“Oooh, the penthouse floor,” I said lightly. “I bet it has a great view.”
Saber just grunted, and I held his good hand until I unlocked the door to his condo. He had a corner unit, and dawn was just creeping through huge plate glass windows on the west and north walls of the living room. I only glanced at the view as I supported Saber down a hall, and I eased him onto his king-size bed.
“Lie still a minute. I’ll be right back.”
Light from another huge window in the bedroom lit my way to the bathroom. I groped for the light switch and flipped it on. Wow, no wonder Saber wanted Neil’s house. The decor was so similar, Maggie might’ve been at work here. I grabbed a fresh tan washcloth from a brushed nickel towel rack, wet the cloth with warm water from one of the two sinks, and wheeled back to the bedroom.
“Here,” I said as I sat next to him on the bed, “let me clean you up before I strip you.”
“Now that sounds like a plan.” He waggled his brows at me, but halfheartedly.
“Rein in your libido, lover. You need to take a pain pill and sleep.”
“No, I need to find out who killed Ike, who grabbed Laurel, and what the hell might happen next.”
“And what oranges have to do with our mystery vampire.” I dabbed away dirt smudges the ER hadn’t cleaned. “Pandora is tracking the scent. Right now, we can’t do more.”
“I can. I can search the VPA records and try to make more sense of this.”
“Those records list some personal info on vamps, don’t they? Habits, companions, and whatnot?”
Since I was patting the washcloth on a cut near his lip, he merely nodded.
“Then I’ll get on your computer. Root around in the records, and see what I can find.”
He caught my hand. “The records aren’t in an area of the site you can access.”
“Well, um, actually, they are.”
“You memorized my codes?”
Since he was giving me his “Lucy, you got some ’splainin’ to do” glare—the look that made him seem very Latino and all the hotter—I just shrugged.
He sighed. “Do it, then, and leave the printouts on my desk. I’ll get on them tomorrow.”
“Nuh-uh. You’re going to rest tomorrow. Doctor’s orders.”
“We’ll see.” He squeezed my hand. “Did you see Donita in the ER?”
“No. She must’ve been taken to another hospital. That or she’d already been released.”
“Doubtful, but it doesn’t matter. We’ll catch up with her later.”
“Do you think she’s in danger?”
“From Laurel?”
“Or the nest.”
“Again, doubtful. But we need to question her and the vampires—thoroughly this time.”
“We will. Can I ask a question before I get your pill?”
“You want to know if those are blackout drapes? Yes, they are. I got them because of my odd hours, but you’ll be fine sleeping in here next to me. In my bed, for a change.”
I grinned. “Good to know, since I didn’t bring my super sunblock, but I have a different question.”
“Fire away.”
“What do you know about Ray?”
“He was Ike’s friend and attorney, and he joined the nest in April or May. Why?”
“Other than I’m still trying to wrap my head around Ike having a friend, never mind an attorney, why did he help you tonight?”
“To make points? Show he’ll be a kinder, gentler head of the nest?”
“Maybe, but I have this feeling it’s more than that.”
“Did you read him?”
“Not him, just his manner. He’s very different from the other vamps.”
Saber’s gaze narrowed. “How?”
“They seem, well, aimless, I guess is the word. They don’t have much personality zing. Except for Suzy. And maybe Charles and Miranda.”
Saber shrugged. “Many vamps are simply satisfied to have the protection of a nest.”
“I’ll have to take your word for it.” I bit my lip. “You are going to let me be there when you question them, right?”
“You don’t have to work?”
“If I’m on the schedule, I’ll take time off.”
“You don’t have to do that,” he said, shrugging out of the sling. “The vamps aren’t a threat to me.”
“Maybe not, but I might be able to read something from them that will speed up the investigation.”
“It’s worth a shot.”
His eyelids drooped, and I kissed him lightly on the mouth. “While I’m here nursing you, I can start staging your condo for a fast sale.”
I gave him his pill, got him stripped to his boxers, and tucked him in. From a chair on the other side of the bed, I kept watch until his breathing evened.