stomach growling.”
“Check.” His thumb thrust up. “I’ll be sure to buy something shitty for lunch.”
With a wave and a chuckle I left. When I returned to my office, Norma informed me that I was wanted on the seventy-third floor. “Why?” I asked with some trepidation.
“And you think I would know? The senior partners don’t give reasons; they just say frog.”
“Okay, I’m jumping.” I headed to the elevators.
Those of us on the lower floors referred to the seventy-third floor as Teak Heaven. It was opulent in the way Versailles is opulent. The incredibly handsome and incredibly supercilious receptionist, Bruce, told me I was expected in Mr. Ishmael’s office. Which gave me some relief. Since it was Shade who had summoned me, perhaps I wasn’t in trouble. He was my mentor and champion at the firm.
Shade’s secretary nodded at the door, indicating I could go in. Shade looked up as I entered, and the sharp blue eyes scanned me critically. He came around from behind his desk and gave me a gentle kiss on the forehead. His lips were very cold.
“Linnet, child. Thank God, you’re all right. You have the most alarming tendency to find yourself in mortal danger.”
“I think I’m a chaos magnet,” I said, trying to keep it light. “Trouble always finds me.”
Shade pushed back a lock of silver-gray hair that had fallen over his forehead. A smile flickered briefly on his lips. “Just so you don’t cause it,” he quipped in that ponderous way that passed for humor among vampires.
I held up two fingers in the Boy Scout salute. “I promise I won’t. Is that all you wanted? I’ve really got to get ready for the hearing.”
“Actually, I wanted to ask about Sullivan.”
“Oh, God, did he come back and defend me to Gold and McGillary? Is that why he missed the hearing?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I haven’t seen Sullivan since you left for California.”
Cautious now, I took a step back. “So what was it about David that you wanted to talk about?”
“It was a two-to-one vote to reinstate him. I wanted to make sure my vote of support isn’t going to come back to haunt me,” the senior partner said.
“So, who blackballed him? Let me guess: Gold,” I said.
“You’d be wrong. It was McGillary.”
I couldn’t picture the Mr. Milk Toast third partner whose name appeared on the letter head taking such a strong stand. “Good God, why? What did David do that it would upset McGillary that much?”
“It is not something that should be discussed with a human.”
I looked up into that pale, aristocratic face and knew I had been put firmly in my place. “If you’re asking about his performance as the chief arbitrator on this case, he’s doing a great job. He’s firmly in control, very fair, and the parties respect him.”
“He did place us uncomfortably in the news—”
“No, I did that,” I interrupted. “If you’re talking about the press getting a picture of us leaving the studio.” There was a slight nod from Shade. “Well, he was trying to protect me. And the firm,” I added hurriedly.
“He used power and was detected.”
“Look, Shade, it’s not a big news flash that all of you Powers have, well … powers. He’s a terrific lawyer, okay?”
“You like him.”
I considered the stiff, opinionated, curt man that I knew and realized Shade was right. “Yes, I do. And it’s not just because he saved my life,” I added forestalling the words that I could almost see forming in Shade’s head. “He has integrity and he hates injustice. Sometimes he seems almost human,” I added, making a little joke of my own. If it had been any vampire but Shade I wouldn’t have dared. Though I expected my foster liege would have been amused as well.
But it didn’t get the expected response. Instead Shade looked worried. He clasped his hands behind his back and turned away. Almost inaudibly he said, “And that is what worries me.” Then more loudly he added, “You may go, Linnet.”
At 11:50 Ollie and I were in the smallest conference room. He had a muffaletta from a nearby deli, and the rich smell of olive mix, meats, and cheeses was driving me crazy. I sipped my Diet Coke and waited at the head of the table as the tech guru adjusted the computer screen so I was caught by the camera and would be able to be seen once the video link was in place.
“Ollie, may I have a potato chip?” I asked.
“Actually, why don’t you take half of this. It’s a monster.” He came over and gave me half the sandwich and shook out some potato chips from the bag.
“Thank you.”
I ate the sandwich while Ollie alternated between muttering into his headphones, an indistinct buzz that never quite rose to the level of understandable words, and munching on his lunch.
He flashed a thumbs-up in my direction. “Okay. We’re going live.” I quickly swiped a Kleenex across my mouth, hoping that there were no crumbs or olive paste in evidence and I hadn’t totally wrecked my makeup. Ollie pointed a forefinger at me. “Now!”
The computer screen on the conference table switched from the start page to an image of the conference room in California. I couldn’t see David because we were arranged as if I was sitting next to him, but I had an excellent view of the rest of the room. The crowd was still in settling-down mode, with clumps of people at the coffee carafe, others peering at the tray of pastries, still others filling a glass with water from the cut-glass pitcher.
David’s voice, sounding aggrieved, came in loudly through the speakers on the computer on my end. “I can’t see Lin—Ms. Ellery.”
There was a barely heard apology from Chuck, the tech guy in LA, more mumbling from Ollie, but what really caught my attention was Qwendar. He stiffened, glanced at the computer screen, then looked over to where Palendar was filling a glass with water.
“Can you say something,” Ollie said. “Let’s see if we’ve at least got audio on their end.”
“Testing. Hello, Los Angeles,” I said, but distractedly because I was watching Qwendar walking swiftly toward Palendar.
“I got half of that, then the sound cut out.” David’s voice sounding even more exasperated.
“Ms. Ellery, can you hear us?” Chuck called.
“And how will we know since we can’t hear her?” David again, with scathing sarcasm.
“Oh, yeah, right.”
I started to send David a text telling him I could hear, but I nearly dropped my phone because while I watched, Qwendar seemed to lose his balance just as he reached Palendar and fell against him. The Alfar actor lost his grip on the cut-crystal glass, and it shattered on the bamboo floor. Qwendar, murmuring apologies, bent slowly and painfully as if to begin picking up the shards of glass.
It was like a lightening flash through the inside of my skull. I was back at Terra Sushi listening to Kiyumi describe the broken-teapot scene between Qwendar and Kerrinan: “They were both scrambling to pick up the pieces … and Kerrinan cut his palm on a shard of glass.”
Palendar hesitated, looking down at the bent head of the old Alfar. Qwendar looked up at him and said something that I couldn’t hear, but it had the blood rising into Palendar’s cheeks. He didn’t look happy, but he knelt down next to the old Alfar.
“David! David!” I yelled, coming half out of my chair.
“He can’t hear you. We still haven’t got the audio back,” Ollie said.
“Can you get him on camera for me?” I asked as I dove for my purse and yanked out my BlackBerry. My fingers flew across the keyboard as I sent David a text.
I knew he usually kept his phone on vibrate. “Please look at it! Please look at it!” It was both a prayer and an order. The camera angle on my computer screen panned, and I could see David. I saw him glance down toward
