“You’re a cynic, Detective.”
“Too right. I work on evidence, and so far, I’ve seen nothing conclusive.”
“Hopefully, tomorrow you’ll have more. I’m clearing it with my superior.”
“You have a superior? I can’t imagine that or at least I’m surprised you admit to it.”
“We all have to answer to someone, Faith.” He leaned over her shoulder, and she had to hold herself still to stop from edging away. “Try comparing the photos we have of Roth,” he suggested.
Faith punched a few keys. There weren’t many photographs, probably because he was pretty much a recluse, rarely seen out in public. And those there were on file were hazy as though he’d somehow shifted at the last second, blurring the picture.
The first was back in the early days when he had shown up. Tall and lean, he towered over the people around him. He wore a dark business suit and even with the bad quality, she could tell he was a stunningly handsome man. But there was nothing weird about him, no horns or a tail, no fangs that she could see.
“Compare it to the latest picture,” the colonel said.
She pulled up the last file and studied it.
“This was taken a few weeks ago. One of the rare sightings of Roth outside his building.”
He was dressed differently. In fact, everything appeared different. In the first photo, he’d worn an aura of respectability. In this last picture, he looked anything but respectable. With a jolt of shock, she realized he reminded her of Ash. Maybe it was that he was dressed the same, black leather pants and a black trench coat that nearly reached the ground. His dark hair was brushed back from his face. A face that appeared identical to the first picture. Not a day older.
“Is it the same person? Maybe a brother?” she asked.
“It’s the same.”
She wanted to ask how he was so sure.
“Even if he’d been only around twenty when the first picture was taken,” the colonel said, “he must be in his midforties by now. Does that man appear to be in his midforties?”
“Botox?” she suggested.
The colonel gave an exaggerated sigh. “What will it take to make you a believer?”
“I don’t think you can.” She thought for a moment and an image of a wall rose up in her mind. She shook it away. “You know how you get religious types who go on about faith and how you know it’s real. Well I feel like that, but the opposite. There’s something inside me. Something that knows it’s all rubbish. God, vampires, demons, angels—crap, the whole lot.”
He shook his head in exasperation. “Why don’t you head home? You look tired and soon we’ll have your clearance and we can show you something that will convince you.”
“Good idea.”
“And, Detective, you need to get into contact with your old partner. Tell him you want to meet up.”
Like hell, she would. But she didn’t say the words out loud. She was quite aware Ryan was the real reason she was here, but no way was she setting him up for these creepy guys.
She wasn’t sure how she was going to cope with the whole Ryan thing; she needed to think on it some more. But she also couldn’t tell him anything that went on here. She’d signed a scarily complete nondisclosure agreement that morning. And if she revealed anything about her new job, she’d find herself locked up and silenced quicker than she could say, “vampires don’t exist.”
So she nodded. She’d been issued a waist holster and she slotted the Berretta into the small of her back, pulled her jacket on, and headed out. It felt slightly strange leaning down for the retinal scan, but by the fourth time, she was getting used to it.
Her cell phone rang as she stepped out onto the street. She didn’t recognize the caller ID but answered anyway.
“It’s Ash.”
Her heart gave a little jump at the low, rich voice. She’d been doing her best not to think about him during the long day. Now his image flashed in her mind.
“You there, Faith?” He sounded amused, but then she had been standing in the middle of the busy street and gazing at nothing.
She cleared her throat. “Yeah, I’m here.”
“I thought we might go for a drink.”
“A drink?”
He laughed softly, and a tingle ran down her spine. She forced herself to pull herself together.
“I’m tired,” she said. “I want to head home.” It had been a long day.
“I’ll give you a lift.”
She opened her mouth to say no, then snapped it closed again. It occurred to her that if she needed a contact in CR International Ash was as good as Ryan. And while Ryan was her friend, she didn’t owe Ash anything. She’d be much happier using him as an entry to Christian Roth’s company than her old partner. Plus, sitting in Ash’s comfortable car sounded a much better option than a busy commuter train right now.
“You don’t know where I am.”
“So where are you?”
Without giving herself more time to think, she gave him her location.