Keeper of the Moon. Harley Jane Kozak

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СКАЧАТЬ toward a staircase leading to the underground level.

      Reggie gave a sheepish laugh. “She’s … a great assistant, actually. Paralegal. Draws up real estate contracts like you wouldn’t believe. Anyhow, she wanted to come and she’s … persuasive.”

      Declan could well believe it. As an Elven Keeper, Reggie would have a strong measure of his species’ sexual appetite, and their magnetism. There were mortals who found the Elven irresistible without, of course, knowing what they were dealing with, and Kandy was their prototype. “No surprise,” Declan said. “She’s pretty, you’re a guy, it’s a full moon.”

      “Yeah, true.” Reggie said. “Anyhow, I’m very curious as to what you wanted to see me about.”

      Declan led Reggie into his office, a futuristic-looking space in gunmetal gray. He closed the door. “I need information.”

      “Name it.”

      “The Scarlet Pathogen deaths. Anything you can tell me about them?”

      Reggie looked around, as though someone might be hiding under the concrete desk. “Why are you asking me?”

      Declan gestured toward a leather sofa, inviting Reggie to sit. “You’re one of the few Elven Keepers it’s not a chore to have drinks with. What are you drinking, by the way?”

      “Scotch, straight. Thanks. But what I meant was—I’m not a cop.”

      Declan moved to a bar across the room. “No, but you’re the Coastal Keeper, and Charlotte Messenger’s body was found on the beach. Your jurisdiction.”

      Reggie grimaced. “Well, there’s that.”

      “And you know the cops are involved, that this is more than a health department matter, a communicable disease.” Declan handed him a glass of scotch and sat on a leather chair opposite the sofa.

      Reggie took the highball glass. “Yeah, that’s true.” He took a sip of scotch, avoiding eye contact. He didn’t want his thoughts read.

      Typical, Declan thought.

      He hadn’t encountered the Elven or their Keepers until his late teens, when he’d headed west from New York City. The dry heat made Southern California a favorite Elven habitat, and their incandescent looks made them naturals in the film industry. Outwardly social, they thrived on the admiration of lesser mortals, not to mention casual sex, but Declan knew that at heart the Elven were as clannish as Gypsies, distrusting outsiders. Reggie was now exhibiting that Elven reticence. “I don’t expect something for nothing,” Declan said. “Excuse my directness, but we’re both businessmen. I’d like you to handle a real estate transaction I’m planning.”

      Reggie blinked. “Don’t you have a Realtor?”

      “For my Hollywood properties. This involves Malibu. I want to buy Dark Lagoon.”

      “Dark Lagoon’s not for sale.”

      “That’s about to change,” Declan said.

      “Interesting.” Reggie sat forward, all ears now. “But why Dark Lagoon? It’s not even attractive. Have you walked around there?”

      “Frequently. I’m obsessed with wetlands. The lagoon is a stopover for migrating birds along the Pacific Flyway.”

      Reggie laughed shortly. “Sorry, not into birds. Too … flighty.”

      Declan smiled. “Ever seen a golden eagle drag a goat off a cliff?”

      Reggie eyed him speculatively. “You can’t do anything with the place, you know.”

      “That’s the point. I want to save it from being developed. Save the coastal commission from having to spend their own money to buy it and protect it. I’ll pay a fair price, even a generous one, then donate it to them.”

      “Happy to help, then,” Reggie said. “I’ll take a look at the property tomorrow. There’s a house just south of there that I rent out to film companies, and I’m meeting a location scout at noon.”

      “That can’t be pleasant for you, hanging out on the beach.” Even Elven Keepers, Declan knew, disliked water. It wasn’t necessarily the full-blown phobia it was for the Elven themselves, but for some, it came close.

      “In this economy, I’ll put up with some unpleasantness.” Reggie took a long sip of his drink, then said, “So what do you want to know about the celebrity deaths?”

      “The night Charlotte’s body was found. Because it was your district, I assume someone notified you?”

      “You’d think.” Reggie put down his glass and lowered his voice. “Elven Keepers operate a little differently. You shifters have some autonomy. We go through a chain of command, an executive committee.”

      “With Charles Highsmith leading that committee?”

      Reggie glanced at Declan. “Off the record, right?”

      “Completely.”

      “Yeah, Highsmith controls things. I mean, theoretically we could overturn his decisions, but it’s like herding cats to get a consensus on anything, especially if Highsmith’s against it. Anyhow, it was Highsmith who got the call from the sheriff’s department when they found Charlotte.”

      “Who’s the contact in the sheriff’s department?”

      “Guy named Riley. Werewolf.”

      “But no one contacted you? Malibu’s your district.”

      “Highsmith called me the next day to tell me it was under control,” Reggie said. “Meaning the flow of information was contained, the right cops were assigned to the case, the right medical examiner doing the autopsy.”

      “But Elven women keep dying,” Declan said. “Doesn’t Highsmith consider that worth controlling?”

      “As a matter of fact,” Reggie said, “he’s called a closed meeting for tomorrow. I got an encoded email ten minutes ago, telling me and the other Elven Keepers to stand by. Time and place to be announced.”

      “Now what prompted that, I wonder?”

      Reggie shrugged. “You understand, what gets said in closed meetings I can’t share with you, Declan, much as I’d like to. Closed meetings are a big deal. We haven’t had one since winter solstice.”

      Over five months ago. “Was Rafe Gryffald at that one?”

      Reggie nodded. “I think Rafe Gryffald was the only thing holding Highsmith in check the last ten years.”

      Declan paused, then said, “Met his daughter yet? Sailor?”

      “No. I’ve seen her around, but we haven’t met. Why?”

      “She may be there tomorrow, but she’ll be in over her head and could use a friend.”

      “Happy to help. Can I ask what’s your interest in this?”

      “I СКАЧАТЬ