Disclaimer: I do not own Moonlight. Do I really have to say that anymore? It is not like the true owner cares about it.

Thank you very much for the reviews. I appreciate all of your comments, they do inspire me.

Chapter 22

Laslo had taken Mick back to Neville Trask's cluttered office in the back of the sound stage. The large, burly vampire with dirty blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail glared up at them from his monitor.

"I'm trying to catch up here Laslo, why are you interrupting me?" he growled, his dark eyes squinting in annoyance.

"Neville, this is Mick St. John, he's looking into Tammi's death. I want you to cooperate with him and answer his questions. He is going to try and keep the police from learning our secret," Laslo instructed, ignoring the man's attitude.

"I had nothing to do with it," Trask huffed.

"Just talk to the man," Laslo sighed. "The quicker this is dealt with the quicker we get back to filming."

With a grunt, Trask looked back at his monitor and with an encouraging nod to Mick, Laslo left them alone.

Mick moved closer to Trask and waited a few moments, just staring at the vamp. He crossed his arms over his chest and studied the uncooperative man before him.

"I don't suppose ignoring you will make you go away," Trask grumbled without looking up.

"Nope," Mick answered mildly. "This really will go faster if you would just answer a few questions."

Trask looked up at Mick with irritation in his eyes. When Mick continued to regard him calmly, the sound man snorted and clicked off his computer. He sat back and mirrored Mick's posture by crossing his arms over his own chest.

"Okay, ask your questions," he grumbled.

"Did you see Tammi Montgomery last Saturday after she talked with Masterson?" Mick inquired.

Neville blinked in surprise and then gave Mick a grudging half smile. The PI really did jump right to the heart of the matter and did not ask the obvious question. Trask had expected to be accused of killing the girl.

"Yea….I saw the chick storm out of his office Saturday. She was spitting mad," Trask answered. "I never touched her."

"And I should believe you just because you say so?" Mick stated with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not interested in Laslo's little twits. His human honeys are just children, I have no desire to spend any time near them," Neville sneered.

"So where were you the rest of Saturday and then on Sunday?" Mick asked, moving in and leaning towards the man. His gaze bored into the other man's, looking for the truth. This vamp was a little younger than him and in spite of his size; Mick knew he could handle him.

"I worked on the sound editing for what was filmed last week on Saturday. Sunday, I was at my place outside of Santa Clarita."

"And you can prove that?" Mick challenged.

Neville rose to his feet and glared at Mick from his full six foot four inches.

"I don't need to prove anything," he snarled. His eyes silvered as he leaned closer to Mick. "I keep to myself and don't bother anyone. Now get out of here, I'm done talking with you," he finished, his face inches from Mick's.

Two minutes ticked by as the two men stared at each other. The silver faded from Trask's eyes as his temper cooled when Mick didn't back off. Neville was the first to draw back, sinking back down into his chair.

"Just get out Mr. St. John. I had nothing to do with that girl's death. Leave me alone."

With a nod, Mick straightened and took a step back from Trask.

"Fine but if my investigation proves you are lying, you had better get out of town or I will be coming after you," he vowed.

"I've nothing more to say to you," Trask grunted and turned his attention back to his monitor.

Mick didn't protest his dismissal and left to continue his interviews with the other vampires. He also didn't like the thought of Beth being alone in a place where a killer had struck recently. Finding his way back to the set, he was relieved to discover Beth safely chatting with Laslo's assistant.

With a smile, he walked quickly over to where Beth sat and ran a possessive hand along her shoulder as he moved to stand behind her.

"Where is Masterson? I 'm ready to interview the others," he informed Simmons.

"I see Trask didn't take your head off," Calvin said lightly. "I'll give you points for walking away without taking a swipe at him. He knows how to push people's buttons."

"I don't know if he's lying or not but I will find out," Mick promised. "Would you please find Masterson for me?"

"Sure thing Mr. St. John," Calvin said and hurried off.

"So what do you think about Trask?" Beth asked curiously.

"He swears he never touched Tammi. He is an incredibly rude guy but he seems to be telling the truth," Mick muttered. He stroked his hand down her arm as he came around the chair to stand in front of her. The atmosphere on the studio lot bothered him.

"Well I'm not sure that Darla is completely innocent in this mess," Beth reflected softly. "She said that Tammi was angry enough to expose the vampire community. She and Melinda didn't like the girl. Could someone have killed her to keep her quiet?" she added looking at him in concern.

Mick took her hands in his.

"This gets more complicated as it goes along. I don't know if Tammi was the only target or if the other girls are at risk but I think the killer is on this set somewhere. This is tied to this studio somehow," he told her seriously. "I need to finish interviewing the others here but I want you with me. I'm not letting you out of my sight again while we're still here." When she nodded, he pulled her to her feet and kissed her. Neither of them saw Darla watching them from the shadows. With a thoughtful look on her face she slipped back to her dressing room.

When Laslo returned with Calvin, he took the couple to an area where they could interview the remaining vampires. A few hours later they left with very few concrete answers but the feeling that most of the crew were in the clear. Beth was exhausted and when they got to Mick's apartment, he insisted she get some rest. When Beth began to argue he simply picked her up and carried her upstairs, depositing her gently on the bed. As Beth attempted to sit back up, he lay beside her and wrapped his arms around her, holding her still. Murmuring softly in her ear, he partially pinned her under him and then kissed her lightly. Smiling, Beth relaxed in his embrace and drifted off to sleep quicker than she wanted to. Mick rolled on his back, holding her to his chest and enjoyed the sound of her heartbeat and the feel of her soft breath on his neck.

*M*M*

As evening came to the city, a moderate crowd gathered at Dusk to Dawn to enjoy a very good blues quartet. Kira sat at her usual stool at the end of the bar, surveying her club and talking to Eli. The older man was helping handle the bartending duties. She noticed a lovely brunette who entered the club alone and was quickly greeted by Thomas. With raised eyebrows she saw him escort Simone to a table near the back of the club.

"Well what do you make of that?" Kira said to Eli as she watched the couple.

"Thomas asked Josef if he minded if he asked Simone out," Eli chuckled. "I guess she said yes."

"He discussed this with Josef?" Kira asked in surprise.

"He didn't want to step on Josef's toes….so to speak," Eli explained.

"I hope he knows what he's doing," Kira muttered worriedly. She was aware that Simone had withdrawn her freshie services but was staying on as Josef's lawyer. Kira had no problem with the arrangements Josef made but worried that Simone might be using Thomas to stay close to where Josef now spent his time.

Thomas smiled at the woman sitting opposite him, pleased she had called and agreed to meet him. He signaled for a waitress to take Simone's order.

"I'm so glad you decided to take me up on my offer," he said after the waitress left.

"You were very persistent Thomas, I could not ignore an invitation so strongly presented," Simone answered returning his smile. She was flattered by the interest this handsome man expressed in her, he made her feel she was the center of his attention. Glancing around the club, her gaze settled on the lovely redhead sitting at the end of the bar. Simone found her interest piqued by the vampiress who now held Josef's affections. Thomas saw where her gaze was centered.

"She really is a wonderful person," he said softly.

Simone flinched guiltily and blushed.

"She is really beautiful. I just wish that Josef had had the courtesy to tell me he was involved with someone from the start. He never said anything," Simone responded, waving one hand in Kira's direction. Thomas reached out and captured her hand, holding it gently in his.

"Simone, I do know that this step in their relationship is very new. In my experience I've, learned that vampire relations tend to go in waves over their very long lives. It can be very intense and then cool off to just friendship and then heat up again," he explained.

"How do you know all that?" Simone asked with a small smile. "Were you in love with a vampire?"

"No, only my adolescent crush on Kira. Dad sat me down to explain things…..sort of vampire facts of life. He has worked for Kira almost my whole life so he knows a lot about them." He looked at her shrewdly. "Josef's your first vampire, isn't he?"

"Yes, I had no idea they existed until I came to work for him," she admitted.

"Please tell me you didn't agree to this date hoping Josef would stop by," Thomas said quietly, hoping he wasn't being used by this lovely woman.

End chapter.

There have been readers who wondered about Simone and Thomas so I thought I would address the subject. Thank you for reading.