Lucas parked his black SUV on the street in front of the building. It was out of place in the run down neighborhood, which allegedly was part of its appeal. He strode quickly towards the double doors that were black and fringed with gold, like the visible exterior of the building. Above the doors the word Eris hovered in front of a golden apple. The doors were locked. Undeterred, Lucas pounded on them until someone eventually approached. A well-trimmed, bearded face stared at him through the smoky glass. The man shook his head and motioned for Lucas to leave. Lucas shook his head as well. The man unlocked the door and opened it a crack. Lucas noticed that he kept one hand behind his back, probably on his gun.

“What do you want?”

“I need to speak with Declan. Tell him it's Lucas from the Lochlan Household.”

That seemed to alarm the man. He disappeared back into the nightclub, locking the door behind him. Lucas waited patiently until the man reappeared and let him in. The interior of the club was cleaner, and more high-class, than Lucas expected. Several people cleaned and organized the tables, chairs, couches and stage. Most of them ignored Lucas, but a couple watched him with open curiosity. 

The man led Lucas to an elevator, scanned his fob, and pressed the third floor button. Lucas suspected that it was the top floor. The elevator opened into a sitting room in what looked like a penthouse. The décor was expensive, masculine, but not in an immature or schlocky way. It surprised Lucas. He started to rethink his opinion of Declan. 

“He’s in the office to the right.” The man said. 

Lucas left the elevator and found the office quickly. Declan McKnight sat on the edge of his desk looking out a patio door that opened onto a balcony. He was on his phone when Lucas crossed the threshold. Declan turned and held up one finger with a nod of acknowledgement in his direction. Lucas studied the man and his surroundings. It was well before noon, but he was still well dressed, a black vest over a red shirt with the top two buttons undone, black dress pants and an expensive watch. A bookshelf loomed on Lucas’ right, the titles were difficult to read from a distance, but the ones he could read had to do with the occult. 

Declan wrapped up his call quickly. “Hello Lucas.”

Lucas suspected he was a little under forty but he had the poise of a much older man.  

“Declan.”

“What brought you here? Is something wrong? Has something happened to Roman?”

“Nothing happened. But we need you to look into a few things.”

Declan fidgeted with his watch. “What kind of things?”

Lucas pulled a piece of paper from his coat pocket. “These are a list of crimes committed over the last two years. We need you to find out who was behind them, any of them, and if they have anything in common.”

“Sounds like you need a cop.”

“Already have one.

“Ah, of course.” Declan took the list and ran his eyes over it. 

“Anything jump out at you?”

“No. Other than that it is a very odd collection of crimes, and I didn’t do any of them, surprisingly. ”

“How much time do you need?”

“No way to tell. Is it urgent?”

“It’s important. Very important.”

Declan measured Lucas with narrow eyes. “Does it have to do with the Courts?”

“Not directly.”

“Will I be in any danger from them?”

“No. Roman has you covered as always.”

“That’s good to hear.” Declan sat down behind his desk. “Well, if it’s important to Roman it’s important to me. I’ll look into it right away.”

“Good.”

“Anything else?”

Lucas thought for a second. “Just give me a call as soon as you find anything.”

“Okay. Tell Roman I wish him good health.”

“He’s fine.”

Declan smiled with no humor. “Of course he is.”

Lucas left quickly. When he got back into his car he glanced up at the exterior of the building, in the direction of Declan’s office. Declan was a snake. Worse, he was an intelligent snake. Not for the first time Lucas wondered if that man would be the stone that dragged the Lochlan Household down. 

It would never happen while Lucas drew breath. One way or another, he would make sure that Cassandra and the household had a legacy to continue.