“On the slight chance you have to use them, we’ll worry about getting you out of police custody after you’ve defended yourself. Priorities, Benjamin.”
Matt elbowed the boy. “Hey, I’ve got some friends in the police here. Don’t worry about it. Just keep yourself safe and remember: money and amnis erase criminal records.”
Giovanni continued, “Matt will be our day man if we need information or investigation during the day. Our main objective on this trip is identifying Geber’s four vampires, which will mainly be up to Beatrice and me. Chances are that Stephen’s contact is a member of Livia’s court, or a frequent visitor, and since we believe he is one of Geber’s four, finding him is our starting point.”
Carwyn said, “I’ll be looking into finding more about what Ioan was researching. I have some avenues here since he had colleagues in the city that I know he corresponded with, and I’ll be looking into private pharmaceutical labs in Eastern Europe, as well.”
Dez frowned. “Why pharmaceutical labs?”
Beatrice said, “Lorenzo has the formula. He’s going to want to produce it. It may be in production already.”
“Speaking of Lorenzo,” Matt said. “What are we doing there? Have we had any word?”
Giovanni spoke quietly. “Tenzin has requested we leave locating Lorenzo to her.”
“By herself?” Ben asked.
“It is her mate that was killed, Benjamin.”
“But no one’s going to help her?”
Beatrice leaned toward the boy. “If she finds him, she won’t need help.”
Dez was sitting silently with narrowed eyes. “But would modern labs even have what you needed for a medieval alchemic formula? We’re talking about plant ingredients, mainly. Produced in Persia in the early ninth century...”
Beatrice smiled. “I always forget your thesis was on medieval science, Dez.”
“I’m just doubting that your modern chemistry labs are going to have the kind of ingredients you would need. And for the formula to work as intended, they would have to be organic...”
Giovanni began pacing the room. It was an angle he hadn’t considered. The woman was right. Modern chemistry labs wouldn’t have access to traditional plant ingredients like Geber had used in the formula. Though he didn’t know the exact preparation, Stephen remembered the majority of the ingredients were plant-based and Zhang Guo confirmed it before they left China.
“So,” Carwyn said, “who would have access to those kind of ingredients, if not a chemistry lab? What should I be looking for? Are we still talking about Eastern Europe? Stephen’s contact in Rome—”
“Botanicals!” Dez stood and looked at him with a look of triumph in her eyes. “The baskets, Gio!”
Beatrice looked up. “What?”
“Of course.” Giovanni breathed out before he strode over to Dez, placed two hands on her shoulders, and kissed her full on the mouth. “Dez, you brilliant, beautiful genius. I think you’re right.”
She grinned. “They’re organic. Plant based! The packages even say, ‘Using Traditional Botanical Ingredients,’ also...” She took a deep breath and brought a hand to her lips. “Wow, I mean, B said, but... wow.”
Giovanni smirked at her and both of them turned back to the rest of the room, all of whom were looking at the two of them in frank confusion.
Ben spoke first. “That was... weird.”
Beatrice had her head cocked to the side. “I’m missing something. What about botanicals?”
Dez was still blinking a little. Matt narrowed his eyes. “Are you swooning?”
She shot him a look. “Hey! There’s this tingly kind of... thing with the amnis that just kind of... you know, when the lips touch, just... shut up.”
Beatrice smiled as Dez moved back to sit next to Matt on the couch. “B, if you were more of a girly-girl, you would have figured it out ages ago.” Dez pulled a tube of lip balm from her pocket and tossed it to Beatrice. “Finally, my make-up addiction has been put to good use. This is the lip gloss from the basket Livia sent over. Botanical ingredients. Read the label. It’s the trendy thing right now; no one would question it. Organic plant extracts in beauty products. It’s super popular. A chemistry lab isn’t going to have a ready supply of botanical ingredients or suppliers, but—”
“A cosmetics company might.” Carwyn grinned. “I want to kiss you myself. Good thinking, Dez.”
Matt put an arm around his wife. “No, really, I got this.” He leaned over to place a long kiss on her mouth. “Way to go, honey. You’re brilliant.”
Dez was glowing. “It’s perfect. Nothing out of the ordinary. They would have labs, suppliers, packaging, even a distribution network...”
“Wait,” Beatrice raised a hand. “What are we talking about here? Or rather, who are we talking about? Dez, are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Her eyes sought out Giovanni’s.
He shook his head. “Beatrice, I don’t know.”
Was it possible? As conflicted as his feelings toward Livia were, as complicated as their relationship had always been... would she betray him that way? Would his father’s wife even consider it a betrayal?
Beatrice turned the tube of lip gloss in her fingers, shaking her head. “There are many cosmetics manufacturers in the world. Lots of companies produce this kind of thing. There are many—”