by Ally Shields
“A cave opening. Someone’s been inside the caverns. Since I didn’t have a flashlight, I didn’t go in. It might not have anything to do with Barron, just kids or tourists poking around, but I’ll go back.”
Ryan didn’t even suggest he might go with her. As a Guardian, a supernatural cop employed by the Magic Council, Ari had the authority to enter restricted vampire territory, even without permission from the vampire court or her boyfriend the vampire prince. For her to take a human inside the cliff caves would be a serious breach of protocol. Not to mention some of the vampires might not trust her again. Besides, Ryan left the magic users to Ari whenever possible. He preferred dealing with humans. Whether that would include Barron’s crew of Hollywood types was an interesting question.
* * *
Jase Barron’s all-human crew of four men and three women sat around a table in the police conference room. The moment Ryan and Ari entered, a dark blond man, suntanned and fit, stood and thrust out a hand. “Max Carmody,” he said. “This is terrible news. Can you tell us what happened to Jase?”
Ryan introduced himself, then motioned toward Ari. “This is Arianna Calin, from the Magic Council. We’ll try to answer your questions, but first, we have some of our own.”
“Magic Council?” Carmody looked at Ari with interest. “Are you an Otherworlder?”
Accepting the common usage of Otherworlder as covering all of the various magic races, Ari gave him a level look. “Yes. Does it matter?”
“Not at all. I just wondered why you’re involved in an accident investigation.”
She hesitated, considering the best answer, but Ryan saved her the trouble. He broke in to ask for the crew’s names and relationships to the victim.
Carmody explained he was Jase’s partner in Barron & Carmody Adventures. The other six provided lengthy credentials, but Ari paid little attention beyond first names and positions on the crew.
Dyani, a dark-haired woman of Native American heritage, was an archeologist. Tom, crew photographer, a lanky young man with bulging arm muscles likely gained while handling heavy camera equipment; cavers—MaryAnn, plain and short, and Rico, dark and wiry; Cole, dark Hollywood glamor, the climber and assistant boat pilot. Cole explained his boat duties tended to be light as Jase had liked to handle the wheel. Platinum-haired Bev, whose baby-doll blue eyes were red from crying, kept the group’s written and recorded observations, and Sara, crisp white shirt and short black hair, was in charge of PR and everything else that need to be done—accommodations and equipment.
“We’re filming an exploration,” Carmody said in answer to Ryan’s next question. “We docked yesterday morning and spent the day wandering around Olde Town, checking out all the picturesque shops. Jase was supposed to meet with us first thing this morning to talk about our schedule.” He spread his hands. “That’s it. That’s all I know. Jase kept the details to himself. I can’t even tell you the subject of our latest quest. Our TV sponsors would scream like banshees if I leaked the information before we were prepared to make the announcement.”
“You’ll have to do better than that,” Ryan said. “We’re investigating a death. I think that trumps your TV contract. We need to know everything you know.”
“Sorry, I can’t do that. Perhaps we should wait for our attorneys to arrive before we say anything else.” Carmody kept his tone smooth. “I called them before we left the boat. They’ll be here by the end of the day. Or tomorrow, at the latest.” He waved a careless hand. “We have to think about the business end of this.”
Ari took a step forward. “Do you have something to hide?”
Carmody’s head swung to look at her. “No, I don’t think so, but I don’t know exactly what you want. I have a huge investment riding on this venture. Besides, the lawyers have all the details.”
“You don’t seem terribly broken up by your partner’s death,” she said. “In fact, no one seems sad, with the exception of Bev.”
“Now wait a minute,” Cole, the climbing expert, interrupted. “We’re all sorry about Jase. He was the star of our show. Worldwide fans will miss him.”
“Is that all he was to you? The star of the show? Doesn’t sound very warm and fuzzy.” Ari cut her eyes to Ryan, surprised he hadn’t intervened to stop her from antagonizing the crew. He seemed totally focused on them, studying their behavior.
Carmody’s face creased in a crooked smile. “Jase was a hard man. He drove himself and his crew. Not a man to encourage sentimentality. And he’d be the last one to expect it. We’re all shocked by Jase’s sudden death. He had talent, and he pulled in huge ratings. But, right now, I’m concerned about where we go from here.”
“Even if your partner was murdered?”
Ignoring a couple gasps from the crew, Carmody focused on her face. “Jase was murdered? I thought it was a fall. Who the hell would kill Jase?”
Ryan spoke up. “We’re trying to figure out exactly what happened, and I hope we’ll know more after the autopsy. While we’re waiting for those results, we’d appreciate your cooperation in giving us some background information. A quick resolution to this matter would be in everyone’s best interests.”
“You’d keep any details out of the press? If somebody killed him, the press will be voracious.” Carmody scrubbed his face with both hands. “What a mess. Let us handle the media. Sara is good at the PR angle.”
“I’d be happy to let you, but I can’t guarantee what my department will do.” Ryan glanced at Ari. She nodded, and his attention returned to Carmody. “They won’t hear anything from the two of us.”
Ari watched Carmody’s face. Would news of the murder really be such a bad thing for the TV show? It might even boost ratings. Of course, if the true cause of death was leaked, it would be really bad for everyone else. Any hint of black magic would make the coverage go viral, burying the police and the Magic Council with public and media demands.
Carmody shook his head, then dropped into a chair. “All right, ask your questions. If we think we can answer them, we will. But don’t ask us why we’re here. Only the lawyers can release more than we’ve already told you.”
Although impatient for information, Ari gave Carmody points for his handling of the situation. He’d remained nonbelligerent, yet had firmly drawn a line. Ryan’s face conveyed annoyance, but he grabbed a chair to join Ari and the crew at the conference table.
“The body was found on the bank of the river early this morning,” he began. “Can you tell me when and where each of you last saw him?”
“We all had dinner together at the River Vista hotel restaurant. It broke up about ten o’clock.” Carmody looked toward his colleagues. The others confirmed this, and everyone except Carmody reported they had gone straight back to the yacht and to bed. “Jase and I had one drink in the hotel bar, and I left him there at 10:30.”
Only ninety minutes before he died. Hardly time for a man to get into so much trouble. Unless trouble was already looking for him.
Ryan asked the usual questions regarding threats, possible enemies, unusual occurrences, or strangers hanging around. No one had anything significant to add. Until this morning the expedition had been uneventful.
With the interviews completed, the crew filed toward the door, until Ari stopped them with one last question. “How’d your boss feel about magic?”
Carmody turned and took a step back toward her. “Jase was a believer. Embraced most things spiritual. I guess we’ve seen too many odd things we can’t explain. Why? Does this have something to do with his death?”
“Was he a practitioner?” she persisted. “Would he attempt a spell or summoning? A conjuring that might have gone wrong?”
Two or three in the group exchanged worried glances. Carmody frowned. “I don’t know. I’d have hoped he was smarter than that. But if Jase thought it would help him find what he wanted, he might try anything.” He waited, but when she didn’t comment, he turned and followed his crew. Ari cocked her head in thought.
Chapter T
wo
While Ryan finished tagging evidence and ran to the courthouse to pick up the search warrant for Barron’s boat, Ari went home to check on her adopted cat, Bella, and her four kittens. The momma cat—silky gray fur, black-tipped ears, and big green eyes—met her just inside the door, twining between her legs. The ten-week-old kittens tumbled around the studio apartment, over the couch, under the kitchen table. Shredded scrapes of tissue paper, stolen from a box in the bathroom, littered every surface. Shaking her head with a reluctant smile, Ari began picking up the mess. Even Bella seemed overwhelmed by their unbridled energy. She hopped onto the safety of the kitchen counter and stared down at their antics.
“Can’t you teach them better manners?” Ari scolded her cat.
Bella blinked.
Tossing the scraps into the trash, Ari sat on the floor and allowed the kittens to leap in and out of her lap. When she scratched her finger on her knee, they staged a mock attack, which made her laugh aloud. The young felines were the progeny of Bella’s mating with Hernando, a snow white Siamese with intense blue eyes. The kittens showed the mixture, but only one had the blue eyes, another had Bella’s green; the last two were golden. Although she knew when they were born she’d only have the kittens for a while, she’d given each a temporary name. After all, she had to call them something. Claris, Hernando’s owner and Ari’s best friend, didn’t necessarily agree with all her choices. The reserved gray female with white markings and cautious demeanor was Wily. The white male with black-tipped ears and blue eyes, who ambushed everyone from behind the couch, had been dubbed Sneaky over Claris’s objection. The dominant gray male had earned the regal name of Re. He often surveyed his kingdom from the back of the couch, when he wasn’t leading his brother and sisters in some mischievous adventure. The last littermate, but certainly not least, was Dona, whose snowy fur stood in sharp contrast to her knowing green eyes. Her name had been chosen to complement her mother’s, and together they formed belladonna, an ingredient Ari used in her potions.
She gave each kitten a last pat and stood to go. They’d soon leave for new homes—she couldn’t keep five grown cats in her small apartment, but she was going to miss them.
She checked the clock on the wall—the only thing on her wall. 12:30. Perfect time to visit Claris, while her friend was on lunch break. She had a couple of things on her mind, and who better to discuss them with than her best friend?
* * *
“Nice.” Ari pointed at the adoption sign with a recent picture of Bella’s four kittens. The bell over the door jingled as she ignored the “Out to Lunch” sign and entered Basil & Sage, her friend’s cozy herbal shop, which catered mostly to Olde Town’s tourist trade. The pleasant, homey sight and smell of herbs and spices engulfed her the moment she stepped inside, but the really useful seeds and dried leaves used in witchcraft were hidden behind the counter and in the greenhouse.
“I changed the photo because they’re growing so fast.” Claris, the human proprietress, smiled, the corners of her hazel eyes crinkling. One hand strayed to smooth the shiny brown strands that had escaped from the tie at the back of her neck. When working in her shop, Claris dressed the part of a gentle spiritualist. Not such a stretch, considering her Mother Earth personality. “They look so different from three weeks ago, not babies anymore.” Claris’s voice sounded a little wistful.
“Do we still need to advertise? I thought you’d selected most of the new parents.”
Claris’s smile faded. “Not for Dona and Re. I’m almost out of ideas for them. Are you ready for the first two to go this weekend?”
Although she felt a pang in her heart, Ari answered with a brisk, “Yep. They’re tearing my place apart. This morning it was the box of tissues. How’s the proud papa?”
“Keeping track of the birds outside the greenhouse. And watching the door. I’m pretty sure Hernando is looking for a chance to slip out again.”
“If he comes calling on Bella, my landlady won’t make the mistake of letting him in again. She’s now aware of his Casanova intentions. Besides, we might not be at the apartment much longer.”
Claris gave her an I-told-you-so grin. “Giving in? I wondered how long you’d hold out.”
“Don’t gloat yet. I still haven’t decided whether I want to move in or not.” Ari hesitated. “But it isn’t fair to keep him worrying. He needs to consolidate his authority in the vampire court, not obsess about my safety. He constantly sends his people to check on me. I’ve seen Gabriel almost every night in the last month.”
“What’s so bad about that?” Claris teased. “I like Gabriel. He can check on me anytime.”
“What’s not to like in a gorgeous blond Adonis—even if he’s a two-hundred-year-old vampire? But anyone’s charm can get old after a while.”
“Hard to imagine, so I’ll have to take your word for it.”
Ari gave her friend a sharp look. “You’re not getting interested in Gabriel, are you? Is everything good between you and Brando?”
“Oh, sure, same old thing.” Claris waved her hand back and forth in the so-so sign. “Brando’s always so busy. And now he’s going away again. Another conference.”
“You sound upset.” Ari gave her friend a pointed look. “And you didn’t answer my question about Gabriel.”
“I wouldn’t mind seeing more of Gabriel. He’s fun to be around.”
Ari knew how charming Andreas’s friend could be. She’d seen other women look at him, and she’d been on the receiving end of his old-world manners. He and Andreas had been young vampires together in Regency England and part of the aristocracy. They both oozed charm. Still, Gabriel was no fit companion for her human friend.
Ari kept her voice level. “Clare, he’s a vampire. Not a safe date.”
Claris’s look was full of meaning. “And your point, Miss I’m-dating-the-vampire-prince-of-Riverdale?”
Ari screwed up her nose in response. “Which means I know what I’m talking about. You’re a full-blooded human. The smell of your blood is an open invitation to vampires, and you have no way to defend yourself.”
“Like he’s going to hurt me? You don’t believe that.”
“Not intentionally, but I don’t know all of his friends, and most vampires live on the edge. Violent things always happen around them. I don’t want you caught in the crossfire. Or to lose your heart to someone who can give you so little.”
Claris looked like she might argue that last point, then waved a dismissive hand. “I don’t know why we’re talking about Gabriel. He hasn’t expressed any interest in me beyond simple friendship. And we’ve strayed far from the point, which was you and Andreas. Are you going to move in with him or not?”
“I told you I was still thinking about it.” Ari leaned on the counter and watched Claris straighten the displays of sachets and incense. “Maybe I will—just for a while, until things settle down in the vampire community. I’m not giving up my apartment.”
“Probably wise. You can ease into things. See how it goes.” Amusement gurgled in Claris’s throat. “Considering how hard-headed you both are, this could be entertaining.” She laughed aloud. “You don’t need to keep your own place, you know. You can always come here when you feel like driving a stake through his heart.”
“Very funny.” The sound of Ryan’s ringtone on her cell saved Ari from coming up with a suitable defense.
He had the search warrant and would meet her at Jase Barron’s boat.
* * *
The Seeker, a twenty-two-foot houseboat with a shaded second deck, gently rocked in her moorings at the Olde Town dock. One of only a dozen at the marina, the yacht stood out, not only in size but in obvious cost. Most of the docked boats belonged to fishermen, a fact attested to by the strong odor of fish and bait as they neared the area. The Seeker was different. Even to Ari’s limited information on watercraft, the expensive enhancements showed in the perfect, shiny paint job, the gleaming wood trim, the stylish deck furnishings with their plush cushions, and the
covered bar on the upper deck.
Ari stopped suddenly. Her neck muscles tensed as she felt the first edge of the negative energy hanging over the yacht. The crew hadn’t been allowed to return after their interviews, so Ari knew the boat should be deserted. Still, she was reluctant to step on the deck. Something or someone had been there recently. Someone angry. And they’d left a lot of bad vibes as a calling card.
“Are you coming?” Ryan looked at her when she lagged behind.
“Yeah, but this doesn’t feel right.”
Ryan’s hand went to his gun as she stepped on board. “Is someone here?” He kept his voice low.
“I don’t think so. But they have been. And not long ago.” She scanned the deck. Everything looked tidy, nothing out of place. They cautiously descended to the lower deck, Ryan and his pistol in the lead. They found no sign of anything wrong until they reached the door marked as Jase Barron’s cabin on the sketch Carmody had hastily prepared for them. The latch was broken, pry marks obvious against the polished wood. The intruder or intruders had made no attempt to hide the damage.
“Looks like a crowbar.” Ryan held his weapon in a two-handed firing position and toed the door open to step inside. Drawers hung open, the contents dumped on the floor. The bed had been torn apart, the mattress slit open. Ari checked the bathroom while Ryan opened the closet door and looked under the bed.
