Carwyn just grinned and took another drink. “Our friend is still inside with his wife. They look like a lovely couple, if I do say so. In no way does he resemble a minion of Satan.”
“The best minions never do.” Giovanni turned his eyes toward the large windows of the restaurant where Doctor Paskal Todorov was dining. It hadn’t been difficult to track down the chemist or the cosmetics factory, but they had decided they needed to question the director to find out precisely what he knew before they destroyed the factory.
“He seems like a nice enough fellow. It’s possible he has no idea who he’s in business with.”
“Considering that it’s Livia, it’s likely that he’s completely unaware. She’s never been very forthcoming.”
“Particularly with humans.”
“True.”
Carwyn grimaced. “I’m beginning to feel bad about destroying the factory.”
“Start another one and hire him to run it. It’s not like you don’t have the money.”
“I’m not—”
“Don’t lie.” Giovanni shook his head. “You were always sketchy about that ‘vow of poverty’ thing. Don’t even pretend you don’t have the funds tucked away.”
Carwyn’s only response was a wicked grin. “Now, what kind of vampire would I be if I didn’t tuck a bit away?”
“None. So, don’t feel bad about the good doctor; you can always give him another job. Most likely, he’ll find another on his own anyway.”
“Fine.”
The two vampires waited. Watched. The chemist ate a leisurely meal with his wife before they saw him finally stand and start toward the door. Carwyn threw a few euros on the table to pay for the wine before he and Giovanni stood and started following.
They allowed the humans to turn down the street leading to their home before they approached. It was late enough that most of the street was quiet, and Giovanni couldn’t detect any observers.
“Doctor Todorov?” he called out. The doctor turned, frowning at the two casually dressed men who approached him. “Aren’t you Paskal Todorov?”
“Yes? Can I help you?” the doctor replied in English.
Giovanni smiled warmly. “Forgive the intrusion, but I believe we have a mutual acquaintance in Rome.”
“From Rome?” The human was clearly confused, but must have sensed no danger from their approach. He stood patiently as Carwyn and Giovanni walked toward them.
Carwyn immediately approached the doctor’s wife and held out a hand in greeting. Giovanni held out his hand, as well. “Yes, I believe you know my associate, Lorenzo.”
As soon as Giovanni’s hand met Todorov’s, the amnis flooded over him. He glanced to the left, and Carwyn was quietly engaging the wife in some pleasant chitchat she was completely oblivious to.
“Paskal Todorov, do you know a man named Lorenzo?”
“I know a Lorenzo Andros. He works for my company in Rome. He has inspected the factory.”
Right on the first question, he thought. Giovanni curled his lip, annoyed that Lorenzo had used his father’s name in his business dealings.
“And what are you producing at your factory, Dr. Todorov?”
“It is a cosmetics formula. A serum of some sort. I believe it is intended to combat aging.”
“I see—”
“But it is dangerous.” A frightened look came to the chemist’s eyes, and Giovanni knew that he was tapping into the doctor’s unconscious thoughts about the project. Possibly, thoughts he wouldn’t even recognize.
“Why do you say it is dangerous?”
“I… I don’t know.”
“Did Lorenzo say it was dangerous?”
“He is not a trustworthy man.”
So, not a minion after all. Giovanni wondered if, confronted with the truth, the doctor would voluntarily shut the factory down. Was it worth taking a chance to keep Livia in the dark about their actions? The minute the factory was destroyed, she would probably be aware that Giovanni was behind it. Could they shut it down without alerting her?
He looked over at Carwyn. “Keep the wife occupied, but don’t make it obvious. I’m going to talk to him.”
Carwyn nodded and began to ask the doctor’s wife about local sightseeing while Giovanni lessened his influence over the chemist. Todorov blinked at him when Giovanni released his hand.
“Yes, Doctor, as I was saying, the health commission has some concerns about this cosmetic serum. And I’m sure you can understand our reluctance to make our concerns public. It’s not an immediate health threat, but we do need your cooperation.”
“Oh… of course.” Todorov still looked confused, but amenable, and Giovanni knew that the doctor’s human instincts, even as dull as they were, had picked up some danger from Lorenzo. “But… who did you say you were with?”
“It’s a joint inquiry between our two countries. No one wants to make the concerns public as we do our investigation, but it is vital that we control the output.”
“Oh… of course. I did understand that the trials had positive results. Were there problems I was unaware of?”
Giovanni thought back to Lucien’s story that Carwyn had related on their drive to Bulgaria. “The immediate testing did have positive results, but there are some concerns about long-term use of the product.”
“I see, I see.” Todorov reeked of worry. “I do hope the commission knows that all proper procedures were followed by our labs. Our chemists are some of the finest, and I would hate if—”