aviators," he said, waving his hand over her. "You come across like a blond Idi Amin."
"Who's he? Never mind. You mean, like, 'Please, Oliver, wil you help me find the traitor?'"
"Exactly."
Now it was Mimi's turn to rol her eyes. "Very wel . Please, Oliver, wil you help me find the traitor?" She felt like a three-year-old scolded by her parents for her lack of manners.
Oliver smiled. "Was it that hard, Mimi? Don't answer. I know it was. But of course I'd be glad to help, since you asked. What else do I have to do?"
EIGHTEEN
The Usual Suspects
As a rule, Mimi did not enjoy the company of Red Blood boys unless they were tasty. She'd had her fil of quite a few familiars to get through the stressful week. But unless she was chomping on someone's neck and consuming their blood, she had absolutely no interest in them. So it surprised her to find she did not detest Oliver as much as she thought she would, and that working with him wasn't the torture she had expected it to be. They had four days left before the crescent moon appeared, and Mimi was relieved to find that, as she had heard, Oliver was a thorough and apt investigator. By the next morning, he had already rounded up the Conduits who had been at Jamie Kip's party.
Since only a handful of Blue Blood families stil kept to the practice, there were only four Conduits in the city who could have attended the party without arousing suspicion from the other guests and pul ed off the stunt. Oliver brought each suspect into a smal room in the Repository that the Venators used for questioning, while Mimi watched from the other side of the double-sided glass.
Gemma Anderson took a seat across from Oliver. She was Christopher Anderson's grandniece and Conduit to Stel a Van Rensslaer. "What's al this about?" she asked Oliver. "Stel a said you wanted to see me as soon as possible. Have I done anything wrong? Is this about her and Corey? I told her she was draining him dry at the rate she was using. But Stel a's a vamp tramp; she'l never learn."
Mimi was shocked at the flippant attitude Gemma displayed toward her betters. Is this what the Conduits said behind their backs? That the Blue Bloods were just a bunch of bloodsuckers? How rude!
"No, this has nothing to do with Corey," Oliver said. "Although if Stel a is found in violation of the Forty-Eight-Hour Rest Period, the Committee wil issue a reprimand. They're not enforcing it currently, as they've got bigger things to worry about right now other than Familiar Care issues. This is about Conspiracy business." He pul ed up the video on his laptop and showed it to her.
"Yeah, I've seen it, so what? Some doofus vampire decided to show off on the Internet. It was bound to happen once YouTube was invented. Props for the cover-up; everyone I know wants to see Suck . Watch the vampire burn, good one. That'l scare the kiddies." Gemma crossed her legs and twitched her ankles impatiently.
Oliver shrugged as if to say it didn't matter either way. "I understand you were at Jamie's the night this was filmed?"
That got Gemma's attention. "That's from Jamie's party?" She looked at the screen again. "Oh my God, it is. Yeah, we were there."
"Did you notice anything unusual?" Oliver asked. "Anyone with a video camera? They're tiny these days."
She furrowed her brow and shook her head. "Not real y. It al seemed like the usual bloodfest. Vampire shenanigans. Thril s and spil s."
"When was the last time you saw Victoria that night?"
Gemma paused. "I think I saw her go into the back room with Evan. You know, to have their privacy. And after that, I saw her hanging out with Bryce and Froggy at the keg. Stel a and I had to leave to go to another party--she wanted to meet Corey at some Riverhead shindig downtown. Wait, did something happen to Vix? I haven't seen her in school this week."
Oliver hesitated. "There was an incident yes. She came home at five in the morning blood-drunk. Her parents decided they weren't happy with the company she was
"Who's he? Never mind. You mean, like, 'Please, Oliver, wil you help me find the traitor?'"
"Exactly."
Now it was Mimi's turn to rol her eyes. "Very wel . Please, Oliver, wil you help me find the traitor?" She felt like a three-year-old scolded by her parents for her lack of manners.
Oliver smiled. "Was it that hard, Mimi? Don't answer. I know it was. But of course I'd be glad to help, since you asked. What else do I have to do?"
EIGHTEEN
The Usual Suspects
As a rule, Mimi did not enjoy the company of Red Blood boys unless they were tasty. She'd had her fil of quite a few familiars to get through the stressful week. But unless she was chomping on someone's neck and consuming their blood, she had absolutely no interest in them. So it surprised her to find she did not detest Oliver as much as she thought she would, and that working with him wasn't the torture she had expected it to be. They had four days left before the crescent moon appeared, and Mimi was relieved to find that, as she had heard, Oliver was a thorough and apt investigator. By the next morning, he had already rounded up the Conduits who had been at Jamie Kip's party.
Since only a handful of Blue Blood families stil kept to the practice, there were only four Conduits in the city who could have attended the party without arousing suspicion from the other guests and pul ed off the stunt. Oliver brought each suspect into a smal room in the Repository that the Venators used for questioning, while Mimi watched from the other side of the double-sided glass.
Gemma Anderson took a seat across from Oliver. She was Christopher Anderson's grandniece and Conduit to Stel a Van Rensslaer. "What's al this about?" she asked Oliver. "Stel a said you wanted to see me as soon as possible. Have I done anything wrong? Is this about her and Corey? I told her she was draining him dry at the rate she was using. But Stel a's a vamp tramp; she'l never learn."
Mimi was shocked at the flippant attitude Gemma displayed toward her betters. Is this what the Conduits said behind their backs? That the Blue Bloods were just a bunch of bloodsuckers? How rude!
"No, this has nothing to do with Corey," Oliver said. "Although if Stel a is found in violation of the Forty-Eight-Hour Rest Period, the Committee wil issue a reprimand. They're not enforcing it currently, as they've got bigger things to worry about right now other than Familiar Care issues. This is about Conspiracy business." He pul ed up the video on his laptop and showed it to her.
"Yeah, I've seen it, so what? Some doofus vampire decided to show off on the Internet. It was bound to happen once YouTube was invented. Props for the cover-up; everyone I know wants to see Suck . Watch the vampire burn, good one. That'l scare the kiddies." Gemma crossed her legs and twitched her ankles impatiently.
Oliver shrugged as if to say it didn't matter either way. "I understand you were at Jamie's the night this was filmed?"
That got Gemma's attention. "That's from Jamie's party?" She looked at the screen again. "Oh my God, it is. Yeah, we were there."
"Did you notice anything unusual?" Oliver asked. "Anyone with a video camera? They're tiny these days."
She furrowed her brow and shook her head. "Not real y. It al seemed like the usual bloodfest. Vampire shenanigans. Thril s and spil s."
"When was the last time you saw Victoria that night?"
Gemma paused. "I think I saw her go into the back room with Evan. You know, to have their privacy. And after that, I saw her hanging out with Bryce and Froggy at the keg. Stel a and I had to leave to go to another party--she wanted to meet Corey at some Riverhead shindig downtown. Wait, did something happen to Vix? I haven't seen her in school this week."
Oliver hesitated. "There was an incident yes. She came home at five in the morning blood-drunk. Her parents decided they weren't happy with the company she was
Similar Books
