“Yeah, but you didn’t know Walters, either,” Gyth pointed out, “and that guy had been going to Paradise for the last month to watch you.”
She saw Todd stiffen. “I think we need to take a step back here.” He motioned toward the captain. “Susan Dobbs was human.
How’d she hook up with a demon?”
“Demons are everywhere,” McNeal said. “Shouldn’t have been too hard—”
“It would have been a hell of a lot easier for her if she’d been inside Demon Central.”
Gyth began to nod, obviously understanding where Todd was going.
“Niol’s place is a meeting point for the Other, and Cara told me once that some humans like to play in Paradise.”
McNeal’s head cocked to the right. “And you think Susan was the playing kind?”
The woman had been the killing kind, so, yeah, Cara thought she was definitely the type of human who would have enjoyed playing with the Other.
“Niol will know.” Todd gave a quick nod. “No one gets in that place without his knowledge.”
“And you think the guy will be in the mood to cooperate with the cops?” Gyth asked, looking damn doubtful.
“He’ll cooperate,” Cara said, voice clear. He would do it, for her.
“Who is this…Nee-ole?” Smith asked slowly, pronouncing the demon’s name with care.
McNeal’s fingers splayed over the desk. “You really don’t want to know about him.”
“Yes, I do.” The ME’s voice hardened. “I’m in this game now, and I want to know everything. ”
“Niol is the most powerful demon I know,” Cara said, and Smith’s head jerked toward her. Her eyes were wide, stark.
“And he’s a serious ass,” Gyth added.
Smith didn’t glance back at him. Her gaze stayed on Cara. “Is he evil?”
Hard question. “I’ve never known him to hurt an innocent.” The not-so-innocent, well, that was a different story.
“Niol knows every damn thing that happens in this town,” McNeal rumbled. “With the humans and with the supernaturals.”
“He can tell us if there are any incubi hunting on the streets.” Gyth’s features were tense with predatory anticipation. “He was the one who originally tipped me off about the Night Butcher.”
Cara bit her lip. She knew of a few incubi in the area. One of the guys—well, she’d known him for years, and the thought of him killing—of any of them killing— no, she just couldn’t see it.
But she couldn’t lie to Todd about the men. Not with so much at stake. “You really think the killer is an incubus, don’t you?”
Todd turned to face her. His eyes were cop sharp. “I do. A succubus wouldn’t have needed a lure—not with the scent you can put out—and sure as hell not if all succubi are as sexy as you.”
No two succubi looked alike—not even twins. Her kind came in all shapes and sizes, but they were all created with one purpose—
to seduce.
A succubus would never need another woman to act as bait to capture the attention of human men.
If there was a chance that the killer was an incubus—and from where she was sitting, it looked like there was one bigass chance Todd was right about that—then she had to tell him what she knew. Protecting the private lives of demons would have to come second to saving the humans and finding out who was setting her up.
She held Todd’s stare and quietly told him, “I can give you the names of three incubi right now.” The men might all be proved innocent—they were good men, two in high positions in the city—but she had to tell Todd their names.
Yet even after she told them, Cara knew that the cops would follow up with Niol and find out if any other incubi were hunting sexual prey.
Niol always knew exactly who was hunting in the city. That was the reason she’d gone to him after leaving Todd’s bed. She’d asked him if there was another succubus on the streets.
He’d told her, simply, “No.”
She believed him. Because while he might make a habit of lying to others, he’d never lied to her.
Cara realized that all eyes were on her now. She licked her lips. “I only know three, but there could be more.”
Gyth stood up, fast.
Todd swore. “You could have mentioned their names sooner.”
“I just learned that you were looking for an incubus and not a succubus less than half an hour ago!” Jeez, she had been the suspect, and she hadn’t thought that a man was involved.
Until now.
“Trey Barker.” She said his name clearly.
Smith’s mouth dropped. “The newsman from Channel Twelve?”
“No wonder my mom likes to watch him so much,” McNeal mumbled.
“Jody Rain.”
Todd’s eyes widened. “The assistant district attorney?”
A nod. There was a reason why the guy was so well liked by the women on his juries.
“And you’ve met the third demon.”
Todd shook his head.
“Cameron Komak, the bartender at Paradise Found.”
“I knew that ass**le was too pretty.”
Too pretty. A fairly normal description for an incubus.
“Gyth, start checking these bastards,” McNeal ordered. “Track ’em down, get ’em in here, and find out everything you can about their lives for the last two months.”
Todd stepped forward. “Captain, I told you I wasn’t going to be shut out—”
“Brooks, get your ass over to Paradise Found and make Niol tell you everything he knows about the sex demons in this town.”
A wide grin split Todd’s mouth. “My pleasure, sir.”
But she knew Todd would be in for one hell of a fight, because no one made Niol do anything he didn’t want to do. “I’ll go with you,” she offered, because she knew the demon didn’t exactly have a soft spot for her lover.
But he did for her.
“Good idea.” McNeal looked so satisfied that she realized that had been his plan from the beginning.
“Captain…” Todd’s face flushed with anger. “She’s supposed to be in protective custody. I can handle Niol on my own—”
“But she can handle him one hell of a lot better.” One finger jabbed at Todd. “You saw her, Brooks, the woman doesn’t need protecting, but any fool who gets in her path just might.”
Hmm…maybe the captain wasn’t so bad.