"Sure."

We sat in the sweltering interior of the Infiniti, I in the front passenger's side and Polly behind the wheel. While she fit the keys into the ignition, I removed my sunglasses and contacts.

"Polly?"

She turned the air conditioner up full blast and looked at me.

I plucked the sunglasses off her nose. Her hands jerked up and her gaze locked on mine.

Those blue-gray eyes dilated into black circles. Her aura shone like a red lamp. It'd be a treat to fang her and play around-easy enough, considering the tinted windows and the sunshade on the dash gave some privacy-but not now. Business first.

I kneaded her hands and asked my questions. Polly was an easy read. She didn't kill Roxy. She didn't know who did. Everything she told me was the truth. And she knew nothing of vampires.

I put on my contacts and sunglasses. I returned Polly's sunglasses to the bridge of her nose and commanded her to awaken. She rolled her head in a confused, where am I motion.

"Anything the matter?" I asked.

She touched her temple. "Must be the heat. And the strain."

"Of what?"

"I feel like a lout for saying it. Managing Open Hand. Fred was the second of my former clients that I buried this month."

"Really?"

"There's no connection," Polly said. "The other client died of HIV-related pneumonia. Open Hand's like a conveyor belt, the same faces and problems coming at you over and over. It's worn me out. I could use a change. Any ideas?"

"Change of what?" I asked.

She sighed. "Everything."

"What are you looking for?"

"A different kind of man, for starters." Polly folded the sunshade and tossed it onto the backseat. She put the Infiniti into drive. "Felix, when I find him, I'll let you know."

The conversation with Polly made me want to go quiz Rosario, Cragnow, and Journey. Plus corner Niphe and question him until I got tired of listening. And there was someone I hadn't yet introduced myself to: Councilwoman Petale Venin. I moved her to the top of my list so I could learn what levers she pulled in this conspiracy.

I drove into downtown Los Angeles, parked, and made my way to city hall. In L.A., everything, even the government buildings, led double lives for the camera, and this art deco structure had once served as the home of the Daily Planet in the Superman TV show. For the longest time, it was the tallest building in the city by ordinance, but it has since been dwarfed by the surrounding banks and corporate offices, the real seats of power.

I climbed the steps into the lobby. Velvet ropes funneled traffic to a security checkpoint with an X-ray machine and a metal detector. How could I get past with my pistol? A notice on an easel pointed left toward a counter and said that everyone had to show a badge or sign in.

A man in a business suit stepped around me, barking, "Excuse me," and glaring, as if I was slowing him down from getting his asshole-of-the-year award. He halted at the counter and signed in with the attending cop, an LAPD officer. The cop selected a badge from the board behind him. The man clipped the badge to his lapel and continued inside, bypassing the security checkpoint.

The cop went back to glancing at a book. When I approached, the cop closed the book, Selling Your Screenplay, and flipped it upside down to hide the title.

Deep wrinkles mapped years on his tanned face. No doubt he was tired of being a career police officer.

He pointed to a clipboard. "Show me an ID and sign in." Next he pushed a sheet of paper name tags toward me. "Write your name on one of these, then go through security."

I had to show my ID? I didn't want to leave a trail, and I couldn't go through the metal detector. I would hypnotize the cop and get one of those special badges. But he stood on the opposite side of the counter, and with so many people around, zapping him might be a challenge.

I pointed to the cop's book. "That's a tough racket."

"You a screenwriter?"

"I've been optioned. Nothing's made it to film yet, but it pays my bills."

The cop's eyes glistened with envy. He shook his head. "Man, I've been at it for years and getting nowhere. How do you do it?"

I leaned close. "There are tricks."

"Tricks?" He put his weight on the counter and gave an eager grin.

Perfect. I tapped his book to distract him and removed my contacts. "These kind of tricks."

He looked up. His aura flashed. His posture relaxed and his mouth dropped open.

"Give me a badge." I couldn't risk reaching over and grabbing one myself.

The cop fumbled with the board. He gave me one with numbers written in big red print.

I fastened the badge to my collar and told the cop. "Stare at your book for ten seconds, then wake up."

I put my contacts in and walked away. The cop on the other side of the checkpoint acknowledged me with a nod. I gave a smart wave of thanks. Keep up the good work. The bad guys will never sneak past you.

At the end of the hall, a placard listed the council members by room number. Venin was in 497. I took the elevator to the fourth floor.

Men and women in power suits filed into the elevator when I got off. The doors closed behind me and I was alone on the floor.

Venin's office was at the end of the hall, behind a wide wooden door with a frosted glass window bearing her name and title. This investigation was moving at turtle speed. Time to sprint. I removed my contacts again and decided to bust into Venin's office, my vampire eyes blazing. I was going to hypnotize everybody if I had to. If other vampires were inside, well that's why I had my talons and pistol.

Voices mumbled from inside the room. I put my ear close to the glass pane. The voices quieted. They sensed my presence. Did they expect me, or someone else?

I tensed my legs and grasped the doorknob.

Get ready. Vampire attack.

I pushed the door open and sprang inside.

A dozen voices yelled, "Surprise."

Twelve humans stared at me. They crowded inside Venin's office and held garlands and a banner that read: HAPPY BIRTHDAY.

Their eyes popped open in terror. Waves of panic lashed through their auras. When they twitched to move, I zapped each one in turn, like I was plinking tin cans off a fence.

I nudged the door shut with my foot. I had to work fast, as this hypnosis wouldn't hold them long. I went down the line and ordered, "Close your eyes and go to sleep." Their arms dropped and they teetered in place.

Colored balloons floated in the room. A cake sat on a round conference table. The cake frosting said Happy Birthday Cecil.

I stopped in front of the oldest-looking human, a woman in her thirties. I stared into her eyes to strengthen the hypnosis.

"Who's Cecil?" I asked.

"An intern."

"Where's Venin?"

"In Sacramento."

"When will she return?"

"Late this evening," the woman answered.

A balloon bounced against my face and I slapped it away. I could rifle through the office but I needed to interrogate Venin. Other than learn she wasn't here, this visit gave me bupkus.

I told the woman to sleep. After the group woke up, they'd be confused for sure. Maybe word of that confusion would reach Venin, and if she knew anything about vampires, then I would've made her suspect something. So actually, I did worse than bupkus.

I returned to my car and found a parking ticket stuck under the wiper. The meter had run out.

I stared back at the city hall building. Venin had given me the slip without even trying. And here I thought of myself as a professional.

I balled up the parking ticket and flung it into the trash. My superpowers sure did wonders today.