WHO: Koen and Gabe WHAT: A body is found. Questions are asked. WHERE: The Red Door, mostly in Koen's office. WHEN: Early evening, the 5th of November WARNINGS: Probably none? They're just having a Friendly Chat.
It had been...a harrying time, for Koen. Oh, it wasn't the first time he'd dealt with death, of course, but this whole series of events had all collided. Avery, dead. People missing. A damn genie attached to his security, who also had a cousin who turned into a lizard and needed help. He'd gotten the report from Marcus, seen the body--a gruesome affair, to be sure, but not a harvester at least--and had requested that all recent clients be rounded up for some questions.
When they had gone to Gabe's room, they had found it dark, and empty. No one had seen him leave; Eli had sworn up and down that after he'd acquainted Gabe with Ricky they'd gone into his room, but Gabe hadn't left, not while he'd been at the door. Koen trusted Eli, and he trusted Marcus.
He did not trust this new client.
"Turn the lights on. If he's a shadow vampire, he won't be returning to that room."
He'd locked the door from the outside, flooded the room with light; that was the morning of the fifth. It was entirely possible that Gabe was a murderer. Possible, but unlikely. He wrote paranormal romance novels, for heavens' sake. And if he was a shadow vampire--Koen couldn't remember if he'd disclosed that information--then he'd have the whole pesky empathy problem to deal with as well. Not that vampires couldn't murder, of course. They could. And did.
Oh, hells. He'd have to call Belli about all this. Koen eyed the phone with no small amount of trepidation, then exhaled slowly. That wasn't something he particularly wanted to deal with, right at the moment.
It was time for supper, but...Koen lingered in his office, frowning. He found himself entirely put off by the idea of food. How unlike him.
Well, he supposed it would be best to wait, anyways. If Gabe was coming back, after all...he couldn't return to his room. He'd have to return somewhere else. And while angering clients was not Koen's usual MO, it did provide an easy way to get the man to come to him.
He just hoped Gabe wouldn't snap his neck in a fit of pique. The author was still a vampire, after all.