"Hmmm... I'll talk to the family and see if they knew what might be in that photo frame." Dan said thoughtfully now. "It's a long shot, but maybe he didn't keep secrets from his wife."
Dan's brow furrowed at the mention of Circe. "Circe? Far as I knew she died when Raal did." he said, remembering to hush his voice as he gazed down at the compy detective. "She's alive? He wants her immune?" Dan didn't like the sound of that. Not one bit. But it was Vincent, and he'd proven instrumental in cracking the Progressives' case... but still, something about that didn't bode well with the bronto. "There's only so much I can do for him on that front. If her name starts popping up... well she WAS complicit with the Progressives, and yes, I know about Vincent's claims that she was nothing but a dupe. Still... he was heavily involved with her, to my knowledge. He doesn't usually fall so hard for the females, but he fell for her harder than I've seen him fall before. If you run into her, use extreme caution." Dan warned.
"She's got pheromones that are off the charts from what Vincent told me, and I don't trust her. We never really got the chance to question her, and while she may have sacrificed herself to save Vincent's life, that doesn't clear her one hundred percent in my book either. I don't trust any of those two-timing 'get in touch with our Ancestors' whackjobs, and even if most of them were idiots taken in by the cult's false ideals, it's the ones who KNEW about the REAL goals that worry me. I'm still not sure if Circe was one of them or not. So be careful around her. Find out what you can, and use your judgment. If she's on the level, fine, but make sure you know that before trusting her." he said, pointing at Nicky now.
"Anyway, I gotta go. Briefing with the lieutenant soon. I'll keep you posted on my side of things." He clapped Nicky on the back, and moved by him to get the briefing rolling.
=========================
Three Nights Later
6705 Vado Drive was a large house nestled in the Hollywood Hills on a road that descended into a quiet, wooded area. Fryman Canyon Park was close by, and the area was relatively secluded. Who was hosting the party wasn't exactly clear, but dinos from all walks of life in LA would be present.
As Vincent pulled up to the place in his red 2013 Lincoln MKZ, the raptor let out a whistle at the sheer size of the place. It wasn't as large as that Greek style "palace" that Circe hosted her gatherings at earlier in the year, but this place was big enough that it would definitely give even some Hollywood actors envy.
The palatial residence stretched on into the woods, 25,000 square feet complete with a rotunda somewhere in the middle and multiple wings fanning out from the center. "Jeez... what do these people do?" he asked Heather as he pulled into the driveway which (was more like a parking lot). Stopping towards the front of the house, Vincent idled as a guised dino came around from behind a valet desk, all smiles as he motioned for them to exit their vehicle.
Opening his door, Vincent climbed out and was promptly handed a valet ticket by the dino. "Allow me, sir! When you're ready to leave, just present that ticket and your vehicle will be delivered to you no problem."
"Uh... thanks." Vincent nodded, glancing over at the parking lot. "Damn... and I thought I had a nice car." he mumbled, noticing his Lincoln was paled by the array of Bugattis, Maseratis, Bentleys, Aston Martins, and Lamborghinis present. He did see a few "normal" looking cars though, much to his relief. Vincent's Lincoln was new, but it was really the only thing he'd been saving for this past year. There was always someone better out there though...
Striding up to the front entrance, Vincent was pretty familiar with the drill of these places by now. "I might have to offer my services to some of these party-goers inside." Vincent half-joked to Heather as they walked over to the check-in desk. "I mean who out there wouldn't need a snoop job or a tail on a wayward lover?"
"Please check your guises here." said an unguised female compsognathus at the desk.
"Of course." Vincent responded, and promptly stepped into one of the dressing rooms to begin undoing the buttons, straps, and clamps that held his guise in place. One of these days, he'd really have to switch to those newer zipper models, but he was a fan of the older Nakitaras, and was still ordering from their catalog.
Having freed himself from his guise, Vincent stepped out of the booth in his natural state now, holding out his now empty "skin" for the compy to take. She fluidly draped it over a hanger, pressed a button, and the guise was soon zooming into a room somewhere deeper in the manor. She handed him another ticket, and Vincent immediately regretted not bringing any dino clothes to this gathering. Oh well... he'd just hang on to the stupid thing.
A few minutes more and they were in the main ballroom. White pillars stretched up to the ceiling, and dino servers on roller skates moved about the expanse with trays of goodies like banana and mint leaves, cilantro, basil, and oregano. Others had plates of assorted meats and hors-d'oeuvres, and Vincent was pleased that none of it was alive. The Progressives had served live snakes on platters at their parties, which Vincent had completely balked at.
"Well... this is nice." he said, looking around as Christmas music filled the air. Dinos were dancing, chatting, eating, and some were even playing a few card games around tables. He tried to catch a whiff of Circe, but alas, her herbal scent would be masked by the herbs floating about him. His stomach rumbled, and the temptation to reach out and grab a banana leaf was almost too much. But no... he couldn't flaunt his addiction in front of Heather.
Nevertheless, his hands started trembling as he caught the scents lingering about the room, and he grabbed onto them to stop the tremors whilst looking longingly at a tray of basil that drifted by him.