"What's with the games, Lance?" Josef asked once the four men were all seated comfortably in the dining room. Lance himself, dressed in an expensive looking charcoal grey suit, complete with blood red tie, was sitting at the head of a large oak table. At the facing end sat Josef, with Tobias and Mick either side. He found the chair to be surprisingly comfortable; though the high backs looked imposing, they were lined with a soft velvet. He had not been given the chance to talk to Mick about their plans, but for the moment he was keeping quiet, and Josef hoped to keep it that way. At least he had had dealings with Lance before - the last time Mick had encountered the eldest Duvall, Coraline had gone up in flames.
"What games?" Lance purred, his face twisting into some form of smile. Tobias joined him; they looked like Frankenstein and his monster, both privy to some inside joke. The image was almost enough to make Josef laugh out loud. Instead he kept his composure, adopting the same aloof tone he always did when he had to make a big business deal for his work.
"Well, why not just give us this address? It would have saved us the time we spent hanging around that disgusting warehouse."
Lance gestured to the room they were currently sitting in. It was styled with old fashioned looking furnishings, and there was a lot of polished wood around, but Josef could tell by the smell that most of it was newly bought. The paintings that lined the walls, however, appeared to be genuinely old, and they were probably original. He wondered if they were from Lance's personal collection or whether they came with the building.
"I couldn't let you know about this place! Its beautiful, and if you knew where it was, you might try and take it from me." Chuckling, he took off the mirrored sunglasses, revealing his ruined eye. "Now, what can I do for you people today? I can tell you, Josef, I was surprised to hear from you two."
As Josef slid the envelope across the table, Mick came to life.
"Why?" He stared at Lance like they were the only two people in the room.
"Why what?" Lance inquired, his face fixed into an expression of odd politeness.
"Why would you be surprised to hear from us?"
"Last time we saw each other, your ex wife was reduced to a pile of ashes. I figured that would be enough to soil our friendship. And since then I've been trying to stay off of the grid, so there hasn't been much that you need me for." He picked up the envelope, studying it curiously. "What are these?"
"Photographs," answered Tobias quietly. "They were sent to the human girl, Beth. She then gave them to Josef, who in turn is giving them to you." The others nodded slowly as Lance glanced over the pictures, his eyebrows edging closer and closer to the top of his head.
Mick was beginning to feel antsy. He didn't trust Lance as far as he could throw him, especially after Coraline. The ancient vampire was ruthless, and stronger than both he and Josef. If Lance wanted them killed, it could be done here, and no-one would know. The thought was unsettling, and as Lance perused the pictures Mick scanned the room looking for some kind of emergency exit. He knew that Josef was watching him, but there wasn't a lot either of them could do right now. Either Lance would help them, or he would not. Eventually, he began to speak.
"These have nothing to do with me, I want you to understand that. This scent isn't something I've come across before, either. I find it interesting that Coraline is in here; I killed her myself, and I certainly was not coerced by anyone. The young man -" He pointed to a picture of Josh. "- I do not even know who this is. And the same goes for the young woman. Remind me again why you think I can help with this?"
Josef swallowed, having gone a little paler than usual. He forgot about the fact that Lance wouldn't know who Sarah or Josh were. This was, in some respects, good news, because it ruled him out as a suspect. It just meant that the list now had no names on it.
"That man is Josh Lindsey, boyfriend of Beth's. He was human, recently killed by what we thought was a gang hit as a result of a case he was working on in the DA's office. The woman's name is Sarah Whitley. She is an old flame of mine, someone I care very much about. She is not yet dead, and I want this bastard caught before he gets anywhere near her."
For some reason, Mick wanted to get up out of his seat and comfort Josef, who was now taking deep breaths. He knew it must be difficult for him, talking about Sarah with an almost flippant tone. You didn't need vampire hearing to detect the pained undercurrent. Tobias spoke up once more, addressing Lance.
"We considered it may have been something to do with the Mortal Cure, but it does not make much sense." He admitted. "The thought crossed Mick's mind that perhaps you had also been targeted."
"I was thinking about the Mortal Cure again when I said it." Mick added. "It's the only thing that links the four of us. But seeing as you haven't had any photographs, that can't be the case. We came to you because you're powerful, and you've got a lot of connections in the vampire community. Perhaps there are people who you know that we don't." He found it increasingly difficult to remain humble toward the eldest Duvall.
"If this is nothing to do with you, Lance, maybe this person is trying to take credit for what you did. It is clear from these photographs that whoever's doing this has been planning something for a long time. Maybe it was just coincidence that you killed Coraline before they did." Josef seemed to have regained his voice, and now stared the ancient vampire down, his brown eyes staring into Lances mismatched features. There was a rumour that his black eye was dead, that he was blind in it, but Josef was not so sure. No one had ever gotten the best of Lance in a fist fight.
"That does make sense." Tobias conceded, his soft voice carrying across the room as easily as if he had shouted.
"But what does it mean?" Lance mused, crossing his hands together in front of himself on the table, as if the whole thing was an interesting little game.
"It means that Sarah is next, for one." Mick muttered, careful not to make eye contact with anyone. "We should operate on that basis for now."
"Agreed," said Josef, tersely. He turned to address Lance. "Is there any chance you would consider helping us find this guy?"
"Whatever would make you think I want to help you?" He laughed, Tobias joining in, softly chuckling in the background. Josef stared Lance down once more, waiting patiently for him to finish.
"Because you're dying." He replied simply.