"who do you think barron called?" ryan stopped in the drive next to the club's side door.

"his girlfriend. his dentist. his killer. who knows? what i wouldn't give to have his cell phone. have you checked his records?"

ryan idled the car in park. "one of the first things i tried to do. his cellular account shows no activity since reaching riverdale."

ari paused in the midst of opening the passenger door. "that's interesting. dyani claimed he called someone. maybe he used a pre-paid phone or had an account under another name."

"already checking credit card receipts or anything that might lead to a second phone or user account. so far, no luck."

"you know..." ari's face lit with sudden interest. "that call might lead to the coven. if he was using witch consultants, he would naturally call them to exorcise a spirit. carmody can tell us if they've ever used that kind of expertise."

"i thought you suspected the coven of conjuring the ghost."

"i did. i do. maybe they were double-crossing barron and got there first. it would explain how they got involved in all this. hell, i don't know yet. i'm just guessing."

"so now you want to go back to the hotel to talk with carmody again?" when she nodded, he eased the car out of park, turned around and swung back into traffic. ari barely got the door closed before he was speeding down the street.

"hey, what's the hurry? carmody isn't leaving town for a couple hours. you nearly dumped me in the street."

"sorry, but i just noticed the time. i'll drop you off to pursue carmody, but i've got an appointment. chief insists i meet with this pr guy that i've been avoiding."

ari stopped herself from laughing but couldn't quite wipe the grin from her face. "have fun." she hopped out in front of the hotel's main doors.

ryan mumbled something. ari figured it was just as well she hadn't heard.

after making inquiries at the front desk, she called carmody in his room. he invited her up. top floor. the rest of the crew had less expensive accommodations, although nothing at the river vista was cheap.

carmody opened the door. "would you like a drink?" he held a martini glass in his hand.

"no thanks. it's a little early for me." it was 11:00 in the morning. he must be part of the pre-lunch martini crowd, unless her visit had prompted the drink.

"i hope you don't mind if i indulge. i'm not good at waiting around." his affable look said he anticipated her tacit approval.

"suit yourself. i won't take up much of your time. it looks like you've been working." ari's obvious scrutiny took in the papers scattered around an open laptop on the sitting room table. the area overlooked a nice view of downtown riverdale and the bridges over the oak river. the remainder of his suite included a well-appointed living area and two closed doors that she assumed led to a bedroom and bath.

"i was online, checking on some last-minute details. we'll fly directly from the funeral to the next site, a dig for mammoth bones. no offense, but i'm anxious to leave town."

"you haven't exactly seen us at our best. so, who'll be the big tv star now? you?"

he gave her a crooked smile. "are you implying something?"

"not in the least. only curious."

"it will probably be me for a while. maybe we'll give cole a try, but he may not have the necessary appeal with the male portion of our viewing audience. not rugged enough. we're putting out feelers to reel in someone new. which cole doesn't know, by the way, so i'd appreciate your discretion." he looked at her over the rim of his martini. "i don't imagine you came here to talk about my business prospects."

"no, but i am interested in your business practices."

"how so? should i call the lawyers again?"

"i don't think you'll need them for this. i have a question or two about your use of experts on the show."

he brightened, apparently pleased this wasn't going to be a confrontation. "then, please have a seat and ask away." he waved her toward a seating area near the windows.

as they settled into the upholstered chairs, ari said, "i assume you use consultants. beyond the obvious archeologists, cavers, divers, that sort of thing."

"whatever it takes to get the job done. often they're local to the site, but we have a healthy budget. did you have something particular in mind?"

"a spiritual consultant, maybe an otherworlder. i was thinking specifically of wizards or witches."

"we have used them, but i don't mind admitting i keep my distance. jase was into that sort of thing." he took a sip of his martini. "i'm cautious of things i don't understand."

ari nodded. she'd felt his discomfort of her otherworldliness when they'd first met, even though he'd denied it. "are you aware of any recent contacts of that nature?"

carmody scowled, but she saw him begin to consider the possibilities. "with witches? is this how he died? you brought up magic once before."

"we still don't know what caused his death. it looks like a fall due to a heart attack, but we have to check every possible lead."

"uh-huh, i hear what you're not saying." he downed the last of his drink. "my god, jase, what did you get yourself into?" he spoke softly, as he walked to the suite's bar and fixed a second martini. "you sure you don't want one, ms. calin?" it was an automatic social question; he didn't even look up for an answer. new courage in hand, he plopped himself on the couch this time. "i knew jase was being more secretive than usual, but, no, i wasn't aware he'd consulted with anyone like that. a witch or wizard, you say. when we were working in peru, he talked long distance with a woman in cincinnati. called her several times about an incantation we found carved into a wall. since he paid her a fee, we should have her name and address in our records. if i'm remembering right, she was into spiritual things, like voodoo or witchcraft."

"there is a big difference."

"is there?" he made a dismissive sweep of the hand holding his drink. "i wouldn't know. not information i figure i'll ever need."

"probably not." ari heard the hint he'd had enough magic talk. "it's nothing amateurs should dabble in. i'd appreciate it if you'd look for the name and call me." she stood and laid a business card on the coffee table. "this case isn't closed just because you're leaving town. i still intend to find out exactly how your partner died."

as she turned to close the door behind her, carmody raised his martini glass in salute and gave a slight nod. she pulled the door closed. maybe he was wishing her good luck with her case or merely happy she was leaving. it didn't matter. ari didn't need luck, but she did need a break. maybe she'd have to make her own.

chapter eleven

when ari walked out of the hotel, it was still many hours before dark. following moriana's advice, she intended to wait until the coven might be active with evening rituals before she tried a scrying spell to find their location. until then, she had other projects on her to-do list. the last two of bella's kittens needed homes.

claris's shop was packed with tourists. the 1800s renovated section of olde town sat on the banks of the oak river, just before it emptied into the mississippi. streets in the area were made of brick and cobblestone, lit at night by electrified gas lanterns. vehicle parking was restricted to large lots, and hitching posts for the horse-and-carriage rides stood in front of each store. with special permission, tour buses were allowed to park on the street for twenty-minute segments. one was parked out front now, so ari went to the kitchen to grab a cup of coffee and wait. it was less than ten minutes later when claris joined her.

"wow, that stop was great. covers my expenses for two or three days." claris's excitement bubbled over. "how's your day going?"

"not as good as yours, but nothing this cup of coffee can't cure." ari wasn't about to ruin her friend's good mood with talk of murder and greed and missing vampires.

"i have great news," claris suddenly announced. "gabriel found the perfect owner for re."

"gabriel." again? "you're certainly talking with him a lot. how does brando feel about this new friendship?"

claris flipped her hand back and forth. "how would i know? he's off at another conference."

ari hid a worried frown. she, claris, and brando had been friends since elementary school, and her friends had been dating for almost two years. although brando was a wizard, his personality was so laid back that ari hadn't worried about his relationship with claris. in fact, brando and claris had been good together-except he was also a dedicated scientist. he frequently attended conferences to share his findings, and more recently, he'd become a popular speaker. he was away a lot, and claris was alone much too often.

and gabriel was so damned pretty. wavy blond hair, impossibly long lashes, abs to die for.

"um, well, who's this perfect owner?"

"an elf. she's a waitress and the sweetest thing. wait until you get to know her. you'll see."

"waitress where?"

"some vampire bar." claris didn't meet ari's gaze.

"claris? i know when you're avoiding telling me something."

claris ducked her head. "ok, it's the second chance saloon. but she's really nice. i swear."

ari snorted. "yeah, sure. that's a vampire biker bar."

"so, what? everybody has to make a living. you can at least talk to her. she likes you."

"me? how does she know me? none of my friends hang out there. what's her name?"