Walking inside the manager's office, Trent offered the key to him. Everyone else was waiting outside talking about the lack of information that they collected in the inn room.
"Here." He shoved the key back.
"Thanks." The manager took the key and put it back on the hook behind the counter. "Hey, before you go."
Trent had turned to leave, but immediately spun around to look at the manager.
"I didn't want to see anything around that blood sucker, I know how their types get offended. But that guy she's looking for, he was a vamp right?"
"Yes, why?"
He kneeled down and when he reappeared he slid a VHS tape across the counter, "He kept coming here with some woman. I can't be certain, but she might have been a dog."
"A dog?" He picked up the tape.
"It's got him and her checking in a while back, normally he would check in and she would show up later. They've been coming her for six months now. A couple weeks ago, he was here almost every night. She would show up around ten and leave at midnight, always trying to be extra quiet." The manager looked out the window to make sure he hadn't caught Corliss' eye.
"Heard a name?"
"Started with an A or an E. I really don't remember. They were both really nervous. He told me not to bring this up, but since he's dead, I doubt he'll mind."
"Thanks." Trent shook the tape at him and slipped it into his inner jacket pocket. He didn't want the dogs or Corliss to see it, until he was certain.
"Oh, please!" Corliss squealed when he left the office, "Go find a hydrate to piss on!"
Samara snorted, "You…"
"Ok, we can't have this." Trent announced, "If we want to get this done, everyone needs to get along. Even if you are just pretending."
"Trent, we all know that's never going to happen." Isaac announced, "They are natural enemies. Probably taking a lot out of them not tear away at each other's throats."
Trent folded his arms, "Fine, then one of us will go with the dogs and the other with the vamp."
"I call dogs!" Isaac shot his hand up.
"No way!" Corliss objected, "They might find information and withhold it from me."
"We could say the same about you, and as a leech you are more likely too." Samara snapped.
"We will get together at the end of the day and have dinner, and discuss our findings." Trent told her, "Don't worry, Isaac and I share everything with each other." He looked over at his partner, "And I get to go with the dogs."
Corliss crossed her arms, "Are you kidding me?"
"No." Isaac said, "You handle the vamp better, I can't take her snootiness."
"Snootiness?" She shrieked.
"Ok, flip a coin?" Trent reached into his pocket and pulled out a quarter, "Call it in the air." He flipped it.
"Heads." Isaac yelled out.
Trent stepped back allowing the quarter to fall to the ground, "Shit." He snapped when he saw it land on heads.
"Yes!" Isaac pumped his arm, and turned to the werewolves, "So, you watch WFL too?" He asked Coyle, who nodded. "Man, you guys are some athletes."
"Hey, before you go." Trent grabbed his shoulder, "We need to make sure we don't cover the same ground." He pulled out the list that Corliss had given him, as did Samara.
"We will start at the center at the Java Bean Coffee Shoppe." Samara told him.
"Alright, that's where I will end then. Be safe and cautious, Isaac." Trent warned him.
"I always am."
Corliss watched Isaac get into the werewolves small white Geo, before she turned her eyes back to Trent. "Just so you know, I was hoping you would get to go with the werewolves too." With that she spun around and headed towards her black BMW.
Trent chuckled, "Thanks." His eyes went to his gray Honda, "We taking your car, I presume?"
"If you want." Corliss responded as she leaned against her car door.
"Well, let me take my car home then, you can follow me." He pulled the car keys out of his pocket.
"Fine." She turned around and sat down in her leather seats to wait for him to get into his own car.
Trent fondled with the lock for a moment, the driver's side door always stuck. He needed to get it fixed. Hell, he needed a new car, not as if he couldn't afford one. When he was inside, he started his car and looked over to find Corliss with sunglasses on. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
As he pulled out of the parking lot, he looked behind him to ensure that Corliss was following him. She was, and a little too close for his comfort.
"Did you have to ride my ass the entire time?" Trent snapped when he got into her car.
"Ride your ass?" Corliss chuckled, "That brings a strange image to mind."
He rose an eyebrow, before sighing in defeat, "Let's see… we should…"
"Club Black reappears on the list a lot, we should go there." She informed him, as she pulled away from the curb.
"Isn't that a vamp club? I can't go in there." He put his hand on the dash board to steady himself from her speeding.
"You'll be fine, they will think you're my pet."
Trent frowned, "I am not a pet, nor do I want to be a pet. Especially not yours."
Corliss grinned, and looked at him out of the corner of her eye, "But I am so good to my pets." It was a lie, as a toy she wasn't allowed to have any. Adriel had several, which she was allowed to feed from on occasion. Normally when she had pleased him greatly.
He snorted and looked out the window, "Don't even try."
She laughed, "Do I make you nervous, Mister Monte? All alone with me? You afraid that I won't be able to handle myself; alone with a human."
Out of the corner of his eye, he gave a cold glare.
"You think that you are just that alluring that I might toss away all my years of training, just to suck down some of your sweet blood."
He watched her lick her dark red lips, "Very funny. Let's get back to our job, the sooner I am away from you, the happier I'll be."
Trent and Lenore climbed into her car. He knew that Club Black would be a dead end, especially if Rylan was working with a werewolf. He would not take a dog to a vamp club, but he couldn't tell Corliss that. Not until he had a chance to look at the video tape himself.
"Oh god." He looked down at his feet, when she nearly hit a pedestrian.
"I didn't hit them, they're fine."
"You know, you may be able to get into a major accident and walk away, but I'm not built that way."
Corliss smiled, "Is my driving scaring you?"
"Yes, it is."
Corliss laughed sinisterly, and gave him a large smile.
"Nice car." He said, when he realized that she had slowed down for him.
"Thanks."
He looked out the window as they approached the covered parking lot. "I've never met a vamp that didn't own a car that cost more than my parent's house."
She cleared her throat as she pulled into the parking lot, "You ever notice that at the end of many humans lives that they have a nice nest egg? Money that they saved up during their lives so that they could do what ever they want in their last few years."
"Yeah, what about it?"
"That's what we kine do. We live two thousand years easily, if we don't run into the wrong werewolf, human, or step on any toes in our society. We collect money in our time on earth, and pass it onto our children just like your people do." She pulled into her parking space, and set the car in park, but left the AC running. "We just have a lot longer time to collect it and enjoy it."
"What does this have to do with anything?"
"I'm sorry that humans only get eighty years and that werewolves get sixty, but we kine can't help that. Our clans weave a tight bond and we share the wealth with everyone. If your people were willing to do that, then everyone of your kind would be the same class too." She stepped out of the car, and when he was out, she clicked on her car alarm. The sound of the horn honking nearly gave Trent a heart attack.
"Are you calling humans and werewolves greedy because they don't share what little wealth they have with each other?"
"That's exactly what I am saying, Mister Monte. If your upper class citizens shared then no one would be starving, but they want all they have for themselves. My people not only share, but increase the money that they are given so they never have to take again."
Trent folded his arms as he came around the side of the car and leaned against the back door. "Oh, so, now you are going to tell me how rich you are?"
Corliss frowned, "I was given five thousand dollars by my father, and only five thousand dollars. Today that money is well over fifty seven million dollars, because not only did my father give me the fish, but he taught me to fish with it as well."
"I'm sure you weren't starving or in need of clothing, shelter, or anything else while you set aside all that money." Trent snorted, "Some of us have bills to pay."
"That's part of sharing. Teaching, helping, and then letting them go when they are ready." She began to walk towards the club that looked more like an abandon warehouse then a place where the elite vampires would congregate.
"Not all of us can have Adriel Macrea as their father, either." He mumbled behind her.
"Who said Adriel was my father? I said my last name was Macrea, and that was all."
Trent rose an eyebrow as he walked behind her, "Then who is your father?"
"None of your business." She stopped in front of the club door, then turned to face him. "You might see some terrifying things inside here, if you can't handle it then please just leave, and I will meet you by the car."
"I'll be fine." He snorted, as he pushed past her to the door.
"Are you alright?" Corliss placed her hand on his upper arm, when she saw him stumble.
"I'm fine." He rested his hand on the bar top.
"Your pet looks sick, maybe you should chain him up outside." The dark haired, pale bartender said as he approached them.
"My pet is fine!" Corliss snapped, and the bartender took a step back. She pulled out a gold necklace from under her shirt. It had a Macrea crest charm dangling from it, she had almost forgotten to display it. This would bring an amplitude of respect from the other kine, as well as their honesty. "You sure you don't want to go outside?" She asked Trent.
The smell of blood was turning his stomach, "I said, I am fine, didn't you hear me?"
"Alright." Corliss pulled a stool out, "At least sit down." She turned to the bartender, and pulled out the picture of Rylan from her purse, "Do you know this man?" She asked him.
Seeing her crest, he nodded his hand. "Rylan Cullen, he's part of the Macrea clan, a toy for one of the elders. He never told me which one though."
"Who did he normally consort with?"
He looked around the club, "Normally, Faustos. Which was strange I thought your clan and the Faustos hated each other, but they seemed to be pretty close."
"Do you know which Faustos?"
He nodded, "Julian, for certain… but, I can't think of any of the others. I think Silvio talked to him a time or two."
Corliss nodded her head, "Thank you."
"Anything for a Macrea, can I get you a drink?"
She looked at Trent, who had his head on the table, as he tried not to watch the vampire beside him chew on a live rat. "No, I think we need to go."
"That was disgusting." Trent mumbled underneath his breath as they approached her car.
Corliss chuckled and her keys jingled about in her hands as she walked, "I told you to leave if you couldn't handle it. Being a crime scene investigator, I would think you could handle a bit of blood and some intestines."
"I can, when they are coming out of a dead body, not when they are used as decoration. Where do they get all that from any?"
"Donations from morgues, unclaimed bodies, etc." She grinned, happy to see him out of his element for a time. "Have to admit that was funny. I thought for certain you would vomit."
"I don't vomit."
"Never?"
He frowned, "Where are we going next?"
"Well, the bartender says that Rylan would speak to Julian Fausto often, and he mentioned Silvio Fausto too. However, I don't want to drag the Faustos into this, not until we are certain that we need to. I think we should check out some more places on the list."
"You mean, you'll talk to the Faustos and never tell me what they said."
Corliss frowned as she unlocked her door, "Yeah, just like you'll watch that video tape the inn keep gave you and never tell me what's on it."
Trent looked over the car as Corliss sat down, he almost punched the hood, but remembered that this wasn't his car. Besides, he didn't want to pay the expenses it would take to get a ding out of a BMW. Sitting in the car, he looked at her.
"Why didn't you say anything to begin with?" He asked once she started the car.
"I didn't want the pups to know anything about it."
"Glad you found something in there." Samara growled as Isaac took another sip of his coffee.
"Ah, give me a break, the vamp isn't here. You can play nice."
She snorted, "At least if the vamp was here, she would have drilled everyone in that joint. You asked two questions; 'have you seen this man and do you have French roast?' Excellently done, are you a rookie? Did that asshole stick us with a rookie?"
Isaac glared out her out of his green eyes, "I've been a paranormal investigator for three years, I recently transferred to the LA division."
Samara rolled her eyes, "Three years and you only ask one question about the case?"
"Well, that was a dead end, how did you make out?" Coyle asked after finally crossing the street.
"Same."
Coyle held up the list, "Look at this, the Dog Pound is on this list."
Isaac rose an eyebrow, "Isn't that a werewolf and human sports bar?"
He nodded, "Yeah, so why is a leech going there? I mean they wouldn't throw him out or anything, but a leech around all those werewolves? I can barely handle myself around one."
Samara took the list from him, "Well, that's definitely a place that they'll remember him then. Let's go."
"You think we can stop off at my station and pick up my car?" Isaac asked as he rubbed his knee, "The Geo is tiny… especially with the big guy here."
Samara sighed, "Fine, let's go."
"Is this new?" Samara asked, sitting in the back of Isaac's Toyota Corolla. "It smells new."
Isaac chuckled, "Yeah, I bought it last month. Normally take Trent's car, because I don't want it to get damaged." His cell phone rang and he picked it up, "Hey." He answered after seeing that it was Trent through the caller ID, "Yeah, we got a good lead. Seems the vamp was going to a dog and human sports bar. We are going to check it out."
Coyle sat in the front seat with Isaac, and smiled back at his sister, "Roomy."
"Not really, just seems so compared to the Geo."
"Yeah, it's dinner time soon." Isaac said, "Ok, where does she want to eat? What? I never heard of that, and it sounds like we couldn't afford it anyway." He nodded his head, "Well, tell her we don't have that kind of cash."
Samara was laughing, she knew that the leech was trying to get them to go to an expensive restaurant.
"We aren't dressed for that. Yeah, we are wearing suits, but… if it's her treat, then whatever." Isaac hung up the phone. "We are eating fancy tonight." He joked.
"The leech paying?" Coyle asked.
"She said she will."
"Always willing to put a dent in a leech's pockets. Where were eating at?" Samara asked.
Isaac shrugged, "Some French place, we will meet there after we do this." He pulled into the small parking lot.
The sports bar looked old, it had been built in the fifties at least. The inside was even smaller then the outside portrayed it to be. A scruffy looking werewolf stood behind the bar, his beard long and gray. He looked more like a biker, then a bartender for a sports bar. The room was filled and all eyes were plastered onto the large sixty inch plasma television.
"Excuse me." Samara asked the bartender, who held up a finger to her to tell her to wait. She looked back at her brother, who had been mesmerized by the television.
The entire room hollered out in cheers of joy as one werewolf took a hit.
"Oh, man, that was good." The bartender's scratchy voice said, as he turned to her. "What can I get you?"
"I wanted to know if you have ever seen this leech in here before?" She held up the picture of Rylan, and looked at Coyle and Isaac, both had their eyes deadlocked on the television.
"Ah, yeah, him." He said flatly, "Yeah, I know him. If he's dead no one here did it."
Samara rose an eyebrow, "Why would you think that he's dead?"
"Because you're a member of the pack investigating a leech. He is either dead or killed one of us. Either way, I don't know nothing about it." He turned his eyes back to the television.
"Listen, he is dead. He was also pretty high up on the food chain, if you catch my drift. If the leeches even think that his death happened because of something here, your bar will be shut down or worse."
He turned his attention back to her, "Came in here once a week, always with a pretty blonde packy."
"He was with a member of the pack?"
He nodded, "Yeah, real pretty thing. Think they had something going, but they were never that affectionate in here."
"Then why do you think anything was happening between them?"
He chuckled, "Look lady, pack women love them leech males, they got cash. Leech males love how vicious our women are in the sack. And that's the only reason that a leech and packy would ever set aside their differences. I never heard them bicker, and they sure as hell sat close enough." He pointed to the picture in her hand, "That fucking leech was banging one of our girls, if he's dead then it was probably his own people. Wouldn't surprise me none, if his clan got wind of it, and wanted him dead, or her either. We packies don't really care all that much when a leech fucks one of our girls. But them leeches, they think they are too good for that. Catch my meaning?"
Samara nodded, "That all?"
He shook his head, "Nah, last time he was in here, he left his wallet." He reached behind the bar, and handed the black wallet to her.
She looked inside and counted the money.
"It's all there, we didn't touch the damn leech's cash. We didn't want to start no trouble with his kind. He sat in the corner with the girl, and we left them alone."
"Remember the girl's name?"
He shook his head, "No, but she hung around the Razor Claw Pack for a while. After she started it up with the leech, they just sort of ignored her from then on."
She tapped the wallet on the table, "Thanks, you've been a giant help." Turning back to her brother, she tapped him on the shoulder.
"Huh?" He asked without looking away from the television.
"You didn't hear any of that, did you?"
"Hear what?"
Samara sighed, "I'll explain in the car." She grabbed him by his sleeve and began to pull.
Coyle tugged on Isaac's suit jacket, so he would know that they were leaving.
"Here." He shoved the key back.
"Thanks." The manager took the key and put it back on the hook behind the counter. "Hey, before you go."
Trent had turned to leave, but immediately spun around to look at the manager.
"I didn't want to see anything around that blood sucker, I know how their types get offended. But that guy she's looking for, he was a vamp right?"
"Yes, why?"
He kneeled down and when he reappeared he slid a VHS tape across the counter, "He kept coming here with some woman. I can't be certain, but she might have been a dog."
"A dog?" He picked up the tape.
"It's got him and her checking in a while back, normally he would check in and she would show up later. They've been coming her for six months now. A couple weeks ago, he was here almost every night. She would show up around ten and leave at midnight, always trying to be extra quiet." The manager looked out the window to make sure he hadn't caught Corliss' eye.
"Heard a name?"
"Started with an A or an E. I really don't remember. They were both really nervous. He told me not to bring this up, but since he's dead, I doubt he'll mind."
"Thanks." Trent shook the tape at him and slipped it into his inner jacket pocket. He didn't want the dogs or Corliss to see it, until he was certain.
"Oh, please!" Corliss squealed when he left the office, "Go find a hydrate to piss on!"
Samara snorted, "You…"
"Ok, we can't have this." Trent announced, "If we want to get this done, everyone needs to get along. Even if you are just pretending."
"Trent, we all know that's never going to happen." Isaac announced, "They are natural enemies. Probably taking a lot out of them not tear away at each other's throats."
Trent folded his arms, "Fine, then one of us will go with the dogs and the other with the vamp."
"I call dogs!" Isaac shot his hand up.
"No way!" Corliss objected, "They might find information and withhold it from me."
"We could say the same about you, and as a leech you are more likely too." Samara snapped.
"We will get together at the end of the day and have dinner, and discuss our findings." Trent told her, "Don't worry, Isaac and I share everything with each other." He looked over at his partner, "And I get to go with the dogs."
Corliss crossed her arms, "Are you kidding me?"
"No." Isaac said, "You handle the vamp better, I can't take her snootiness."
"Snootiness?" She shrieked.
"Ok, flip a coin?" Trent reached into his pocket and pulled out a quarter, "Call it in the air." He flipped it.
"Heads." Isaac yelled out.
Trent stepped back allowing the quarter to fall to the ground, "Shit." He snapped when he saw it land on heads.
"Yes!" Isaac pumped his arm, and turned to the werewolves, "So, you watch WFL too?" He asked Coyle, who nodded. "Man, you guys are some athletes."
"Hey, before you go." Trent grabbed his shoulder, "We need to make sure we don't cover the same ground." He pulled out the list that Corliss had given him, as did Samara.
"We will start at the center at the Java Bean Coffee Shoppe." Samara told him.
"Alright, that's where I will end then. Be safe and cautious, Isaac." Trent warned him.
"I always am."
Corliss watched Isaac get into the werewolves small white Geo, before she turned her eyes back to Trent. "Just so you know, I was hoping you would get to go with the werewolves too." With that she spun around and headed towards her black BMW.
Trent chuckled, "Thanks." His eyes went to his gray Honda, "We taking your car, I presume?"
"If you want." Corliss responded as she leaned against her car door.
"Well, let me take my car home then, you can follow me." He pulled the car keys out of his pocket.
"Fine." She turned around and sat down in her leather seats to wait for him to get into his own car.
Trent fondled with the lock for a moment, the driver's side door always stuck. He needed to get it fixed. Hell, he needed a new car, not as if he couldn't afford one. When he was inside, he started his car and looked over to find Corliss with sunglasses on. He couldn't help but chuckle to himself.
As he pulled out of the parking lot, he looked behind him to ensure that Corliss was following him. She was, and a little too close for his comfort.
---***---
"Did you have to ride my ass the entire time?" Trent snapped when he got into her car.
"Ride your ass?" Corliss chuckled, "That brings a strange image to mind."
He rose an eyebrow, before sighing in defeat, "Let's see… we should…"
"Club Black reappears on the list a lot, we should go there." She informed him, as she pulled away from the curb.
"Isn't that a vamp club? I can't go in there." He put his hand on the dash board to steady himself from her speeding.
"You'll be fine, they will think you're my pet."
Trent frowned, "I am not a pet, nor do I want to be a pet. Especially not yours."
Corliss grinned, and looked at him out of the corner of her eye, "But I am so good to my pets." It was a lie, as a toy she wasn't allowed to have any. Adriel had several, which she was allowed to feed from on occasion. Normally when she had pleased him greatly.
He snorted and looked out the window, "Don't even try."
She laughed, "Do I make you nervous, Mister Monte? All alone with me? You afraid that I won't be able to handle myself; alone with a human."
Out of the corner of his eye, he gave a cold glare.
"You think that you are just that alluring that I might toss away all my years of training, just to suck down some of your sweet blood."
He watched her lick her dark red lips, "Very funny. Let's get back to our job, the sooner I am away from you, the happier I'll be."
Trent and Lenore climbed into her car. He knew that Club Black would be a dead end, especially if Rylan was working with a werewolf. He would not take a dog to a vamp club, but he couldn't tell Corliss that. Not until he had a chance to look at the video tape himself.
"Oh god." He looked down at his feet, when she nearly hit a pedestrian.
"I didn't hit them, they're fine."
"You know, you may be able to get into a major accident and walk away, but I'm not built that way."
Corliss smiled, "Is my driving scaring you?"
"Yes, it is."
Corliss laughed sinisterly, and gave him a large smile.
"Nice car." He said, when he realized that she had slowed down for him.
"Thanks."
He looked out the window as they approached the covered parking lot. "I've never met a vamp that didn't own a car that cost more than my parent's house."
She cleared her throat as she pulled into the parking lot, "You ever notice that at the end of many humans lives that they have a nice nest egg? Money that they saved up during their lives so that they could do what ever they want in their last few years."
"Yeah, what about it?"
"That's what we kine do. We live two thousand years easily, if we don't run into the wrong werewolf, human, or step on any toes in our society. We collect money in our time on earth, and pass it onto our children just like your people do." She pulled into her parking space, and set the car in park, but left the AC running. "We just have a lot longer time to collect it and enjoy it."
"What does this have to do with anything?"
"I'm sorry that humans only get eighty years and that werewolves get sixty, but we kine can't help that. Our clans weave a tight bond and we share the wealth with everyone. If your people were willing to do that, then everyone of your kind would be the same class too." She stepped out of the car, and when he was out, she clicked on her car alarm. The sound of the horn honking nearly gave Trent a heart attack.
"Are you calling humans and werewolves greedy because they don't share what little wealth they have with each other?"
"That's exactly what I am saying, Mister Monte. If your upper class citizens shared then no one would be starving, but they want all they have for themselves. My people not only share, but increase the money that they are given so they never have to take again."
Trent folded his arms as he came around the side of the car and leaned against the back door. "Oh, so, now you are going to tell me how rich you are?"
Corliss frowned, "I was given five thousand dollars by my father, and only five thousand dollars. Today that money is well over fifty seven million dollars, because not only did my father give me the fish, but he taught me to fish with it as well."
"I'm sure you weren't starving or in need of clothing, shelter, or anything else while you set aside all that money." Trent snorted, "Some of us have bills to pay."
"That's part of sharing. Teaching, helping, and then letting them go when they are ready." She began to walk towards the club that looked more like an abandon warehouse then a place where the elite vampires would congregate.
"Not all of us can have Adriel Macrea as their father, either." He mumbled behind her.
"Who said Adriel was my father? I said my last name was Macrea, and that was all."
Trent rose an eyebrow as he walked behind her, "Then who is your father?"
"None of your business." She stopped in front of the club door, then turned to face him. "You might see some terrifying things inside here, if you can't handle it then please just leave, and I will meet you by the car."
"I'll be fine." He snorted, as he pushed past her to the door.
---***---
He wasn't fine, as a matter of a fact, he wanted to take Corliss up on her offer. But leaving now would only show weakness. The club was packed full of vampires of all varieties and clans. Everywhere he looked there were human remains used as decorations, and many pets passed out on couch due to lack of blood. A medical team stood on standby in case anyone needed to go to the hospital, and worst yet was the sound of rats squeaking as they were bitten into."Are you alright?" Corliss placed her hand on his upper arm, when she saw him stumble.
"I'm fine." He rested his hand on the bar top.
"Your pet looks sick, maybe you should chain him up outside." The dark haired, pale bartender said as he approached them.
"My pet is fine!" Corliss snapped, and the bartender took a step back. She pulled out a gold necklace from under her shirt. It had a Macrea crest charm dangling from it, she had almost forgotten to display it. This would bring an amplitude of respect from the other kine, as well as their honesty. "You sure you don't want to go outside?" She asked Trent.
The smell of blood was turning his stomach, "I said, I am fine, didn't you hear me?"
"Alright." Corliss pulled a stool out, "At least sit down." She turned to the bartender, and pulled out the picture of Rylan from her purse, "Do you know this man?" She asked him.
Seeing her crest, he nodded his hand. "Rylan Cullen, he's part of the Macrea clan, a toy for one of the elders. He never told me which one though."
"Who did he normally consort with?"
He looked around the club, "Normally, Faustos. Which was strange I thought your clan and the Faustos hated each other, but they seemed to be pretty close."
"Do you know which Faustos?"
He nodded, "Julian, for certain… but, I can't think of any of the others. I think Silvio talked to him a time or two."
Corliss nodded her head, "Thank you."
"Anything for a Macrea, can I get you a drink?"
She looked at Trent, who had his head on the table, as he tried not to watch the vampire beside him chew on a live rat. "No, I think we need to go."
---***---
"That was disgusting." Trent mumbled underneath his breath as they approached her car.
Corliss chuckled and her keys jingled about in her hands as she walked, "I told you to leave if you couldn't handle it. Being a crime scene investigator, I would think you could handle a bit of blood and some intestines."
"I can, when they are coming out of a dead body, not when they are used as decoration. Where do they get all that from any?"
"Donations from morgues, unclaimed bodies, etc." She grinned, happy to see him out of his element for a time. "Have to admit that was funny. I thought for certain you would vomit."
"I don't vomit."
"Never?"
He frowned, "Where are we going next?"
"Well, the bartender says that Rylan would speak to Julian Fausto often, and he mentioned Silvio Fausto too. However, I don't want to drag the Faustos into this, not until we are certain that we need to. I think we should check out some more places on the list."
"You mean, you'll talk to the Faustos and never tell me what they said."
Corliss frowned as she unlocked her door, "Yeah, just like you'll watch that video tape the inn keep gave you and never tell me what's on it."
Trent looked over the car as Corliss sat down, he almost punched the hood, but remembered that this wasn't his car. Besides, he didn't want to pay the expenses it would take to get a ding out of a BMW. Sitting in the car, he looked at her.
"Why didn't you say anything to begin with?" He asked once she started the car.
"I didn't want the pups to know anything about it."
---***---
Isaac stepped out onto the sidewalk with a black coffee in a paper cup in his hands. He took a sip as Samara stepped out behind him, then looked at her brother who was across the street. The small knick knack shop across from the Java Bean Café was also on the list."Glad you found something in there." Samara growled as Isaac took another sip of his coffee.
"Ah, give me a break, the vamp isn't here. You can play nice."
She snorted, "At least if the vamp was here, she would have drilled everyone in that joint. You asked two questions; 'have you seen this man and do you have French roast?' Excellently done, are you a rookie? Did that asshole stick us with a rookie?"
Isaac glared out her out of his green eyes, "I've been a paranormal investigator for three years, I recently transferred to the LA division."
Samara rolled her eyes, "Three years and you only ask one question about the case?"
"Well, that was a dead end, how did you make out?" Coyle asked after finally crossing the street.
"Same."
Coyle held up the list, "Look at this, the Dog Pound is on this list."
Isaac rose an eyebrow, "Isn't that a werewolf and human sports bar?"
He nodded, "Yeah, so why is a leech going there? I mean they wouldn't throw him out or anything, but a leech around all those werewolves? I can barely handle myself around one."
Samara took the list from him, "Well, that's definitely a place that they'll remember him then. Let's go."
"You think we can stop off at my station and pick up my car?" Isaac asked as he rubbed his knee, "The Geo is tiny… especially with the big guy here."
Samara sighed, "Fine, let's go."
"Is this new?" Samara asked, sitting in the back of Isaac's Toyota Corolla. "It smells new."
Isaac chuckled, "Yeah, I bought it last month. Normally take Trent's car, because I don't want it to get damaged." His cell phone rang and he picked it up, "Hey." He answered after seeing that it was Trent through the caller ID, "Yeah, we got a good lead. Seems the vamp was going to a dog and human sports bar. We are going to check it out."
Coyle sat in the front seat with Isaac, and smiled back at his sister, "Roomy."
"Not really, just seems so compared to the Geo."
"Yeah, it's dinner time soon." Isaac said, "Ok, where does she want to eat? What? I never heard of that, and it sounds like we couldn't afford it anyway." He nodded his head, "Well, tell her we don't have that kind of cash."
Samara was laughing, she knew that the leech was trying to get them to go to an expensive restaurant.
"We aren't dressed for that. Yeah, we are wearing suits, but… if it's her treat, then whatever." Isaac hung up the phone. "We are eating fancy tonight." He joked.
"The leech paying?" Coyle asked.
"She said she will."
"Always willing to put a dent in a leech's pockets. Where were eating at?" Samara asked.
Isaac shrugged, "Some French place, we will meet there after we do this." He pulled into the small parking lot.
The sports bar looked old, it had been built in the fifties at least. The inside was even smaller then the outside portrayed it to be. A scruffy looking werewolf stood behind the bar, his beard long and gray. He looked more like a biker, then a bartender for a sports bar. The room was filled and all eyes were plastered onto the large sixty inch plasma television.
"Excuse me." Samara asked the bartender, who held up a finger to her to tell her to wait. She looked back at her brother, who had been mesmerized by the television.
The entire room hollered out in cheers of joy as one werewolf took a hit.
"Oh, man, that was good." The bartender's scratchy voice said, as he turned to her. "What can I get you?"
"I wanted to know if you have ever seen this leech in here before?" She held up the picture of Rylan, and looked at Coyle and Isaac, both had their eyes deadlocked on the television.
"Ah, yeah, him." He said flatly, "Yeah, I know him. If he's dead no one here did it."
Samara rose an eyebrow, "Why would you think that he's dead?"
"Because you're a member of the pack investigating a leech. He is either dead or killed one of us. Either way, I don't know nothing about it." He turned his eyes back to the television.
"Listen, he is dead. He was also pretty high up on the food chain, if you catch my drift. If the leeches even think that his death happened because of something here, your bar will be shut down or worse."
He turned his attention back to her, "Came in here once a week, always with a pretty blonde packy."
"He was with a member of the pack?"
He nodded, "Yeah, real pretty thing. Think they had something going, but they were never that affectionate in here."
"Then why do you think anything was happening between them?"
He chuckled, "Look lady, pack women love them leech males, they got cash. Leech males love how vicious our women are in the sack. And that's the only reason that a leech and packy would ever set aside their differences. I never heard them bicker, and they sure as hell sat close enough." He pointed to the picture in her hand, "That fucking leech was banging one of our girls, if he's dead then it was probably his own people. Wouldn't surprise me none, if his clan got wind of it, and wanted him dead, or her either. We packies don't really care all that much when a leech fucks one of our girls. But them leeches, they think they are too good for that. Catch my meaning?"
Samara nodded, "That all?"
He shook his head, "Nah, last time he was in here, he left his wallet." He reached behind the bar, and handed the black wallet to her.
She looked inside and counted the money.
"It's all there, we didn't touch the damn leech's cash. We didn't want to start no trouble with his kind. He sat in the corner with the girl, and we left them alone."
"Remember the girl's name?"
He shook his head, "No, but she hung around the Razor Claw Pack for a while. After she started it up with the leech, they just sort of ignored her from then on."
She tapped the wallet on the table, "Thanks, you've been a giant help." Turning back to her brother, she tapped him on the shoulder.
"Huh?" He asked without looking away from the television.
"You didn't hear any of that, did you?"
"Hear what?"
Samara sighed, "I'll explain in the car." She grabbed him by his sleeve and began to pull.
Coyle tugged on Isaac's suit jacket, so he would know that they were leaving.