The King's War

19. A Warning

NATHANIEL

Reports of the Bell family's testimony weren't lucrative with information. As predicted, they claimed to know nothing about Avery's disappearance, despite being very cooperative and accommodating to the investigators.

All except Lydia Bell, that is. The girl was conspicuously absent, claiming to be scoping out colleges out of state. Like the rest of her family, she was very forthcoming with information, just over the phone. I couldn't help but find that suspicious. Did she have something to hide? Vampire senses were keen enough to catch someone in a lie, so long as that person was right in front of them.

I'd always found the girl rather odd. During the competition, she was a standout. Beautiful, talented, witty, and outgoing. She excelled in every challenge thrown at her. She'd say all the right things in all the right ways. But something wasn't quite right with her. I could tell she was hiding under a mask; putting on a show for my benefit.

I figured she was simply approaching the competition as one would a political marriage — unable to muster up true enthusiasm but willing to make a show of it. Though she seemed a perfectly suitable match for me, there was never any genuine affection between us.

Given that knowledge, it didn't surprise me to learn that she'd already found herself a man in the short time since the competition's end. Perhaps they'd even been together longer than that. It would certainly explain her veiled ambivalence towards me.

Chase Colter, Lydia's new boyfriend, was also a person of interest in the investigation. He'd been with Avery and Lydia on their trip, and the investigators were unable to track him down, to be thorough if nothing else.

The eagerness I had the previous night had worn off. I'd emailed Evelyne Brandon about my predicament, and she promised to get her coven together at midnight, but she didn't promise results. Until then, I couldn't simply throw the whole investigation aside. So while the old witch and her coven prepared for my visit, I decided to take a little detour to Albany. It had been a while since I visited Balthazar, and with luck, I might run into Chase Colter himself.

I walked up the wide front steps of the New York Capitol building, marveling at its castle-like design. Balthazar's office was empty of all staff, and a clerk informed me that he was attending a retirement party on the third floor.

A party sounded uncharacteristic of the dour old duke, but I went where I was directed. It wasn't hard to find the party — all I had to do was follow the sound of pop music blaring across the hall. I walked in and saw a circle of people, still dressed in their business casual and gold nameplates, standing around a table with a cake and drinks, chatting excitedly. Streamers decorated the room and confetti floated through the air, littering the floor. The janitors must be thrilled about this.

I spotted Balthazar standing in the crowd, holding a glass of champagne and looking mildly amused. It was not an expression I saw on him often. He'd always been a wet blanket at my parties. I bid my guards to stand at the door, then pushed through the crowd towards Balthazar. Some of the staffers glanced at me curiously, but none paid too much attention. It was just as well. Attention was the last thing I wanted.

"Nice party," I said to Balthazar.

He refrained from watching the cake being cut and passed around to turn towards me. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" he asked, in a tone denoting no pleasure at all.

"I have some business around New York. This place, in particular," I replied.

Balthazar glanced around, his gaze landing on my guards. "Is the Crawford girl still missing?"