"Am I?"Nagi asked, flipping his head.
"Come on," Eddie said."I'm sick of watching you two flirt with one another."
I didn't know what to say to that, so I followed along quietly.
There was a plump,younger witch, maybe my age manning the front desk.Her face looked familiar.I wasn't sure where from at first, but then I remembered jumping into clean air—seeing her dart across the cityscape on a goose.
"Clemenza!"I said."No way!!!"
She looked up from what she was doing and turned pale.Then shook her head and rapidly blinked at me.
"Oh.My.God."
"I know," I said."I'm so happy to see you up and around."
"I was for sure you were gonna die," she said.She came around from behind the counter and gave me a huge hug that nearly squeezed the life out of me."Glad that didn't happen."
"You two know one another?"Eddie asked.
"Yeah.She saved my bean-can when I jumped out of Brother Al's arms.During the whole Coffee Zombie thing," I said.
"It was touch and go there for a minute," Clemenza said."Let me guess.Human reporter.Two vampires.Don't tell me… you're here because something bad happened."
"Bingo," Eddie said.
"We're investigating a possible murder," Nagi said."We have reason to believe a human victim, between 60 and 65 years of age took an illicit serum intended to produce euphoria.It's likely there was a problem with improper storage which caused rapid disintegration of his flesh and subsequent death."
"Oh," Clemenza said.Her face squeezed up."Shit."
"Yeah," Eddie said."You guys keep your requisitions under tight control, right?"
"Absolutely," Clemenza said.
"Do you mind terribly if we take a look at your activity log?"Nagi asked.
"Not at all," Clemenza said."It would help me help you more if I knew what you were looking for specifically."
"Something prone to a clostridium infection," Nagi said.
"Mmmm," she said."I have a few ideas, but I'll have to let you talk with our Chief of medical personnel.Their department is usually in charge of serums, tinctures, and other chemical compounds.Come on.This way."
We walked down long hallways leading to corridors that spiraled here and there out of sight and eventually made our way into what looked like a lab.An older woman was there, with her hair in a tight bun, wearing a long white robe.She was bent double, analyzing some equipment and materials on a rack at eye level, carefully writing down measurements.
"Dr.Kaz," Clemenza said."I'm so sorry to interrupt you.We have some visitors."
Dr.Kaz stood up from her work, sat her notepad down, and regarded us.
"How can I help you three?"she asked.She seemed halfway between annoyed at us and grateful for an interruption.I knew the feeling well.
I spoke first: "We're investigating a potential serum laced with an ethereal accelerant and a clostridium pathogen that's killed a human."
Her face instantly hardened, the wrinkle lines and crow's feet tugging at the edges.
"Well, I hope you don't think it's anything from our stores," Dr.Kaz said."We only work on physical and mental well-being serums here.We're a backup arm for the CWC, and mostly make medical supplies.I'm afraid what you're looking for wouldn't be here."
"But didn't we have that break-in last week?"Clemenza asked.
Dr.Kaz's face froze.
