Even though that was the goal, Fabian sounded almost sad at that last part. Unlike humans, vampires could see ghosts, but by and large they ignored them. Being dead didn’t mean people automatically got along.

“Thanks, mate,” Bones said. “Keep a lookout to make certain they don’t have any unpleasant surprises waiting for us.”

Fabian’s features blurred until his entire body disappeared.

“We were only supposed to meet with one vampire,” I mused. “What do you think of our contact having a buddy with him?”

Bones shrugged. “I think he’d better have a bloody good reason for it.”

He got out of the car. I followed suit, giving the silver knives concealed by my sleeves a slight, reassuring pat. Never leave home without them was my motto. True, vampires were keen on protecting the secrecy of their race and this was a crowded, public place, but that didn’t guarantee safety. The knives didn’t, either, but they sure tipped the odds in our favor. So did the other two vampires parked farther down the street, ready to jump into action if this turned out to be something other than a fact-gathering chat.

Scents assailed me as I approached the courtyard fountain. Perfumes, body odor, and various chemicals were the strongest, but underneath was another layer I’d gotten better at deciphering: emotions. Fear, greed, desire, anger, love, sadness . . . all those manifested in scents that ranged from sweetly aromatic to bitterly rancid. Not surprisingly, unpleasant emotions had the harsher aromas. Case in point: The vampires seated on the concrete bench both had the rotten-fruit smell of fear emanating from them, even before Bones gave them a quelling glare.

“Which one of you is Scratch?” he asked in a crisp voice.