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I frowned as I punched the elevator call button. "But Jacques is a vamp. Surely he would have been able to cope with a couple of zombies?"
"I would have thought so. The bigger question is, though, how the fuck did these people even know where to go?"
The elevator doors opened and I stepped inside. "What about the magic on the business card?">"Do any of our witches?" I asked, curious.
He took a sip of his coffee, then nodded. "I'll roust our magi for their reports and see if they confirm what you suspect about the business card. What do you plan to do next?"
"I'm going out to talk to the parents of the other victims, just to see if any of them know what sort of work their kids had been involved in before their death."
He nodded. "Did Shore's girlfriend provide any useful information?"
"She said he was a regular visitor to strip joints, and liked bringing the dancers home. The last one he took home was from Meinhardt's."
"Both Armel and Garrison were regulars there, too." He glanced across at Kade. "You feel like a little investigative trip tonight?"
Kade grinned. "Boss, anything is better than sitting behind this goddamn desk chasing names that don't exist."
"Just remember you're there to get information about our victims, not just ogle the scenery."
"I'm versatile. I can do both."
Jack harrumphed-a sound of disbelief if ever I'd heard one-then glanced at me. "Anything else?"
I shook my head. "Ben said Meinhardt's opened about six months ago, but he couldn't tell me who the owners are. I'm going to do a search through business registrations to get names, then do a background check."
"Let me know if you find anything," he said, then uncrossed his legs and walked out.
I went through the eye scan and signed into my computer, then pulled up the records for the last two zombie victims. I jotted down their addresses and the names of their parents, then I retreated to the search function and typed in Meinhardt's. As the cursor began to blink, I glanced at Kade, who was still grinning like a Cheshire cat.
"And what is Sable going to think about you going off to some strip joint while she stays home and minds the baby?"
"It's work, so she has no say. Besides, minding babies is a woman's business."
I snorted. "I bet you don't say that within earshot of her."
"I enjoy sex too much to ever say that within earshot of her, trust me on that. It doesn't counter the truth, though."
"You are such a sexiest at times."
"Totally. It is the way of the world."
"Maybe in the horse-shifter world, but not in the real one."
He waved a hand. "There may be a few enlightened souls in this world of ours, but trust me, deep down most men believe they are the superior sex."
"Believing and fact are two totally different things."
He grinned again. "I'm aware of that. And you will note that I've never mentioned my views to Sable."
"Wise move." Because I very much suspected Sable was one mare who packed a hell of a punch.
The results of my search flicked up on the screen. Meinhardt's was a surprisingly popular business name, with a good half dozen listings coming up. I clicked what appeared to be the latest link, and discovered the two women who ran Meinhardt were Hanna Mein and Jessica Hardt. Two woman running it, and two murderers running lose. Coincidence? It was always possible, but I just didn't think so. I clicked the next link down. The same women, same type of club, different state. As were the remainder. It seemed the two women had a habit of setting up a business and selling it nine months later.
I hunted down their license photos, sent them to the printer, and noticed with interest that one of the licenses was for a handicapped driver. Maybe it was coincidence, but those coincidences were beginning to add up. I started a search to see if either of the women had a police or Directorate record in any of the states they'd run their businesses in. I also ran a separate search for unsolved vamp murders in the time periods they'd owned their businesses. It was a long shot, but occasionally long shots did come in.
With the searches on the way, I walked over to the printer to get the pictures. Both women had dark hair, with one having green eyes and the other an odd brown that could almost be yellow. They could be described as plain looking, but given that these photos were only head shots, that didn't mean much. Hell, they could both have buxom, hourglass figures for all I knew.
What did strike me was the fact that one of them-Hanna Mein-bore a striking resemblance to the picture Joe had drawn of the blonde who'd recruited Kaz.
