Part 28 (1/2)

”Wow,” I said. ”Ms. Demeter, you look almost exactly like this criminal sc.u.mbag I met once.”

Marcone rested his elbows on the desk, made a steeple out of his fingers, and regarded me with a cool and unruffled smile. ”And good evening to you, too, Mister Dresden. It's somehow rea.s.suring to see that time has not eroded your soph.o.m.oric sensibilities.” His eyes flicked to Murphy. ”Sergeant.”

Murphy pressed her lips together and nodded once, her eyes narrowed. Hendricks loomed in the doorway, arms folded, eyes steady on Murphy.

”Where's Amazon Gard?” I asked him. ”You lose the consultant?”

”Ms. Gard,” he said, emphasizing the Ms., Ms., ”is on a.s.signment elsewhere at the moment. And our working relations.h.i.+p is quite secure.” ”is on a.s.signment elsewhere at the moment. And our working relations.h.i.+p is quite secure.”

”And maybe she wouldn't much care for this particular branch of your business?” I suggested.

He showed me his teeth. ”I see you got your members.h.i.+p package.”

”I'm fighting not to gush at you with grat.i.tude,” I told him. ”But it's oh so hard.”

His upturned mouth and glittering white teeth did not resemble a smile. ”Actually, all of my places of business have instructions to so treat you, should you arrive.”

I raised my eyebrows. ”You can't seriously be trying to buy me.”

”Hardly. I am under no illusions about your fondness for myself and my business. I regard it as a preventive measure. In my judgment, my buildings are considerably less likely to burn to the ground during one of your visits if you are disoriented from being treated like a sultan. I do, after all, recall the fate of the last Velvet Room.”

Murphy snorted without taking her wary eyes from Marcone. ”He's got a point, Dresden.”

”That was one time,” one time,” I muttered. Something in one of the envelopes dug at me through my duster pocket, and I reached down to take it out. I muttered. Something in one of the envelopes dug at me through my duster pocket, and I reached down to take it out.

Hendricks may have been big, but he was not slow. He had a gun out before my fingers had closed on the envelope.

Murphy went for her gun, hand darting beneath the baggy s.h.i.+rt.

Marcone's voice cracked like a whip. ”Stop. Everyone.”

We all did it, a reflexive response to the complete authority in his tone.

There are reasons Marcone runs things in Chicago.

Marcone hadn't moved. h.e.l.l, he hadn't blinked. blinked. ”Mister Hendricks,” he said. ”I appreciate your zeal, but if the wizard wished to harm me, he'd hardly need to draw a concealed weapon to do it. If you please.” ”Mister Hendricks,” he said. ”I appreciate your zeal, but if the wizard wished to harm me, he'd hardly need to draw a concealed weapon to do it. If you please.”

Hendricks let out another rumbling growl and put the gun away.

”Thank you.” Marcone turned to me. ”I trust you will forgive Mister Hendricks's sensitivity. As my bodyguard, he is all too aware that whenever you get involved in my business, Dresden, matters tend to become a great deal more dangerous.”

I scowled at them both and drew the folded materials from my duster pocket, tossing them down beside the discarded gym bag. ”No harm, no foul. Right, Murph?”

Murphy remained motionless for a long moment, hand under her s.h.i.+rt-long enough to make a point that no one was ordering her to do it. Then she returned her hand to her lap.

”Thank you,” Marcone said. ”Now, shall we tilt at one another a few more times or just skip to the point of your visit, Dresden?”

”I want information about one of the women who worked here.”

Marcone blinked once and said, ”Go on.”

”Her name was Jessica Blanche. Her body was found a few days ago. The ME couldn't find a cause of death. I did. I've got more bodies. I think the killings are related. I need to find the link between Jessica and the other victims so I can figure out what the h.e.l.l is going on and put a stop to it.”

”That information is specific,” Marcone said. ”My knowledge of operations here is merely general. My manager will be more familiar with such things than I.”

”Ms. Demeter, I take it.”

”Yes. She should be here momentarily.”

”Or sooner,” said a woman's voice.

I turned to the doorway.

A woman walked through it, dressed in a somber black skirt suit, a white blouse, black pumps, pearls. She walked calmly across the office to stand behind Marcone, her left hand coming to rest on his right shoulder.

”Well, Dresden,” Helen Beckitt murmured. ”It took you long enough.”

CHAPTER Twenty-Nine

I stared, momentarily silent. Marcone's teeth showed again. stared, momentarily silent. Marcone's teeth showed again.

”I don't believe it is polite to gloat,” Helen murmured to him.

”If you knew the man, you would realize what a rare moment this is,” he replied. ”I'm savoring it.”

Murphy glanced from Helen to me and back. ”Harry...?”

”Shhh,” I said, holding up a hand. I closed my eyes for a second, chasing furiously down dozens of twisty lanes of demented logic and motivation, trying to fit each of them to the facts.

The facts, man. Just the facts.

Fact one: Male operatives of House Skavis and House Malvora had been engaging in murders that attempted to frame the Wardens as the perpetrators.

Fact two: House Raith, their nominal superior, led by the White King (sort of), had pursued a policy of armistice with the White Council.

Fact three: That dippy twit Madrigal jumped into the deal on Malvora's side, pitching in a murder or two of his own, evidently to attract my attention.

Fact four: Thomas, though aware of the lethal intentions of his fellow White Court vampires, had shared nothing of it with me.

Fact five: The victims had been women of magical talent, universally.

Fact six: Vampires live for a long, long time.

Fact seven: In a whole graveyard full of the corpses of minor-league pract.i.tioners, one normal, pretty young girl named Jessica Blanche had been killed. Her only connection to the others was Helen Beckitt.

Fact eight: Helen Beckitt worked for Marcone.