Biting Bad_ A Chicagoland Vampires Novel(105)
“After I watched the tape, I checked our accounts. There was an unscheduled deposit in our operating account two days ago.”
“How much?” Ethan asked.
“Five hundred thousand dollars.”
I glanced at Ethan. McKetrick paid Alan Bryant half a million dollars. For what?
That is the question, he silently agreed. “Charla, you have no idea what he might have given McKetrick?”
She shook her head. “Alan is a talented researcher, but I have no idea what McKetrick would want from us. We’re trying to help vampires—to keep them fed and healthy. Those certainly aren’t McKetrick’s goals.”
“Is it possible he wanted to adulterate the blood somehow?” Ethan asked.
“To be frank, if Alan wanted to adulterate the blood, he could do it. He has the access.” Her eyes widened. “Oh, but information about the Houses, that he has.” She glanced between us. “All three Houses buy blood from us. We have their account numbers, delivery dates—do you think McKetrick wanted that?”
That was a frightening possibility, but it didn’t read for McKetrick, I thought. “McKetrick wouldn’t pay money for information he could easily get,” I said. “He’s part of the city admin. If he wanted information about the Houses, he could get a warrant, comb tax records. He’s got sources he wouldn’t have to pay for,” I said.
“I would tend to agree,” Ethan said.
I glanced at Ethan. “Alan knows blood. McKetrick wants to wipe us out. Maybe McKetrick thinks Alan’s got the information he needs to accomplish that with blood.”
“Oh my God,” Charla said, putting a hand over her mouth. “You think he’s going to use us—our business—to hurt you?”
Ethan frowned. “We don’t know enough right now. But it’s clear McKetrick wanted information that Alan had. Information he was willing to pay for.”
“Charla, why didn’t Alan wipe the tapes?” I wondered aloud. “He’s in charge of building security, right?”
“He thought he did,” Charla said. “Our hard drive was clean, as was the backup we stored on-site. But when Celina announced your existence, I retained a backup service to store copies of the videos off-line, just in case things deteriorated. It was nearly a year ago. He must have forgotten.”
She looked away for a moment, shaking her head ruefully. “He told me he watched the tapes, that there was nothing on them. That the inspection was just like normal, the same inspectors, the standard questions about packaging and quality control. He lied to my face about this. My own brother.” She shook her head. “I’m so sorry. So very sorry.”
Ethan shook his head. “There is nothing to feel guilty about, Charla. You didn’t create this problem, or this drama. You undertook to do something we don’t see others doing very often. Grieve for your family, for your brother. But know that you are the reason we will close this loop. Because you took the time to care.”
Ethan knew how to make a speech, and he knew how to motivate. And by the sudden change in Charla’s posture, he’d done the job effectively.
“That helps,” she said.
“I’m glad, but I didn’t say it to help. I meant it. Your family has provided for ours for decades, even when others would not. And now you’ve come to us with information you could have easily ignored. We need more people like you. Chicago would be better for it.”
Charla’s eyes welled again, but these were clearly the good kind of tears.
“Sorry,” she said, waving a hand. “I’m just really emotional today.”
“No apologies necessary,” Ethan said. “Merit has told me about cathartic tears.”
She looked at Ethan for a moment the way a person might inspect a beautiful, but confusing, piece of artwork. Then she burst out laughing.
“Right?” I said. “Four hundred years old and he doesn’t know about relief crying.”
“There are worse sins,” she said, looking back at Ethan. “What should I do now?”
“We’ll need to talk to Alan. Where can we find him?”
“The lab. He’ll be in the lab. He’s always in the lab.”
“Are your people safe from Alan? Your employees?”
She nodded. “The irony is, I don’t think he’d really hurt anyone on purpose. He’s a vegetarian, for God’s sake. He doesn’t even want to hurt animals.”
“Greed can make people act very irrationally,” Ethan said. “Try to go about your business as normal, but perhaps keep an extra bit of security on the blood supply. If he tries to offer you money again for the business, perhaps you hear him out because he has so much more to give. Act like you’re seriously considering the offer. That will keep him calm in the meantime, and keep him from making any rash decisions.”