Shadows of the Heart

2. Reine-2

Lawrence and I hung up with John with another promise to search for Kestrel after we talked to James Leak about shutting down the 'Con. The front desk staff directed us to an office on the tier below the main conference and hotel lobby level. Whereas the four-story glass windows facing the wooded area had formerly given the space an open, natural feel, they now made me feel exposed. I directed my attention to the stairs in front of me instead of outside.

We found the office, and Lawrence knocked.

"Come in!" the man from earlier barked.

This was not going to be easy. Indeed, he frowned when he saw us.

"You two again? What, has someone else fainted?"

"How is the girl?" I asked.

"Fine. She just got overheated. Corset was too tight." He dismissed her with a wave of his hand. "No big deal."

"We actually have a different explanation," Lawrence said. "We're with the CPDC."

Leak's eyebrows rose. "The who? Oh right, the ghostbusters. They told me about you."

Lawrence didn't react to the dig. He continued calmly, "We handle more than just spirits who have lingered after their bodies have been removed, and we have a concern."

"It's actually more of a situation," I said.

Leak smirked at me. "Right, I'm sure. More than a girl who got dehydrated?"

"You just said overheated," I pointed out. Lawrence nudged me.

"Whatever. There was nothing seriously wrong with her. She said she was waiting in line, then felt dizzy, and the next thing she knew, she was waking up on the couch in the lobby." He shrugged, palm-up. "I don't know why you're making such a big deal of it. Unless you think there's something…supernatural…going on." He wiggled his fingers.

I guessed that was supposed to be ghostly?

"The girl didn't faint because of her corset or anything else mundane," Lawrence said. "Just before she went under, something spoke through her to my colleague."

"Oh?" Leak sat back. "Do tell. What did it say? 'I'll get you, my pretty’?"

"Something like that."

"Come now, Miss…?"

"Doctor River, actually."

"Right, Doctor River. If I'm going to help you, I need to know exactly what happened."

I took a deep breath. "It said, 'You can try to hide, but I'll find you. I'll get you. Just wait.'"

"But it didn't do anything to you?"

"I don't know." The wave of weakness had passed, and I didn't know whether it had been due to the fright or something else. I didn't want to believe the soul-eater could suck my energy like that, but it would make sense.

"And do you know what this alleged something wants to do to you? Why it threatened you?"

"No," Lawrence told him, "but we know it's dangerous. It's killed before."

Leak paused for a long moment, then asked, "Do you have autopsy reports—death by invisible body-taking-over creature?" The corners of his mouth twitched, and I could tell he didn't believe a word we’d said.

"Look, Mr. Leak—"

"You can call me Jimmy. Not sure about Doctor River over there. And you are…?"

"Doctor Lawrence Gordon."

"Great." He sighed like our titles annoyed him. "Right, so the two of you think you're so smart and you bring me a story of an invisible creature that may or may not be a threat. Do you know how many people are depending on this hotel to host Fae-Con and have a good time this weekend? About a thousand. And do you know how much money we'll lose if we just call it off? Several times that. So no, I can't do anything unless you bring me something concrete."

"Mr. Leak," I said, putting a little Fae persuasion behind my words, "I understand your concerns, but think about how much money it will cost if the hotel is sued over someone getting hurt or killed here. The soul-eater is clever. It won't make anything obvious except to me."

He blinked, and I sensed that my persuasion, which hadn't penetrated his thick, concrete psyche, fell away from him like water off a siren's tail. "I still need proof, Doctor River. My bosses aren't going to be happy if I cancel Fae-Con, even if it's for a fairy tale." He laughed at his joke, and it came out as a wheezing sound. "Meanwhile, I hope the two of you enjoy your weekend."

Lawrence's eyes had gone dark, and I hoped he wasn't about to gargoyle out in here, although I'd thoroughly enjoy seeing Jimmy Leak wet his trousers.

Lawrence drew himself up to his full height and leaned over the desk. He spoke with quiet firmness that I found rather sexy. "Jimmy, since you can't call off the ‘Con, I need you to at least give us access to areas guests usually aren't able to get into."

"On what authority?"

"CPDC. I can call our director right now, and he'll be sure to let your superiors know you've not been helpful."

Another long pause, and then Leak said as though Lawrence hadn't made his suggestion, "If it helps, since you're with the CPDC, I'll give you access to all areas of the hotel. That way you can keep an eye on things, chase your invisible monsters." He handed us both master key cards. "Just don't get in the way of anything. Oh, and Doctor River?" He pointed at Sir Raleigh, who lounged on my shoulder and licked his white paw. "You can't have that…animal…in the public areas. People have allergies."

"Thank you, we'll keep that in mind," Lawrence said. I nodded. I dared not open my mouth, not even to thank him for the cards, or I'd call him something worse than an i***t.

As soon as we walked out of Leak's office, Lawrence rubbed my back again. The fury at being dismissed melted into annoyance, and I relaxed under his soothing touch.

"How do you do that?" I asked.

"What?" Now he grinned.

"Calm me down by just rubbing my back? Do gargoyles have magic in their hands?" Whoops, I hadn't meant that to come out sounding as it had, and my face heated as my thoughts went to what else Lawrence could do with his hands. I thanked my brain for the ill-timed s*x fantasies with all the sarcasm I could muster.

"I'm not going to answer that. You'll have to find out for yourself."

His switch from annoyed gargoyle to flirty and handsome man released tension I hadn't yet recognized, and I squeezed his hand. Then I spotted the young woman who had fainted. She sat with some friends, all wearing medieval-style dresses with corsets, and they all had prosthetic ear tips. They sat around a table in the hotel coffee shop.

"Come on," I told Lawrence. "Let's go talk to her. I want to see if she remembers anything about the soul-eater's intent."

I had taken just two steps in that direction when Lawrence's phone buzzed.

"It's from John. He's asked for an update. Also if we've gone to help look for Kestrel yet."

"Right." I sighed, not out of annoyance, but more overwhelm. I couldn't take any more emergencies. "Let's do that first. I'll try to call Kestrel."