Chapter 37

I looked up at Kaz. "And you didn't even know there were murders happening here? I find that kind of hard to believe."
Ty shook his head. "They're not happening here at the Dark Tower. He wouldn't have missed that. It's that human women have been killed after visits here."
"So why aren't the local cops involved, or the FBI? How did the demon police get into it first?"
A hint of a grin flitted across Kaz's stern expression. "Go on, Tyran. Explain it to her."
"Why don't we all sit down first?" Ty gestured to the waiting-room-styled chairs - simple plastic ones, not designed to be comfortable to any size frame.
Kaz jerked his head toward the door to the inner office. "Be more comfortable in there."
As long as the two of them were talking and not fighting, I didn't care where we were. I exchanged glances with Ty; we both nodded and turned to follow Kaz into his inner sanctum.
The office was comfortable, but with a dark gothic vibe. A black leather sofa ran along the wall under the window, which was covered with heavy black slatted blinds. His big desk was matte-finished stainless steel, and in front of it were two chrome and leather chairs. I plopped down on one end of the couch, Ty sat on the other, while Kaz swung one of his visitor chairs around to face us both.
"So start at the beginning," Kaz snapped at Ty. "Maybe this will make more sense the second time around."
"In the last six months, at least five young women have been killed," Ty stated calmly. "Three from the US and two from Canada. Because they've been spread out so much over time and distance, nobody in human law enforcement has noticed the one common denominator, other than cause of death, at least. Within the last year, each one of them has visited the Dark Tower."
Kaz nodded. "So okay, it looks like someone is finding his victims here and following them home. But what makes you think it was a Zendir?"
Ty grimaced. "The manner of death in at least one case was total dehydration of the body." He looked over at me. "Not exsanguination, like it might be from a vampire. The blood cells themselves are still in the body. Total desiccation - all the bodily fluids missing, but no wounds of any kind."
Kaz squeezed his eyes shut and his jaw tensed as he gave a curt nod. "Yeah, that's a Zendir, or else something that's learned to mimic a Sawa's telekinetic ability."
"You mean he somehow teleported all the moisture out of the body?" I couldn't help but play the skeptic. Even to a vampire, that just sounded weird.
"It's an old Sawa assassination method," Ty told me.
I turned to Kaz. "So, you're helping him, right?"
"Of course I'm going to investigate," he snarled. "I'm not going to let some asshole use my hotel for a hunting ground."
"Kazmir..." Ty's voice was low and strained. "You don't need to go vigilante here. We'll just take him back to Zend, get your banishment rescinded."
"I don't want to go back," Kaz roared. "Get that through your thick head."
"Look, boys..." I tapped the toe of my boot on the carpet as loudly as I could. "At the risk of repeating myself, you're on the same freaking side here."
They both stopped glaring at each other and turned to look at me.
"Honestly. Quit playing who's got the bigger dick and get to work. You," I pointed to Ty, "give him the list of dates you've got on your phone or PDA or whatever."
Ty pulled a smartphone out from his suit coat.
I stabbed my finger at Kaz. "You, get on that damn computer of yours and compile a list of all guests who were here when each of the victims was and not here the day of each of the killings. Worry about the politics of it after you find the damn killer."
Kaz nodded grimly and stood, moving behind his desk to fire up his desktop computer. "It could be one of the staff."
I shook my head. "No. You'd have picked up on a Zendir working here. I assume you make it a point to meet each new staffer personally."
"She's right," Ty replied. "A guest though - unless he was a big winner or a big loser - a guest could hide from your notice."
"True." Kaz took the handheld and typed the dates into his computer. "We've got three possibilities - make it two. I know Mrs. Ginsbruck. She's eighty and a high roller at the blackjack tables. She's not Sawa. I've watched her take her diabetes meds - her blood definitely doesn't smell like cinnamon."
"Either of the other two here right now? You could do your Vulcan mind-meld thing and question him," I pointed out.
"You should hire her, Kaz. You'd be able to fire half your security team." Ty's laugh was only half sardonic. The other note in his voice was almost a caress. He quirked one eyebrow at me. "And for the record, mine's longer. His is thicker."
I smiled back, licking my lips, and winked. "I know." When both men groaned, I smiled even wider. "I'll make you two a deal. Go find this guy, haul him back to your little council of nasty-assed demons, and then come find me. Both of you. I promise I'll make it worth it."
"I said I wasn't going to take him to the Council," Kaz reminded me even as he reached down to adjust himself beneath his skin-tight pants.
"You are and you know it. You're a bad-ass, sweetie, but you're no vigilante." Though I was pretty sure he had it in him to deal out final justice if he needed to, I also knew him well enough, even after just this short acquaintance, to know it wouldn't be easy for him. Far better to let someone else handle that end of things.