Chapter Twenty-Four

Kennedy aside, the rest of my evening at Crystal was a bust. It wasn't that the people I spoke to weren't friendly or forthcoming – quite the opposite, in fact. I got the impression that, after my little chat with the two out front, the other werewolves had been instructed to speak to me if I approached them. A few even approached me first, but I learned nothing that I didn't already know. Those who had witnessed the hook-up between Gregory and Anna confirmed it was just as he'd described; those who'd spoken to Tony had little to tell me except that he'd been looking for her.

When I asked why they thought he'd cared about Anna's disappearance, most of them shrugged and told me he was a good guy who would have cared even though it wasn't his job to investigate it. In fact, the likes of Lady Sullivan would have actively campaigned against his involvement. I couldn't help thinking that the pressure from Lucinda Barnes to do more had pushed Tony into it – and he'd been killed in the process.

The warmth of the booze and Kennedy's friendly company meant that I was far less on edge by the time I tripped back to the hotel. I still had the crossbow, but I wasn't jumping at every shadow. It wasn't night time that I had to be afraid of –although maybe that was the vodka talking.

Perhaps that was why, when the grumpy bellman barely managed to speak to me without spitting, I turned on him. ‘What exactly is your problem?' I demanded. ‘I'm a paying guest like everyone else. There's no need to be so rude to me. I can't believe you treat other hotel residents like this.'

‘Paying guest?' he snorted. ‘Sure, that's how it starts. I remember how it went with your boss. First, he was just like everyone else – the odd night here and there. Nothing too unusual. Then he started demanding special treatment – guaranteed anonymity, use of the rear staff entrance, breakfast delivered next door. He didn't want any member of staff to breathe a word of his existence. My taxes pay your wages, and you spend those wages getting all hoity-toity and licking supes' arses instead of getting them off the streets.'

I froze. ‘Wait. What did you say?'

‘What?' he sneered. ‘Do you want me to repeat it so you can record me and write a shitty review on TripAdvisor?'

If he kept this up, I'd do more than that; I was tempted to punch him. ‘About my boss. What did you say about my boss? Do you mean Tony? Detective Constable Anthony Brown?'

‘Who else?' The bellman's lip curled.

‘He stayed here? When? How often?'

‘Whenever he couldn't be arsed to walk home to his flat.' He glared at me. ‘Which I know for a fact isn't more than fifteen minutes away.'

I ignored his aggression and focused on what was important. ‘And he demanded anonymity?'

‘Yeah, like he was some sort of precious bigwig.' His features spasmed with distaste. ‘Fucking pigs.'

Maybe the bellman was an ex-con, or he had an ex-wife in the force who'd left him to become a vamp. There had to be some underlying reason why he despised the police so much – and specifically Supe Squad. Whatever his beef, it wasn't my problem. What was important was the sudden knowledge that, if Tony stayed here from time to time and his identity and presence were kept secret, he had no reason to decamp to the DeVane Hotel. Unless he was staying there because he wanted to be in close proximity to another guest.

I spun round, damning myself for drinking alcohol and now being unable to drive legally. I needed to get back to the DeVane and I needed to get there now.

Lukas's dulcet tones drifted out of the shadows. ‘Is everything alright, D'Artagnan?'

I all but jumped out of my skin. ‘Are you still bloody following me?'

He stepped forward until he was bathed in the soft glow from a lamppost. His skin gleamed in the light, but darkness still glittered in his eyes. ‘Yes. Until we find the killer, you are still in danger. It seemed prudent to ensure your safety. It won't go down well with the public if another Supe Squad detective is murdered.' He twisted his head towards the bellman. ‘Although given the viciousness of the argument I just witnessed, I think we already have a prime suspect.'

‘You … you…' The bellman's skin turned from pure white to violent puce. ‘Lord Horvath.' He dipped his head. ‘My apologies.'

‘It's not me you need to apologise to.' Lukas's expression remained bland.

‘I don't need you to stand up for me,' I snapped.

‘I know that. But until your killer is caught, or you learn how to use that crossbow properly, you do need me to protect you.'

I really wished that he wasn't right.

‘Her killer?' The bellman's eyes slid to me. ‘What do you mean?' He almost said it like he cared.

I took Lukas's arm and propelled him out of earshot. ‘I need to get to the DeVane Hotel. Can you drive me there?' I paused. ‘Do you drive?'

He grinned at me. ‘Like a demon. But I also have a driver on standby who'll be ready at a moment's notice.' He registered my taut expression and his smile vanished. ‘What's going on? Why the DeVane again?'

‘I have a hunch, that's all.' I didn't want to say it aloud. Not yet. ‘I don't need you to come into the hotel with me. In fact, it's probably better if you don't. I need a lift, that's all. I'd drive myself, but I've had too much to drink.'

‘D'Artagnan…'

I looked away. ‘Never mind. I can walk. It's not far.' I sniffed. ‘And now you know where I'm going, it'll be easy for you to follow me.'

‘It's always easy for me to follow you,' he murmured. ‘Besides, I'm not refusing to drive. I'm just concerned.'

‘It's something I need to check out.'

He gazed at me. ‘And it can't wait until morning?'

I didn't answer.

Lukas sighed. ‘Give me a minute.' He reached into his jacket, drew out a phone and muttered into it. Then he slid it out of sight again. ‘The car won't be long.'

‘It must be good to be a vampire Lord.'

‘There are advantages,' he agreed. ‘Though it doesn't seem to intimidate you. That is … unusual.'

‘I've far too much going on in my life to be intimidated by a vampire. Or a Lord.' Or by anyone who wasn't trying to kill me.

Lukas leaned towards my ear, his breath hot against my skin. ‘Careful,' he murmured. ‘I can still be dangerous.'

Of that, I had no doubt.

A sleek car, with paintwork as black and gleaming as Lukas's eyes, pulled up next to us. Lukas opened the rear door. ‘After you.'

I felt the bellman's gaze burning into my back as I climbed in. I should have been wary of accepting a lift from a vampire, even though I'd asked for it. I hadn't stopped to think about it; that either made me a complete fool, or made Lukas my new best friend.

I double-checked the crossbow to be sure that the safety was on. The last thing I wanted was to shoot Lord Horvath in the back seat of his own car.

He gave me an amused look as he slid in next to me.

‘I don't want to set it off by accident,' I explained.

‘If you don't know how to use it, you shouldn't carry it around.'

‘You're the one who suggested that I have a weapon. It's not like I have set of fangs to protect myself.'

‘That's true,' Lukas conceded. ‘Given what we already know of you, however, you might be more immortal than I am. It's even possible, D'Artagnan, that you can't die at all.'

I glanced nervously at the driver. There was a privacy screen but that didn't mean he couldn't hear us.

‘Relax,' Lukas said. ‘This section is soundproofed. And even if it weren't, my vampires are loyal to a fault.'

I imagined that if I questioned the clan alphas they'd say the same about their werewolves, even though there was evidence to prove that at least one of them was a stone-cold killer. ‘Well,' I said, ‘my immortality is not something I'd like to test again. It was probably a fluke.'

‘Mmm.' He raised his eyebrows. ‘You said your parents passed away. Are you sure they were your natural parents?'

I took a long time before answering. When I did, I was honest. ‘I'm no longer sure of anything,' I whispered.

Lukas reached for my hand and squeezed it. For the rest of the short journey, neither of us said another word.

***

‘I meant what I said before,' I told Lukas when the car pulled up in front of the DeVane Hotel. ‘It's better if I do this alone.'

‘May I ask why?' he enquired.

I drew in a breath. ‘Because if I'm right, the sight of you could scare her off for good.'

Lukas's eyes flew to mine and a gratifying jolt ran through me at the thought that I'd managed to surprise him. ‘Are you going to tell me who you're talking about?'

‘Nope. I might still be wrong – and then I'll be embarrassed.'

‘Are you wrong?'

I shook my head. ‘No.' This was the only thing that made any sense.

‘I'll wait at the bar,' he told me. ‘Come and find me when you're ready. But if I'm to be considered a threat, then at least leave the damned crossbow in the car. It's a lethal liability.'

I breathed out. ‘I will. Thank you.'

I'd wondered if I should head for the unobtrusive side entrance again, but the sight of Lord Horvath by my side stopped any of the DeVane staff sending me off in that direction. They clearly recognised him. He nodded to me and turned left towards the bar, from which I could hear the strains of piano music filtering even though it was late at night.

I watched him go and then marched to the front desk and asked for Wilma Kennard.

It didn't take the assistant manager long to appear. She was dressed in the same professional attire as before. When she spotted me, her business-like smile didn't so much as flicker. ‘Ms Bellamy. And here was I hoping that I'd never see you again.'

‘It's lovely to see you too,' I murmured.

‘I hear you're keeping some interesting company these days,' she said, her gaze drifting briefly towards the bar. ‘Be careful with that one.'

I wondered whether she was aware that some of her staff had been bribed to keep Lukas and his vampires informed about the hotel's well-heeled guests and any unusual occurrences that took place. Then I wondered if she was on Lukas's payroll.

‘I appreciate your concern.' I inclined my head. ‘But let's move on – I don't want to take up more of your time than is necessary. I need to see your guest list.'

Kennard's eyebrows shot up. ‘Do you indeed?'

‘It's important.'

‘No doubt it is. It always is. However, that simply won't be possible without a warrant. I have to safeguard my guests' privacy.'

I knew I could obtain a warrant via DSI Barnes, but it would take time. I was so close to the truth now that I didn't have the patience to wait. ‘There's only one guest in particular I'm interested in. I need to know if she's here and, if so, what room she's in.'

Kennard sighed. ‘One guest?'

I nodded.

‘Under any other circumstances I'd be compelled to refuse, but I feel terrible about what happened to your colleague. I suppose I can bend the rules on this occasion.' She jerked her head. ‘Come on, we can go to my office.' She smiled faintly. ‘You already know where it is.'

I followed her through, wishing I didn't feel the disturbing sensation of déjà vu as I sat down in the same chair as last time and waited for Kennard to log in to her computer.

‘What's the name?' she asked.

I cleared my throat. ‘Sullivan. Anna Sullivan.'

She started. ‘As in Clan Sullivan? Are we talking about a werewolf?'

‘We are.'

Kennard tutted, then typed in the name and hit return. ‘I'm sorry. There's no Sullivan staying with us.'

‘How about an Anna?'

She frowned. ‘No Anna, either.'

Damn it. I'd been so sure. Then I thought of something else. Anna was on the run so she wouldn't be using her own name. ‘She might have checked in under a false name.'

Kennard looked up from the screen. ‘Then I can't help you.'

‘Dark hair? Early twenties? Pretty? She'll be keeping her head down.'

‘I'm very sorry, Ms Bellamy…'

‘She's in danger! If you want another fucking death on your hands, this is the ideal way to go about it! Show me the guest list and I might be able to spot her.'

‘All you have to do is obtain a warrant.'

‘I don't have time for a warrant. I'm not qualified yet.' Frustration was getting the better of me. ‘I don't have judges waiting to take my call.'

Kennard rose to her feet. ‘There are 246 guests in this hotel tonight. If your wolf is here under a false ID, I don't see how anything I do at this point will help you.'

I tried to think of some way round the bureaucracy. ‘There might be something in the name she's using. Or you could show me CCTV footage of the lobby and I can identify her that way. I'm not sure when she checked in, but it would have been after Sunday morning.'

‘I can't help you, Ms Bellamy. I'm sorry.' Kennard offered me another of her professional smiles. ‘Why don't I fetch us some coffee? A hot drink might calm you down. You've obviously been drinking and—'

‘I don't want any coffee.'

Her gaze hardened. ‘Have a fucking coffee, Emma.' I blinked at her language. Then she smiled politely again. ‘I'll go and fetch it.' She swept past me, patting the top of the computer as she passed. A moment later, I was alone.

For a few seconds I didn't move, then I leapt round Kennard's desk so that I could see her computer screen. All the guest names were there on an alphabetised spreadsheet. Thank you, Wilma Kennard.

I began at the top. I wasn't sure what I was searching for – I could only hope that I'd know it when I saw it. I scanned down the list, checking each name. There had to be a clue somewhere. If only there'd been photos attached, I could have found Anna easily. Instead, I'd have to rely on my intuition. It couldn't let me down now.

I ploughed past the Ds, Es and Fs. Nothing. There were very few surnames beginning with G, but lots starting with H. None with I. The words began to blur in front of my eyes; I was getting nowhere.

The further down the list I went, the more desperate I became. And it was because of this desperation that I almost missed it – or rather missed her. When I saw the name, however, it shone out at me like a beacon: Wilhelmina Murray.

She'd checked in on Sunday morning, walking in off the street just as Tony had done. She was staying on the same floor as him. It was her; I was sure of it.

The diminutive of Wilhemina is, of course, Mina. Anna Sullivan might be a werewolf, but she'd been reading the most famous vampire book of all time before she'd disappeared – and one of its main characters was Mina.

I stood up and made for the door. Kennard, whose hands were empty of any coffee cups, was standing in the corridor. ‘I'm going to make a visit upstairs,' I announced. ‘I want to see DC Brown's room again.'

‘His body has been removed,' she told me. ‘And the room has been emptied.'

I shrugged. ‘All the same, I want to take another look. Do you have a keycard I can use?'

She hesitated before delving into her pocket and passing one over. ‘Here. Use it wisely. It's a master keycard, which gives you access to every guest room. I'd hate to think you'd abuse that power. I expect to have it returned. However,' she added, ‘if you do happen to run into any werewolves along the way, be sure to remind them that the full moon is approaching and we certainly don't want any of their kind rampaging around the hallways.'

Bless her DeVane-embossed cotton socks. ‘I'll be sure to mention it if I see anyone furry. Thank you.' I marched off in the direction of the lifts, then I stopped and glanced back. ‘Have you ever read Dracula?'

‘I studied it at university.'

I tapped my fingernails along the edge of the keycard. ‘I don't suppose you remember what Mina Harker's maiden name was?'

‘Murray,' Kennard told me. ‘It was Murray.'

Triumph spasmed through me. I had her.