didn’t know him, then she might, finally let it slip his name was Victor. Rita leaned forward, more guarded now. “I’m no snitch. It ain’t healthy to be askin’ about people. Why you buggin’ me? Go bother somebody else.”
“Just tell me where I can find him.”
Rita got a mulish look on her face and stared across the room.
Ari knew how to play the game. “Got all night. I’ll just sit here until you tell me where to look.” Ari could tell Rita knew something, and she’d eventually give in. Just a matter of time.
The bartender, openly eavesdropping while he polished glasses, and probably anxious to avoid a disturbance, cut short their fun. “You don’t find Victor, little lady, he finds you.”
Ari cut her eyes to him and stood. “Fine. Then you can tell him he needs to find me—tonight.” She crossed to the bar, laid a card with her name and cell number on the counter. “If not, I’ll be back after midnight to ruin your business again.” Ari swung her gaze around the room to make her point. During her visit, the room had cleared, except for three die-hards at the bar.
Ari made the rounds of a dozen other pubs on and near State Street. As usual, they were doing a brisk business; it was always party time in Olde Town. The barkeeps denied any knowledge of Victor, but she didn’t believe them—too many furtive looks among the local patrons. After returning to the street from one of these unsuccessful stops, she stood on the street corner, deciding where to go next.
Her cell rang. Caller ID unknown. The time showed six minutes to midnight. He’d cut it close.
“You looking for me?” The male voice was deep, no inflection, unfamiliar.
“Depends. Are you Victor?”
“Yes.”
A man of few words.
“We need to talk. About Angela.”
He took his time before answering. “I heard she’s dead.”
“Why don’t you meet me, and we’ll talk about it?”
He ignored her question and posed one of his own. “What happened to her?”
“Murdered. Lots of blood and gore. Not pretty,” she said. “Now can we meet?”
A tourist couple with cameras and maps edged past, avoiding contact, as Ari’s words added to their night of cheap thrills in Olde Town. She wished Victor was half as intimidated.
“I don’t think so,” he said.
She gritted her teeth. “Look, Victor, I tried polite, but this isn’t a request. You’re wanted for questioning in a murder case. We can do this one of two ways. Meet with me now, or I haul your ass to the police station.”
He barked out a laugh. “You think you can do that?”
“Yes.” Ari examined her nails and waited. She heard a murmur of voices on the other end of the line.
“Club Dintero. Twenty minutes,” he said. Before she could react, she was listening to a disconnect tone.
Fine. She could do this on his turf, for now. Club Dintero. Where had she heard…? Oh, damn. Claris’s supper club with the vampire singer. This just got better and better. Ari didn’t believe in coincidences any more than other cops. She was getting that itch between the shoulder blades that cops feel every time they walk into an unsecured scene.
Five minutes later she stood across the street from a one-story, white building set in a quiet area three blocks off State Street. Elaborate fixtures, clean lines, discreet sign in black script, a dark red canopy over the entrance. A doorman in formal black attire stood on the stoop. As Claris had said, fancy.
She called Ryan. He was off duty for the night but still in his car driving home.
“Ari, just going to call you. Reached our boy Wesley Simpson. He’ll be at the PD by 9:00 tomorrow morning. You coming?”
She stifled a groan at the thought of another early morning. “I’ll be there. Right now I’m going to interview our vampire suspect. Name’s Victor. I’m at Club Dintero, one of the vamp supper clubs. Victor chose the location.”
“Want me to come? I could be there in fifteen.”
“Not this time. I wanted you to know where I was, in case things go south. Back me up or bail me out if I need it.”
“You sure about this? If you’re not comfortable, maybe there’s a good reason.”
“Yeah, but what’s he going to do in a public place? If I bring a human cop, it would probably spook him.”
Ryan’s sigh came through the phone. “OK, I get it. Call if you need me. And call when you leave too. Whatever time it is, call me.”