"What on earth is going on?"

"August, I can't share privileged information with you, but I can assure you that no one is more concerned than I am about the situation."

"And let me assure you that I am not a fool. If a new vampire is walking, you and Fiona know something about it."

"There's a meeting tonight, August."

"And you had better be prepared to keep the peace."

Jagger looked around. There were three other vampires, two werewolves and one shapeshifter on the force. Only the shapeshifter, Michael Shrine, was on the day crew, and he'd sent him out to the vampire cult house.

They also had one of the largest leprechauns he'd ever met on the force, also working days, and he, too, was out of the office, leaving only human beings surrounding him now.

But no matter who was around, Jagger was always careful to keep this kind of discussion out of his office.

"Got time for an early lunch, councilman?" he asked now.

"Do you?"

"Gotta eat. I'll make time."

"Sure. How about the Napoleon House?" Gaudin asked.

"It will be busy," Jagger warned.

"Which is fine. I want us to be seen together, but it will be noisy, so we can talk--and not be overheard. Oh, and they make a po'boy I really like," August said.

A little while later, seated in the historic restaurant, they ordered quickly--they were, after all, working men just grabbing a bite.

"You've seen the papers?" Gaudin asked immediately.

"Of course."

"I know that Gina is trying hard to keep the media from going crazy, but she can't ignore the obvious, and she can't protest too much--that's always a dangerous course. So...I want the truth."

Jagger nodded, meeting Gaudin's eyes. "Okay. You were right. No new vampire would be walking without Fiona and me knowing. The girl was eighteen, August. Eighteen, raised by nuns and as pure as the driven snow."

"Doesn't snow much in New Orleans," Gaudin noted, his innuendo obvious.

Jagger ignored him and went on. "She's being given a new identity, of course."

"Are you ready to face an argument from the assembly?" Gaudin asked.

"Of course."

"Would you have made the same decision, do you think, if we had been looking at a werewolf or a shapeshifter?"

"You know me, August. You know that I'm always fair."

"I know it. I'm just trying to warn you that everyone else may not be so understanding."

"Warning gratefully noted," Jagger told him.

"I'm sorry to say, I think it's obvious now that a vampire is guilty."

"The only thing I'll admit is that it's obvious a werewolf isn't," Jagger said dryly.

"We also know that no human being, no matter what occult kick he's on, was the killer."

"Yes." Jagger took a long swallow of sweet tea. "The timing of that documentary was really unfortunate."

"I won't argue with you," Gaudin said, then frowned.

"I wonder if they realize how much danger they're in. Have you--"

"Officers are watching the house. And I've called a press conference for this afternoon."

August Gaudin nodded thoughtfully. "This is a very tenuous situation we're in. How close are you to finding the killer? Was the girl able to tell you anything useful?"

Jagger shook his head. "She was drinking at a frat party. That's the last thing she remembers. She's with David Du Lac, and he knows to inform me right away if she remembers anything else."

"All right, then. I'll be there to support you--and the peace. Three in the morning. Damn. These old bones could use more rest than they're getting these days," Gaudin said, shaking his head.

Rest would be nice, Jagger thought. But the time he spent with Fiona was infinitely more precious.

"Well, well, gentlemen," a soft, feminine voice said from right beside them.

Jagger turned and almost groaned aloud.

Jennie Mahoney, stunningly and sophisticatedly dressed--no touristy T-shirts for her--was looking down at him.

He rose, pulling out an extra chair so she could take a seat beside him.

"Jennie. What a pleasure."

"I'm sorry, but I'm not here for pleasure, Jagger."

"It's still always a delight to see you, my dear," August Gaudin assured her.

"And you, August, of course," she said, and gave him a gracious smile. Then she turned on Jagger. "Explain yourself, Detective."

"I intend to, I promise. Tonight."

"You saved her, Jagger," Jennie said, studying him.

"Why?"

"Innocence," he said.

"No excuse."

"Actually it was, Jennie."

"The Keeper will see that she doesn't join society."

"The Keeper is in agreement with me."

Jennie frowned severely. "Jagger, this is dangerous."

"Not if we all keep our own counsel."

Jennie shook her head. "I'm perplexed. Why hasn't the girl fingered her murderer? She was at a frat party, according to the news. She must know who she was with."

"No, I'm afraid not. All she remembers is a lot of beer."

"Jagger, you need to get out and grill those boys mercilessly. Isn't one of your kind a student? He was at the meeting...was he at the frat party, too? What was his name? Billy...? That's it! Billy Harrington."

"Billy Harrington wasn't at the party, because he was coming to the meeting at David's," Jagger explained.

Jennie made a sound of distaste. "From what I've heard, there would have been plenty of time for him to kill that girl first."

"There was just enough time, yes," Jagger agreed.

"But trust me, Billy didn't do this. I don't see any vampire doing something like this, frankly. It would be a blatant challenge to the rest of us. He'd have to know we'd come after him, that he couldn't get away with it."

"Well, if it wasn't a vampire, the only other possibility is...Jagger! My God. I didn't expect much from the vampire Keeper, but really! You, too? You're accusing a shapeshifter."

"I'm not accusing anyone, Jennie, I don't have enough evidence yet," Jagger explained.

Jennie straightened regally. "You need to get moving then, Detective. You don't have time to be sitting here enjoying a leisurely lunch."

"Jennie, I asked him here," Gaudin said.

Jagger stood, laying money on the table. "August, we'll talk more later. Jennie, I know what I'm doing."

He leaned down and spoke softly.

"And yes, I'm a vampire as well as a detective, but I take my commitment to keep peace in the city very seriously. I will discover the truth. When I have evidence, I'll see that the killer is brought down--whether he's a vampire, a shapeshifter or something none of us has ever seen before. I'll see you both at the meeting."

He heard Jennie's indignant gasp as he left, but he wasn't in the mood to give a damn.

It rankled him that Jennie was right about one thing.

He needed to be out on the streets. He belonged at that frat house, asking questions.

Billy Harrington had indeed had the time to kill the love of his life and put her body on display. As for a motive, he was madly in love. Now he could be madly in love forever.

Billy had sworn that he would never harm Abigail. And the truth was that none of them knew what awaited a vampire once his existence on earth was over. Many of them believed in the power of God and the devil.

Would Billy have risked the possibility of sending the object of his devotion to a fiery hell?

Jagger didn't think so, and he was a good detective--vampire or not--because he had gotten to be very good at reading people and their emotions. It wasn't impossible, and he wasn't ruling anything out, but he would need actual evidence before he was willing to even consider it likely.

Then there was the killing of Tina Lawrence.

Billy had no motive in her death. And they hadn't gotten a single call from anyone who had seen anyone who even remotely resembled the police artist's sketch of the man from the strip club.

And in his mind, that could only mean one thing.

Shapeshifter.

Chapter 9

"Shauna, you still have friends in grad school, right?" Fiona asked her youngest sister, while she brewed herself a cup of her favorite English breakfast tea behind the counter in the shop. She spoke softly, because Caitlin was in the back, giving a tarot card reading.

"Yeah, sure, why?""I'd like to talk to some of the kids who were at that frat party," Fiona explained.

"Sure--when? The major emergency assembly is tonight."

"How about early this evening?"

"What about Caitlin?"

"She's welcome to come, too," Fiona said.

Shauna was thoughtful for a moment. She joined Fiona behind the counter and absently began brewing a cup of her favorite tea, white peach.

"Fiona, I'm afraid of what will happen if you receive information that puts...well, casts you in an unflattering light," Shauna said.

"What do you mean?"

"Okay, let's face it, you've been bowled over by a vampire."

"I've been bowled over by a man," Fiona protested quietly.

"Yes, and I can definitely see the attraction. I think that Caitlin would, too, if...I don't know. It might be different if she were the Keeper for the vampires, but...she still blames that vampire for the fact that Mom and Dad are dead. She blames the vampires for the war."

"And you don't?"

"I blame everyone. I blame intolerance everywhere," Shauna said. "And another thing--the one who helped us through everything was August Gaudin. A werewolf. There's never been a reason for her to trust a vampire." She lowered her voice. "Now come on. We all know you're not telling us everything about letting Abigail the student survive the change. What really went on?"