He snorted. "The cross-checking of the emo list continues. We can't find backgrounds on four of them."

I frowned. "What do you mean, you can't find their backgrounds?"

"Just that. No birth certificates, no death certificates, no rebirth notices. They don't exist, according to the paperwork."

"Well, paperwork has been known to be wrong." I walked over to my desk and sat down. "Where's Iktar?"

"Got the day off. Some family gathering." Kade shrugged. "How's the murder investigations going?"

"That's the question I was about to ask," Jack said as he walked into the room. He was holding one of Beans's thick-ribbed cups in one hand, and the rich scent of mocha coffee permeated the room, making my coffee smell even fouler.

I ignored his question and asked, "Have the magi handed in their report from the warehouse yet?"

He propped on the edge of Iktar's desk and crossed his legs. He looked casual-if you ignored the tension riding his shoulders or the anger lurking in his green eyes. "Not that I'm aware of. Why?"

"Because the woman behind the zombies tried to kill a friend of our second zombie victim last night-and I suspect she's been tracking them all through a magic-infused business card. I left one with the dead zombie last night for Marg to pick up."

"Did the card feel similar to the magic you sensed at the vampire murders?"

I hesitated, then shook my head. "Although it has a dark edge to it, it doesn't have the same traits as the one at the vamp scenes."

"Magic doesn't have personal traits, like scents do."

"Maybe not to someone without a keen nose, but trust me, there's differences."

"So we have two rogue practitioners on the loose." He took another sip of coffee, then added, "You don't think there's a connection?"

"Between the vamp killings and the teenage girls? Hell, I don't know." It didn't seem logical at this point, but stranger things had certainly happened. I leaned back in my chair. "But I do think there could be connections between these two women, and that would mean the cases might be, as well. What are the chances of two dark sorcerers being active at the same time in the same city?"

"It has happened, but it isn't a common event. Sorcerers, unlike witches, tend to have their territories, and they don't like rivals intruding."

"Then maybe we need to source out Melbourne's witches, and see what they know about the new dark powers on the block."

"Our magi are already onto that. So far, there's been nothing."

"There has to be something. I mean, aren't there ley lines crisscrossing the city, from which magi draw their strength? Surely they should feel if someone new was dabbling."

"This is more than dabbling," Jack said with a smile. "But remember, most sorcerers draw from blood or personal magic. They do not use the earth energy, as most witches do."

"Witches don't only draw from the earth, though."

"No, many use white magic, which also draws on personal strength. It depends on the strength of spell required. Earth magic is a wild thing, and not every witch has the capability to control it."

"Do any of our witches?" I asked, curious.

He took a sip of his coffee, then nodded. "I'll roust our magi for their reports and see if they confirm what you suspect about the business card. What do you plan to do next?"

"I'm going out to talk to the parents of the other victims, just to see if any of them know what sort of work their kids had been involved in before their death."

He nodded. "Did Shore's girlfriend provide any useful information?"

"She said he was a regular visitor to strip joints, and liked bringing the dancers home. The last one he took home was from Meinhardt's."

"Both Armel and Garrison were regulars there, too." He glanced across at Kade. "You feel like a little investigative trip tonight?"

Kade grinned. "Boss, anything is better than sitting behind this goddamn desk chasing names that don't exist."

"Just remember you're there to get information about our victims, not just ogle the scenery."

"I'm versatile. I can do both."

Jack harrumphed-a sound of disbelief if ever I'd heard one-then glanced at me. "Anything else?"

I shook my head. "Ben said Meinhardt's opened about six months ago, but he couldn't tell me who the owners are. I'm going to do a search through business registrations to get names, then do a background check."

"Let me know if you find anything," he said, then uncrossed his legs and walked out.

I went through the eye scan and signed into my computer, then pulled up the records for the last two zombie victims. I jotted down their addresses and the names of their parents, then I retreated to the search function and typed in Meinhardt's. As the cursor began to blink, I glanced at Kade, who was still grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"And what is Sable going to think about you going off to some strip joint while she stays home and minds the baby?"

"It's work, so she has no say. Besides, minding babies is a woman's business."

I snorted. "I bet you don't say that within earshot of her."

"I enjoy sex too much to ever say that within earshot of her, trust me on that. It doesn't counter the truth, though."

"You are such a sexiest at times."

"Totally. It is the way of the world."

"Maybe in the horse-shifter world, but not in the real one."

He waved a hand. "There may be a few enlightened souls in this world of ours, but trust me, deep down most men believe they are the superior sex."

"Believing and fact are two totally different things."

He grinned again. "I'm aware of that. And you will note that I've never mentioned my views to Sable."

"Wise move." Because I very much suspected Sable was one mare who packed a hell of a punch.

The results of my search flicked up on the screen. Meinhardt's was a surprisingly popular business name, with a good half dozen listings coming up. I clicked what appeared to be the latest link, and discovered the two women who ran Meinhardt were Hanna Mein and Jessica Hardt. Two woman running it, and two murderers running lose. Coincidence? It was always possible, but I just didn't think so. I clicked the next link down. The same women, same type of club, different state. As were the remainder. It seemed the two women had a habit of setting up a business and selling it nine months later.

I hunted down their license photos, sent them to the printer, and noticed with interest that one of the licenses was for a handicapped driver. Maybe it was coincidence, but those coincidences were beginning to add up. I started a search to see if either of the women had a police or Directorate record in any of the states they'd run their businesses in. I also ran a separate search for unsolved vamp murders in the time periods they'd owned their businesses. It was a long shot, but occasionally long shots did come in.

With the searches on the way, I walked over to the printer to get the pictures. Both women had dark hair, with one having green eyes and the other an odd brown that could almost be yellow. They could be described as plain looking, but given that these photos were only head shots, that didn't mean much. Hell, they could both have buxom, hourglass figures for all I knew.

What did strike me was the fact that one of them-Hanna Mein-bore a striking resemblance to the picture Joe had drawn of the blonde who'd recruited Kaz.

Which didn't mean she was guilty, but it was yet another pointer that the investigation was probably headed in the right direction.

I shoved the pictures into my pocket and headed out. The parents of the third murdered woman weren't home, so I went to the address of the first victim. And wondered if Kye would turn up, given these people were supposedly his friends. Or was that just another lie he'd spun?