“I don’t think so. I know Evan’s firm represents the Green Leaf Foundation. That’s why we were invited to the benefit.”
I’m perusing the program. Michael Dexter’s name is listed as a participating artist in the charity auction. Is that the piece he was working on the day before yesterday? No wonder he mentioned a deadline.
“Would you mind calling Evan’s office to see if Dr. Barakov is a client, too?” I ask Liz, wanting a few moments alone with Zack.
“Sure.” Liz stands up “My cell is in the kitchen.”
When she’s gone, I lean toward Zack. “Another vampire gone with a connection to Barakov?”
“When we get back to the office, I’ll check the financial records for Amy and Isabella.” He’s quiet for a moment. “Maybe Barakov isn’t the connection. Maybe this foundation is.”
Liz is back in a minute. She’s carrying a garment bag. Her face reflects the anxiety and fear that’s been racking her mind. “No Barakov on the client list,” she says. “No word from Evan.”
She tosses her cell phone on the couch, passes the garment bag from her left hand to the right.
I rise to give her a hug. “We’ll find him. We have a few things we need to check at the office. Will you be all right here alone?”
Liz steps reluctantly out of my arms. “Yes. Why did you have me check on Barakov?”
I don’t want to alarm Liz, but I don’t want to lie to her, either. “Barakov has been a common denominator in a couple missing persons’ cases. But we don’t have anything solid.”
“He’s connected to Green Leaf, and Evan has connections to Green Leaf. You think this Barakov might have done something to Evan?”
The edge in her voice is razor sharp. The last thing we need is a pissed-off witch going after the wrong guy. Zack realizes that, too, and reacts quickly. “I think we need to give Emma a few minutes alone with him so she can find out. He’ll be at the party.”
Liz peers at me, tossing her head in Zack’s direction. “He knows about you, too?”
I nod.
She frowns. That he knows my true nature, and that he could only know it if I told him, makes our connection too intimate for her approval.
The atmosphere in the room becomes stiflingly oppressive.
Zack feels the tension between Liz and me and, once again, breaks the silence. “Let’s not forget it’s possible there’s another explanation for why you can’t locate Evan. You already mentioned an alternative reality. What else could interfere with your scrying?”
“You mean like a shield of some sort?” Liz suggests.
“Any way for you to determine if that’s what’s blocking you?” he asks.
I can see her wheels turning. Zack has given her something to focus on besides me . . . or Barakov. Something that not only will keep her busy, but could be a huge help.
“Maybe. A shield that strong would take a lot of energy. I’ll keep trying my locator spells and start looking for pockets of unusual power.” She glances down at the garment bag as if just remembering it. “Take this, before I forget.”
“What is it?”
“You’ll see when you get home. Trust me, you’ll like it.”
When she passes the bag to me, there’s a rustle of fabric. This must be the dress Liz mentioned I could borrow. This is so Liz. Her world could be falling apart and she’s thinking about what I’m going to wear to the party.
“I won’t go if you want me to stay here with you,” I tell her, pushing the bag away.
“No.” Her reply is quick, adamant. “My place is here. But you go. If anyone at Green Leaf is in any way involved in Evan’s disappearance, you can find out.” The look she sends me telegraphs that she
“Should I call the police?” she asks then.
“Wait a little while longer,” Zack says. “We’re doing everything possible right now. Let’s see how things play out and keep one another posted.”
She sighs and walks us to the door. Zack goes ahead and I pause to give Liz one last hug.
She pulls away. “Oh, I almost forgot.” She turns back to the coffee table and slips a piece of paper out of a folder lying there. “A list of Blood Emporiums.”
I glance at it. “Looks pretty complete. Who’s your source?”
She shrugs. “A longtime client. He circled the one in the Gaslamp, the one he thought you might be interested in.” Her mouth twists in a weary frown. “Ironic, isn’t it, Emma? Yesterday I wasn’t sure how I felt about Evan. Today I’d give my life to see him back home safe. With me.”
I smile and touch her cheek. “He will be. And the good news is now you know. You have your answer.”
• • •
I toss the garment bag into the backseat of the car. I can wait until I get home to see the dress. It’s the piece of paper Liz handed me that has my attention—a computer-generated list of all of San Diego’s Blood Emporiums with the names of each one’s cover business and address.
“Check this out.” I hold up the paper so Zack can see.
“Wicked Ink?” It’s circled in red. The address is around Fifth and J Street.
“Michael Dexter found a receipt dated the day Isabella disappeared. He said she used to pick up her blood supply from a Blood Emporium in the Gaslamp. I think this might be it.”
Zack gives the list a quick once-over. “This looks like a list of all of the Emporiums in San Diego County. Information like this isn’t easy for an outsider to come by. Where did Liz get it?”
I shake my head. “I don’t know. A friend of Evan’s maybe? But I think it’s worth paying this Wicked Ink a visit. Someone there might have been the last person to see Isabella before she disappeared.”
Zack’s expression clouds over with worry.
“What are you thinking?” I ask him.
“Some of the old guard have been targeting the Emporiums. They aren’t happy with the number of vampires who are mainstreaming. They fear it’s a sign the culture is collapsing.”
“But they’ve been sanctioned by those in power, right?”
“That’s the case here in the West. My understanding is that there’s quite a bit of dissension between the four American sovereigns. The new Southern king is vehemently opposed. He’s been spewing all sorts of new rhetoric. Or should I say
I haven’t kept up with vampire politics. “I didn’t even know there was a new Southern king. When did this happen?”
“Eight, maybe nine months ago. He started by levying outrageous taxes, driving up the price of blood in his territory until it’s practically unaffordable, both for those buying and selling. There’s a huge propaganda machine behind the movement. The Emporiums are like a lifeline to mainstreamed vampires. They’re what allow them to function and integrate into society. Shutting down the Emporiums would have the same impact on vampires that shutting down every grocery store would have on humans.”
“Then why on earth is the Southern king doing it?”
“Because it’s more difficult to oppressively rule people who are independent. He talks about giving control back to the vampires. Of supporting their taking what’s rightfully theirs instead of lining the pockets of the elite few and kowtowing to humans. I think what he’s really after is a return to the old ways. Some of the zealots have started to move into other territories. I’ve heard reports that Emporiums in New Mexico and Arizona have been torched. I’ve even heard they’ve gone so far as to kidnap and torture patrons. It seems they might be working their way west.”
“Like here? Southern California? Do you think that’s why we have three missing vampires?”
Zack shrugs. “It’s something else to check out.”
And something else to complicate an already complicated case. I glance at Zack. “How do you know so much about it?”
Zack avoids my eyes. “My former pack has close ties with the Southern king.”
“One of the reasons you parted ways?” I ask.
