He climbed the stairs, seething. It had been such a good morning! He didn't even know why he'd decided to pick up Alice, but he'd been right to follow that impulse. She seemed to be warming up to him more and more. And then... Diana. He really couldn't refuse her either, or there'd be hell to pay later. Damn half-elven viper with the soul of a harpy—why had she latched onto him anyway? Things with Alice had gone terribly. Tomorrow he'd have to pick her up again and invite her to breakfast. Maybe offer his help with her personal mission while he was at it. Grimacing as if from a toothache, he reached the office and found Tyler and the twins already there.

  "Good morning, boss!" the team chorused.

  "Bloody wonderful morning," Raen muttered.

  "You okay?" the shapeshifter asked.

  "Just fine," he replied curtly, settling behind his desk. "So, gentlemen vampires and werewolf, what do we have? Dead girl, her killer presumably either a vitalist or a Supreme vampire. We've got a vitalist in custody who doesn't particularly fit the role. No active amplification amulets found at the time of the victim's death, our guest's alibi is unconfirmed but not disproven, and the boy denies everything."

  At that moment, Alice entered. She looked composed and calm.

  "Oh, Alice! Hi, perfect timing," Andreas said cheerfully. "The boss was just explaining how we're in deep demonic shit." Tyler shot him a reproachful look, then nodded welcomingly at Alice.

  "I basically live in that shit," Alice muttered barely audibly as she settled at her desk. The shapeshifter looked at her in surprise, then glanced at Raen, back at Alice, raised his eyebrows, and said nothing.

  "Right, continuing," Raen regained everyone's attention. "Young Gaspar doesn't really look like a killer, but we can't release him until the alibi situation is clarified. Moving on. We have two Supremes, both had contact with Goldspire. Fogan definitely knew the victim. But judging by yesterday's check, he didn't know about Lisbeth's murder and behaved completely naturally. I think we can cross him off the suspect list. The second Supreme, Grigor Destrian, according to documents, dealt personally with Eider. But we need to verify that somehow."

  "We could repeat the illusion trick," Thomas suggested.

  "No more tricks involving civilians or any risk to our lovely ladies," Raen said firmly. "I'll ask Eider directly whether he introduced Lisbeth to this Supreme. If not, no verification will be needed."

  "What if he lies? Not necessarily because Destrian might be involved in Lizzie's murder, but simply because he doesn't want us bothering his VIP client unnecessarily. He might just say he handled all dealings personally," Alice noted.

  "Quite possible. That's why I want you to analyze the molecular resonance patterns in his drink residue afterward—emotional states leave distinct crystalline signatures in liquids. We'll know for ourselves whether it's worth finding an approach to Destrian."

  "Yes, that's an option," Alice agreed.

  "Also, we need to talk to our victim's sister and Sevrin Laurec to find out if Lisbeth had any other vitalists in her circle besides Olaf. It's possible we're digging in the wrong place entirely."

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  "We'll take the sister," Andreas announced.

  "And I'll chat with Master Laurec. By the way, what's the status on the request from the Kingdom of Grolas?"

  "Still nothing. I'll try to hurry up the intelligence division," Raen winced again. "First—what did you find out about Sevrin Laurec?"

  Tyler consulted his notes. "He has an alibi. Said he was on a date Sunday night. I called her—confirmed he showed up around 10 PM and stayed until maybe 2 in the morning, then went home."

  "Well, that rules him out for the time of death," Raen nodded. "All right then, everyone to work!"

  The twins jumped up briskly and left, Tyler didn't linger either.

  "Well then, Alice, Goldspire awaits us."

  "I'm ready," Alice said, grabbing her kit and heading for the door. Raen followed her.

  Together they left the Enclave, walked to the parking area, and climbed back into the vex.

  After a moment of silence, Raen added, "Alice, I'm sorry about how things worked out with dinner. Believe me, Diana's company is absolutely insufferable, but I can't afford to quarrel with her—she really can make our work very difficult."

  "You have nothing to apologize for, Arcanis. You always do what you must, don't you?" Alice said coolly.

  Raen sighed deeply. There was no defense against that.

  By then they'd reached Goldspire, parked the vex, and headed for the familiar entrance.

  "You again?" Maestra Gutor asked with displeasure. This time she wasn't nervous or trembling. Probably realized she wasn't suspected of anything since she had an alibi for the time of the murder.

  "Yes, dear Maestra Gutor, us again," Raen said cheerfully, and Alice looked at him in surprise. "Please be so kind as to contact our precious Master Eider and announce my visit."

  Not appreciating the wordplay, the secretary silently reached for her communication amulet.

  "Go ahead," she announced after a few moments.

  "Please bring us something to drink. I'll have water. My throat's dry."

  "Very well, I'll prepare everything now."

  Alice set her kit by Maestra Gutor's desk and settled in the visitor's spot while Raen entered the office.

  "You're becoming a regular fixture, Arcanis," Armon said with displeasure. Jewelry sketches lay on the desk before him—apparently he'd been evaluating the craftsmen's work before Raen's arrival.

  "And good morning to you, Master Eider. Don't worry, I won't take much of your time. Before bothering your VIP clients, I'd like to go through the list and clarify which ones Lisbeth worked with or knew, and which ones you dealt with personally. That will limit our contacts with them. You see, I'm keeping my promise to act carefully."

  At that moment Maestra Gutor appeared and set drinks on the table. Raen nodded gratefully, and she withdrew.

  "Fine, let's go through the list," Eider said resignedly, gesturing for him to take the visitor's chair.

  About ten minutes later, the secretary returned and collected the glasses. Some time after that, Raen finished the conversation, said goodbye to Armon, and left his office.

  In the reception area, to his delight, neither Alice nor Maestra Gutor were present—he immediately spotted the tray with the water residue they needed. So Alice had played her part successfully and was now with Eider's assistant in the infirmary. Raen quickly took samples, returned everything to its place, and settled down to wait for them.

  Soon Alice came into view. She walked slowly, suffering written on her face, with Maestra Gutor supporting her by the elbow. Following their cover story, Raen jumped up and asked anxiously:

  "What happened?"

  "You've completely worn out your girlfriend, Arcanis Raen. She felt unwell, so I took her to our duty vitalist. But he found nothing wrong—said it was just overwork," the secretary replied.

  "Thank you," Alice said to the woman. Raen took the kit, offered Alice his arm, and led her toward the exit.

  Once they were settled back in the vex, Raen observed:

  "You were wrong about your acting abilities—you played suffering quite convincingly."

  "Thank you for the compliment, Arcanis," Alice chuckled. "You handled your part well too."

  "I thought we agreed to drop the formalities?"

  "I think that's unnecessary," Alice replied after a pause, turning away to watch the passing scenery.