nights a week, ending at her apartment. He had little idea what she did when they weren’t together.
“We had no claims on each other. Sometimes I didn’t see her for a week or two.”
“But didn’t she talk about her life? What she did? Where she went?”
He shrugged, a stiff, calculated movement. “It wasn’t my business. I didn’t ask.”
Hmm. Not much commitment in this relationship. She watched while Andreas refilled her coffee cup from the pot and mumbled a thank-you. “When did you last see her?”
“Last Monday night. She came in around 8:00. Early for her.”
“Alone?”
Victor pursed his lips. “She was with another woman. Didn’t stay long. I thought she’d be back, but she never showed.”
“The other woman, what did she look like? Did you know her?”
He shook his head. “She might have been in once before. Brown hair, older than Angela.”
Well, hell, that probably described thousands of women in Riverdale.
Andreas leaned forward. “If I might interrupt…would it be helpful to know the woman was a werewolf?”
“Well, yeah. Are you kidding? Are you sure?”
Andreas frowned. “Certainly. I know a werewolf when I see one. I presume you would also like a description. Tall for a woman, nearly six foot. Dark brown hair that hung past her shoulders, athletic build, mid-thirties. Features a little too prominent for beauty, including the eyebrows. She was here a month earlier with a male wolf. Two or three inches shorter than the woman, bulky build, reddish-brown hair, middle-age.” Andreas smiled and leaned back again. “They were not locals.”
Ari stared at him a moment. “Uh, good eye for detail. How do you know they weren’t local? Don’t tell me you know every wolf in town.”
“By no means, but I recognize our customers. And I notice newcomers. They stand out, especially when their speech is heavily accented and sprinkled with French vocabulary. I was at the front door when they arrived.” He frowned in thought. “Might be European, but more likely Canadian.”
Ari knew vampires had good recall, but you can’t remember something you didn’t notice in the first place. His observations were exceptional. She looked away, refusing to tell him how totally impressed she was. Instead, she spoke to Victor while she jotted the descriptions on a notepad. “Why didn’t you mention any of this?”
“I guess I never noticed.”
Really? Ari looked at him, but Victor sat stoically, awaiting her next question. She wasn’t sure she bought his explanation. But he was a vampire, and who knew why they did anything?
“We’re almost done. Tell me where you were on Sunday night between 6:00 and 10:30.”
“Working. Here, at the club. All evening.”
Well, damn. That seemed rather solid. And easily checked. She looked at his boss for confirmation. For a brief moment, Andreas’s composure wavered. “You want to know where I was?”
Ari hid a smile. “I wanted you to verify Victor’s statement, if you could. But if you’re offering your own alibi, fine. I’ll take it.”
Composed again, he didn’t hesitate. “Victor worked at the club that evening, observed by close to 300 guests. I can look up the exact numbers if you wish. He served as our maitre d’.” Andreas regarded her with a level gaze. “And while I do not believe I require an alibi, it is easy enough to provide. I was on the club stage most of the evening.”
“I heard you were a singer,” Ari said.
“Did you? Have you inquired about me?” He leaned forward, his lips parted in a smile.
She wanted to bite her tongue. “No, of course, not. I just hear things.” Oh, so lame, even to her ears. Somehow he made Ari feel awkward, on the defensive, and that wasn’t a feeling she had often. Not in a long time.
Breaking eye contact with Andreas, Ari caught Victor watching them with a little too much intensity. Like there was something to watch.
She gave Victor a cool look. “We’re done, unless you have something to add.” She waited, but Victor sat stone-faced, unresponsive. Then it came to her, in one of those sudden flashes of insight over something that’s been under your nose all along. Angela didn’t want the love spell for Wes. She wanted to break through this icy barrier, to touch the cold heart of a vampire. Unexpected pity washed over Ari. Angela had deserved better.
Knowing she wouldn’t like the answer, Ari asked anyway, “Don’t you feel something about Angela’s death?”
Victor’s social face didn’t change, but his eyes flickered, then hardened. “What do you mean?”