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"Two of my vampires have disappeared, and we're afraid they might be in trouble."
Ethan's eyes widened. "I'm sorry to hear that. Start at the beginning, if you would."
Noah nodded. "Last night we had a gathering - a meeting - that we hold monthly for Rogues in the city. Nothing formal, nothing official, just a chance for us to get together and chat. Some Rogues aren't interested in attending; some are. On average, we get thirty to forty vampires. Most of them are regulars, including a couple of kids named Oliver and Eve. They came up from Kansas City when the GP consolidated the Rogues down there into Murphy House. Living in a House wasn't their bag, so they moved up here. But they didn't show up at the meeting."
"Is that so unusual?" Ethan asked.
"Unusual enough," Noah said. "I can't recall a meeting they've missed since they came to Chicago."
"They broke pattern," Ethan said, and Noah nodded.
"Precisely. And that's gotten a few of our Rogues worried."
"Understandable," Ethan said.
"I'm going to be honest with you - I'm not convinced there's anything to this. Oliver and Eve are generally quiet kids, and I don't tend to ask a lot of personal questions. It's not impossible they had business to take care of that they simply didn't want to tell us about. Kansas City vampires tend to be reserved like that."
"If they didn't attend the meeting, when were they last seen?" Ethan asked.
Noah's expression darkened. "A place we all have to go sooner or later."
That cryptic response sent my imagination on a tear. To what places did vampires have to go? Fang orthodontists? Plasma centers? Vampiric couturieres?
"A vampire registration center?" Ethan flatly guessed.
Chicago's politicos had decided, in a fit of ethnocentrism, that forcing vampires to register with the city would somehow make Chicago safer. The conclusion might have been correct, but for the wrong reason. Registration scared and angered vampires, precisely the emotions humans wanted to avoid. There were a handful of registration offices across town, their existence funded by the fees vampires paid to register.
Noah nodded. "Exactly. Two nights ago, Eve took a picture on her phone when she and Oliver were in the registration line. She sent the pic to a few of her friends, including Rose." He gestured at the vampire beside him.
"Given what you've told us about them so far, and their reason for moving to Chicago, I'm surprised they decided to register at all," Ethan said.
Noah nodded. "So was I. Most of us haven't registered. Many Rogues feel that if registration of vampires is the first step, internment is the second. They don't even align themselves with Houses of their own kind; they certainly aren't going to set themselves up for de facto incarceration by humans."
I could understand his concerns, even if I couldn't evade them. My father was a real estate mogul, and my picture had been in the paper. I was too well known to avoid registration even if I'd wanted to, which was why my laminated registration card was safe and snug in my wallet, even as much as it offended me.
"If they were last seen two nights ago," Ethan said, "what's made you nervous tonight?"
"Rose got a call from Oliver's phone earlier this evening. She didn't actually talk to Oliver; no one was speaking on the other end. But she thinks she heard something in the background."
I glanced at her. "What did you hear?"
Her voice was soft. "I don't know. I thought he'd called me accidentally - like a misdial. Nobody was speaking, but I thought I heard something loud, and then voices, but they were muffled. I'm not really sure. . . ."
She glanced at Noah, and seemed hesitant about offering more, so I gently nudged.
"Anything else?" I asked.
"I thought I heard . . . maybe a scuffle? Or a fight? Like furniture moving or people falling down? That kind of fleshy sound?"
Ethan nodded, then returned his gaze to Noah. "Have you advised the police Oliver and Eve may be missing?"
Noah shook his head. "I haven't, and I don't plan to. We aren't fans of the city's police establishment. Their history with vampires leaves something to be desired."
Noah linked his hands together, elbows on his knees, and leaned forward. "Look, maybe this is something; maybe it's not. Oliver and Eve have left a vampire community before. This could be the same situation. And we aren't crazy about involving others. Bringing you into this is . . . challenging for us. But it's unusual enough that we think it's worth checking into. I apologize for the timing; we certainly hadn't planned to bring trouble to your door tonight."
Ethan shook his head, dismissing the worry. "You're troubled, and we're colleagues. We're happy to listen."
Nicely subtle bit of politicking there, I thought.
Noah nodded. "At the risk of ungraciously putting you on the spot, perhaps you could make some inquiries? You have certain connections. Your grandfather, for one," he said to me. "Chuck Merit's a good man. I'd appreciate any help he could offer."
I nodded in agreement. My grandfather was unquestionably a good man. One of the best, in my opinion. He'd been the city's supernatural Ombudsman, at least until Mayor Kowalcyzk did away with the position. But my grandfather wasn't dissuaded from his mission; he set up shop in his own house.
They both went quiet for a moment. Ethan, I suspected, was considering whether we had the resources to take on someone else's problem, especially when it wasn't entirely clear there was a problem at all.
"I know you have a lot on your plate right now," Noah added. "But you're the House that listens."
Ethan looked at me. Are you willing to discuss this with your grandfather? he silently asked. As Noah notes, I do have a bit on my plate.
Of course, I said. And besides - if we don't help, who will? The new mayor wouldn't much care, and the other Houses avoided politics and controversy at all cost.
There was a flash of pride in Ethan's eyes. He was glad that I hadn't shrunk back from the problem, that I was willing to face it head-on. I was glad of the same from him - that he wasn't letting appearances and political considerations sway him from a course we needed to chart. Of course, now that we were leaving the GP, those considerations were even more flexible.
"We're on board," Ethan said. "Perhaps we could review the photograph Eve took outside the registration center?"
"I'll do you one better," Noah said. "I'll escort you to the spot."
* * *
Ethan advised Malik and Luc of our plans and ensured the party was well tended. Rose went back to her group of Rogue friends, and we met Noah in the House's foyer. We were all dressed severely in black, and we looked displaced among the House's holiday decorations.
