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“Then what was it?”
He started to open his mouth, and then stopped, frowning. “You know, that’s weird.”
“What is?”
“I hadn’t thought about it. But if I didn’t know bette
r, I’d swear it was a human.”
CHAPTER 34
The luduan’s evidence hadn’t helped as much as I’d hoped, since the only human involved in the case was dead. But vamps had human servants, even mages on occasion. And he had provided one tasty little nugget.
I had my phone out before I’d reached the bottom floor. “Geminus,” I told it.
“The master is—”
“Going to be really sorry if he doesn’t take this call. I can talk to him, or I can talk to Marlowe about the smuggling ring he’s been running. His choice.”
Geminus was on the phone in less than a minute, which told me a lot on its own. SOP was to let people like me hang, but then, he was probably afraid I’d do the same to him. One call to the Senate, and Geminus was going to be a very unhappy boy.
“What do you want?” The question was snapped in my ear before I’d even had a chance to say hello.
“I already told you that.”
“I don’t have it!”
“That’s too bad. I’m sure you’ve managed to cover your tracks pretty well up until now. But that was because no one was looking too closely at you. Once that changes, I don’t think the evidence for your smuggling operation will be hard to find. And that doesn’t even count what the fey are likely to—”
“Where are you?” he asked abruptly.
“Chinatown. Why?”
“Stay there, and keep your phone with you.”
“If this is a stalling tactic—”
“It isn’t. I really don’t have the damned stone. But I may know who does.”
“Who?”
“You don’t need to know that. I’ll get it and meet you.” The phone went dead.
I looked up to find Frick and Frack staring at me. “That was Senator Geminus,” Frick said.
“You do talk.”
“You’re blackmailing him?”
I put my phone away. “We’re reaching a mutually advantageous agreement.”
“What about the smuggling?”
It looked like someone had been eavesdropping. Not too surprising—it was probably why Marlowe had sent them along. “I’ll have to keep quiet about that, if he comes through. Of course, what you do is none of my business.”
They smiled.
Half an hour later, I was rooting around in my bamboo dim sum tray, hoping for another little barbecue pork bun, while my eyes scanned the scene outside. Chinatown is always colorful, but tonight was something special. A river of glittering lapis scales flowed by the window in front of me, twisting and turning in the traditional dragon dance, the light of nearby neon signs scattering spots of color on its long snakelike back.
