She turned her thoughts to the identity of the shifter. She knew dozens. She probably knew more than she knew she knew, given how shifty they were about acknowledging they were shifters.
Her cell phone buzzed. It was Brodie. Refusing to say a name, he gave her a series of numbers, which she wrote down as she walked. Fortunately one of three basic default codes she’d memorized worked, turning the numbers into letters. The letters spelled the name of the man owning a black BMW Z3.
Joshua LeRonde. The assistant to Darius Simonides.
* * *
Back in Alessande’s cabin, Sailor phoned Darius and told his receptionist that unless he called her back within the hour, events would ensue that would be “bad for business.”
Then she paced.
“Are you mad?” Alessande demanded. “Why warn the man before closing in on him?”
“I’m not warning him, I’m warning Darius. Who’s my godfather, who I’ve known my whole life. If his assistant is a serial killer, I want Darius to know first, so he can do whatever damage control he needs to. And we may need his help to hand Joshua to the cops.”
“Sailor,” Alessande said, “we’re not handing him to the cops. The Elven Circle gets him first. But what if it’s not his assistant who’s the killer but Darius himself?”
“It’s not Darius.”
“Assistants in Hollywood will do anything for their bosses. Procuring drugs, hookers, covering up criminal behavior, it’s part of the job description.”
“You really think if Joshua was innocent, he’d organize his boss’s killing spree?”
“No one at GAA is an innocent. They lose that the first day on the job.”
Sailor shook her head. “The killer’s not a vampire. The only question is, does Darius know what his assistant’s done?”
“If he does, it’s a mistake to alert him that we’ve figured it out,” Alessande said. “He’ll more likely continue to protect the breugair rather than turn him over to us.”
Sailor took out her cell and dialed Declan. It went straight to voicemail, so she disconnected. It would be too risky to explain any of it over the phone, and she didn’t have the patience to try it in code. The strange thing, she realized with a start, was that she trusted Declan’s judgment, and his standards of right and wrong, as much as she trusted her own father.
And her father had trusted Darius.
Her cell phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen, and her heart sped up. She pressed the answer icon and said, “Darius?”
“Sailor.”
She took a deep breath. “I need to talk to you. In person. I have news that I’m willing to share with you before taking it to our friend Brodie. But it has to be now.”
There was a small pause. “I am entirely at your disposal. I am currently at Geoffrey’s in Malibu. It’s a restaurant.”
“I know Geoffrey’s is a restaurant. But I’m in Laurel Canyon, so that’s not convenient for me.”
“I am packaging a film. It will take an hour at least. That should give you time to get here.”
Sailor ground her teeth. It was no small victory, getting Darius to return her phone call so quickly, not to mention agree to meet. Geography was another story. In L.A., power in a relationship was determined by which party was willing to drive to the other. Darius would eat a silver bullet before traveling across the Valley to accommodate an actress/waitress.
“Fine. I’m leaving now.” She hung up.
Alessande was appalled. “This is all wrong, Sailor. I’ll accompany you as far as Pacific Coast Highway, but I can’t go any farther. I can’t be that close to the ocean. I’d get so weak, I’d be a liability. So you’ll be alone with him.”
“Alessande, I don’t need an escort, and there’s no point in your coming. I think Darius will tell me the truth. Once it’s confirmed, if Joshua’s the guy, the next step is to find him. And we shouldn’t all be in Malibu in case Joshua’s in Hollywood or Beverly Hills.”
“I promised your friend I wouldn’t leave you alone.”
“Reggie? I won’t tell him.”
“Reggie promised Declan,” Alessande said.
Something in Alessande’s voice stopped her. The way she said his name. “Are you friends with Declan Wainwright?” Sailor asked.
“Oh, yes.” Alessande didn’t bother to hide it. It was in her voice, and when Sailor glanced at her, she saw it in her pale eyes, as well. Lovers.
She looked away, stricken. Past or current? She couldn’t bear to ask. Alessande had no idea that she had fallen for him, and this wasn’t the time to go into it. But