring.

  After a few rings, I heard an all too-familiar voice. “Last Drop, Office, how can I help you?”

  “Teresa, I need to talk with Ishmael. Is he in?”

  “Indeed. Come on in through the back. The DJ's a particularly loud one tonight.”

  I grinned into the phone. “How thoughtful. I'll see you guys in twenty.” I hung up, and started to drive over to the Last Drop.

  The Last Drop was a lot like Ruby, really. Vampires, for their superior hearing, seemed to like loud music for whatever reason. It was, fair enough, good hunting grounds to pick up willing donors for their feeding habits. I parked behind the club in the employee parking, which I was technically allowed to use. I was, after all, an employee of all Arcanes in San Francisco.

  I went into the back, through the cool, sound-proofed corridors towards the private room that Ishmael used as his audience chamber. I saw a vampire outside, who smiled at me. “Mister Carpenter,” He grunted, and opened the door for me.

  “Thanks, Will.” I gave him a polite nod before heading inside.

  The room itself was a step above the rest of the club. A sound-proofed window looked out onto the club's floor, and lavish furniture surrounded a large table. Sitting at the head of the table was the head honcho for vampires in the bay, Count Ishmael.

  The Count had come from the Holy Land at some point, I'd figured out, and he was at least a millennium old. He had a dour expression, with dark curly hair. He wore an immaculate blue suit, with his arms resting on his chair, fingers templed at his chin. “Eric, Teresa tells me you have information.”

  I looked to his right, where Teresa had a laptop open on her lap. “Yes, sir, I do.” I gestured to one of the seats to Ishmael's left. “May I sit?”

  “Of course, Eric. Please, can I get you anything?” He asked me.

  “No, but thanks.” I answered, and I took a seat. “Before I begin, I've got a-” I stopped myself before I said favor. Favor was a word that could get me into a lot of trouble. “A request of you, Ishmael.”

  He tilted his head, intrigued now. “What might that be, Mister Carpenter?” He asked.

  “I need to know about Anselm Bauer. His bloodline, what to expect from Serena.”

  He considered, then looked to Teresa. She nodded. “I'll put you into contact with someone who knows bloodlines.” She said.

  “Excellent. Now, the Oteros.”

  “Yes,” Ishmael nodded. “Tell me what you know.”

  “They were killed by someone who knew silver. They were bound by it, and I suspect the knife used on them was silver as well.”

  He nodded. “Teresa mentioned that you think that the killer also had some knowledge of magic?”

  “I do.” I answered. “I sensed the area, and there was a distinct pre
sence of magic upon the bodies.”

  “You believe it might have been another witch?”

  “Not necessarily. I mean, it didn't feel like my magic, so it might be something different. I don't know.”

  Ishmael frowned, scratching his chin a moment. “Hmm. That is concerning.”

  “You wouldn't happen to know any people who know magic, or at least the theory of it, would you?” I asked.

  He nodded. “There is someone. Teresa, is Miss Corazon still in town?”

  Teresa considered for a second, then nodded. “She still should be. Last I heard she was still running her shop.”

  “Miss Corazon?” I asked. “Who's that?”

  “Renee Corazon. She's a human who does herbal remedies and some of that new age stuff.” Teresa explained. “Mostly just holistic medicine, but she does have some knowledge of the workings of magic. I'll give you her address.”

  “Fantastic.” I smiled. “Also, I talked with the Otero's boss, Baroness Yukiko.”

  At that, both of them sighed. “Yukiko,” Ishmael growled.

  “I'm taking it you two don't get along.” I remarked.

  Teresa gave her pleasant, “I'm trying to represent vampires as a whole” smile. “Baroness Yukiko is an ambitious woman.”

  “You mean she's a power-hungry, psychotic vamp.” I rolled my eyes. Vampires, especially, amongst the Arcanes were susceptible to power trips. I had encountered one in my first case as Knight of the Bay, a nasty master vampire from the Renaissance named Lucien.

  “She is my underling, and I don't particularly like her.” Ishmael sighed, and he stood up. He headed over to a cabinet, and pulled out a bottle of whiskey. It took only a glance to the label to realize that bottle was worth more than a good dinner in the city. “However, Yukiko has been in charge of her own little slice of San Francisco since the twenties, when I first took over this county. She doesn't like that I was installed over her.”

  “Well, I could understand her distaste for that.” I looked at him as he poured the amber whiskey into a glass. “Does she have any enemies?”