Page 49 of The Silver Fox Vampire

“I tried to. I went to the reception and asked to speak to Quentin. He apparently wasn’t available, so I went to the Tween library and did some research on the blood type. ApparentlyAOx blood has only been discovered in the last few years, and only been found in a small cluster of Tween residents so far. It’s being studied for its miraculous healing and longevity properties.”

Oliver rubbed his beard. “How interesting.”

“Except that would hardly make it interesting to the Kominskys, seeing as vampires live forever,” she mused. “Another thing that puzzles me is, I can’t imagine the Jordaks would ever allow human blood to fall into vampire clutches. Quentin is probably the most rabidly anti-monster of the whole family.”

“Agreed, it would be strange,” Oliver responded. “But so is the fact that humans are disappearing into thin air.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “Is that a vampire trait sir, abducting humans into the ether?”

“Never before this.”

“Just disappearing into the ether themselves, then?”

He looked at her sharply. Was this an innocent comment or a dig at him?

“Vampire invisibility is a myth, along with most of the others, like the notions that we are bloodless and heartless.” He growled, silently conceding that the last one would probably apply to him. “Sure, we can shape-shift and move at a speed that can deceive human vision, which is probably where the idea came from. But completely disappear? No. At least, not until fucking Matteus Kominsky managed it three fucking years ago.”

“Maybe he just flew so fast that he deceived the eye. Maybe he has set up home miles away from Motham in the mountains or further afield, like the Kominskys have always insisted.”

Oliver shook his head. “Tower Securities gargoyles were almost upon him when he disappeared without a trace. Gargoyle’s vision is 20:20, and every one of those gargoyles reported that one minute they had him surrounded and then,pffff. Gone.” He snapped his fingers. “And because the human he kidnapped can’t recall anything, due to the blood rose trance he put her in, we have no idea what he told her beforehand.” He growled, remembering the frustration of that case.

“Well as far as that AOx blood goes, we can only confirm it in two of the five cases, and that’s only from parental reports. We have no definitive proof yet.”

He cursed softly. “Damn it, the medical records would really help.”

“We could get a search warrant,” she reasoned.

He barked a laugh. “Meaningless pieces of paper as far as Tween is concerned.”

She sighed. “I guess you’re right.”

The waitress arrived with their drinks, and when she left Oliver said, “Blood being a factor in two of the five makes me even more convinced the Kominsky clan is behind this.”

“Maybe we should keep an open mind, sir.” He narrowed his eyes at her, and she blanched slightly but held his gaze. “I mean, the blood/vampire thing, it’s kinda an obvious connection. But we could miss something vital by hyper-focusing on that so early in our investigation.”

“Really?”

She shrugged, took a sip of her soda. “I’m just saying that tunnel vision could stop you considering other possibilities.”

He felt his facial muscles tighten. “Tunnel vision, eh?”

She shrugged. “Maybe you have personal reasons for wanting to get a Kominsky clan member.”

Damn right he did.

“Thank you for the analysis of my motives.” He gave her a dark look. “Alternatively, you could say that being a vampire gives me an advantage when it comes to seeing motives.”

“I suppose… maybe.”

Maybe.Gods above, was she purposely trying to needle him?

An awkward pause ensued. Oliver gulped down a mouthful of soda and wished he’d ordered a whiskey instead.

After a moment she said, “There is one other thing I need to share. Two things, actually. I’m pretty sure they’re vital evidence.”

“Fill me in.”

“Edward Bradshaw attended a seminar before he took the job in Motham, run by a human called Emmaline Shaw. His mom gave me her business card.” She placed the card on the tablecloth between them. “And I also found this.”