‘‘And you came here to tell me to get out of town?’’
‘‘I think it would be a good idea.’’
‘‘Do you know who hired Bonnie Sherman?’’ I asked.
He shook his head. ‘‘I don’t know who Bonnie is. The Hound you were talking about?’’
‘‘The Hound with a gun who likes the idea of me and dad meeting again real soon.’’ I tried to make it sound all tough-cop, but instead it just sounded like I was confused and a little hysterical.
Zay was silent a bit. Finally, ‘‘I don’t know anyone named Bonnie Sherman. But your dad made a lot of enemies over his long business career. A lot of people might want you dead. You are, after all, the heir to his business and fortune, unless he’s named Violet in his will.’’
‘‘Who?’’
He gave me a sideways look. Realized I was not joking. ‘‘His wife.’’
‘‘Oh.’’ I’d stopped keeping track after wife number three. ‘‘So I could inherit a fortune. That’s not news. What else, Zayvion? Did Dad tell you something? About me? Something I should know?’’
‘‘He didn’t confide in me, Allie. I was just a guy he hired to tail you.’’
‘‘Just?’’
‘‘Just. But sure, I kept my eyes open when I was around him. Listened. He was a careful man. Didn’t let things slip, didn’t let his emotions show. It’s not like he ever sat with me over coffee to share secrets. He wasn’t that kind of guy.’’
‘‘No,’’ I said, ‘‘he wasn’t.’’
We walked a little farther, and a truck passed by, the unmuffled engine loud and slow.
‘‘I did wonder if something was happening in the company,’’ Zayvion said once the truck had passed. ‘‘Like maybe he was going to launch a new product?’’ He said the last as a question, as if I, of all people in the world, would know anything about what my father was doing.
‘‘I hadn’t seen him in seven years.’’ It came out dead flat, and sounded sad, even to me. It sounded like I regretted it. Regretted my father was such an asshole I couldn’t love him no matter how much I wanted to.
I sniffed again and was really glad it was raining hard, ’cause when I wiped my face, I didn’t have to explain that the tears were from anger, not sorrow. Okay, maybe sorrow too, but at least I didn’t have to explain it.
My nose was getting all stuffy and snotty, and that wasn’t going to do me any favors, since I really needed to be able to smell if I was going to stay ahead of Bonnie. I swallowed hard and bit at the inside of my cheek and thought calming thoughts.
You’re a tough girl, Allie,
I told myself.
Suck it up. There will be time to cry later.
‘‘Going to Mama’s?’’ Zayvion asked.
‘‘Need to use her phone to call the cops,’’ I said.
‘‘To report Bonnie?’’
‘‘Yes. And everything else. I figure just because I haven’t gotten a summons, it doesn’t mean they won’t want to know what I know about my dad’s death.’’
Much better. No sniffling or sad, sobby words. Just calm, confident, practical choices. The Queen of Matter-of-Fact, that’s me.
‘‘Hmm,’’ he said.
I looked over at him, but he didn’t say anything more.
I stopped walking. ‘‘Tell me you didn’t have anything to do with my father dying, Zayvion.’’
He pressed his lips together and nodded, like he was sort of expecting me to say something like that. I watched him very closely, looking for any hint of falsehood, in his words, his voice, his body, his scent.
He reached out and caught my hand, and held it while he looked me straight in the eye. The need to draw nearer to him, to feel the pressure of him against me was overwhelming. So much so that I wondered if there were more than just attraction here—if maybe there were something magical going on between us. I couldn’t sense a spell, or Influence of any kind from him. But I ached to be closer to him. I stood my ground, a little worried. It wasn’t like me to trust so quickly.
‘‘I didn’t kill him.’’ He paused and I knew, as strong as blood magic Truth, that he was not lying to me. ‘‘I don’t know who did yet. When I find out, I’ll tell you.’’
He did not step back, did not let go of my hand, and the contact, of another human being, of flesh and heat and comfort, was enough to bring the tight, tearful feeling back in my chest.
I knew I should pull away, but I didn’t want to.
‘‘You were with him after I left,’’ I said, so softly it was almost a whisper.
‘‘I know. And I’m sorry.’’
My heart beat so hard I thought maybe he could hear it. ‘‘Me too,’’ I said, even though I wasn’t sure if I was sorry I’d accused him, or sorry my father was dead.
Gone.
I took a deep breath and cleared my throat. ‘‘So you don’t think it was just a heart attack?’’
‘‘No. They would have mentioned that in the paper.’’
‘‘Do you think magic was involved?’’
He looked down at his shoe, but still held my hand. ‘‘Maybe. How much do you really know about your father’s business? His past?’’
‘‘Not much. When I was a kid, I didn’t pay any attention to those things. Then when I was older . . . well, he never sat down with me over coffee to share secrets either.’’
Zayvion’s eyes were soft with compassion. Neither of us said any more. I guess we didn’t have to. He squeezed my hand one more time and then let go. The sudden absence of him was cold and sharp. I didn’t want him to go—to go away too.
Wow. I was a mess. But a thought occurred to me.
‘‘Don’t you have a cell phone?’’
Zay shook his head.
‘‘But I thought you called that ambulance for Boy.’’
‘‘I did. From the bar down the street.’’
I stuffed my hand in Zayvion’s coat pocket. ‘‘You have something against cell phones?’’
‘‘No. They just break when I use them.’’
I walked up the two wooden stairs to Mama’s restaurant. I paused with my hand on the doorknob. ‘‘Break?’’
‘‘Must be my magnetic personality.’’ He smiled, and I knew it was an act.
‘‘Don’t do that,’’ I said.
‘‘What?’’
‘‘Lie like that.’’
Zayvion held very still. He looked surprised, then thoughtful. ‘‘I’m sorry,’’ he said, and that I knew he really meant. The calm Zay, the Zen-Zay came back.
‘‘I don’t care why you don’t have a cell,’’ I said. ‘‘I don’t have one either.’’
‘‘Why is that?’’
‘‘Can’t afford the bill.’’ Huh. That sounded kind of weird coming from a woman who was about to inherit a fortune. I needed to change the subject before my mind went running down a thousand different what-ifs again. ‘‘You’re not following me around, are you?’’
He shrugged his shoulders. ‘‘Now I am. You have my coat.’’
I rolled my eyes and pulled open the door to Mama’s.
Boy was behind the counter, and I got to thinking that, except for really early this morning, I’d never seen him away from his post. This time he wasn’t drying cups, he was reading a paper.
Great.
The thick smell of onions and olive oil and garlic got through my stuffy nose and did some work clearing my sinuses.
I walked into the restaurant, noted two men at a table to my right, and a woman—not Bonnie—at a table to my left. They didn’t glance my way as I walked in, so I didn’t spend any more time looking at them.
Boy looked up though. Looked up, and looked shocked.
The question was, why? Because I was walking in, or because Zayvion was walking in behind me?
‘‘Morning, Boy,’’ Zayvion said. ‘‘I’ll have a coffee. Two?’’ he asked me.
I shook my head. ‘‘I just need to use the phone. Is that okay?’’
Boy scowled at Zayvion and didn’t answer.
I was at the counter now, in front and to one side of Boy so I had a good view of half the room. Zayvion was directly in front of Boy, holding out a dollar like he was daring Boy to take it and get the coffee he hadn’t bothered to pour yet. Something was wrong. Boy smelled like fear, and his breathing was a little too fast.
‘‘Where’s Mama?’’ I asked more quietly.
Mama came out of the kitchen, right on cue. If I didn’t know how much she hated technology of every kind, I’d say there was a hidden surveillance system set up. She looked like she was in a rush, her hair pulling free from a clip, her apron stained with flour and grease.
‘‘I told you to go away,’’ Mama said as she hurried behind Boy. She pointed at me. ‘‘You. Out.’’ Then she pointed at Zayvion. ‘‘And
you
. Out. Out of Mama’s restaurant.’’
She was breathing too hard too. She looked worried, maybe afraid. I’d never seen her afraid. Not even when Boy lay dying on her countertop.
‘‘I just need to use your phone,’’ I said. ‘‘I can pay.’’
‘‘No.’’
I leaned forward, lowered my voice so the patrons wouldn’t hear. ‘‘I need to call the police, Mama. Someone’s trying to kill me.’’
She pulled herself up, put on a regal poise. ‘‘You leave. Now.’’
‘‘Why?’’ I seemed to be asking a lot of that lately. ‘‘I just need to make one phone call.’’
‘‘No public phone.’’ She pointed at the door behind me.
I glanced over at Zayvion. He had put the dollar away, which was probably smart because Boy didn’t look like he was pouring coffee for maybe the next century or so. He had gone back to reading the paper and glancing off toward the stairs at the back of the room.
‘‘Are you in trouble?’’ I asked Mama.
She scowled.
And then the other Boy, James, Mr. City Slick, Mr. Magic-and-Danger-in-the-Night, Mr. Reptile, slunk out of the door from the stairwell.
A couple of things happened at once. Boy stiffened. Mama’s mouth dropped open, then snapped closed. Zayvion became so quiet and calm he might as well be a potted plant. James-the-slimy paused, licked his lips, and stared straight at me with a look of sheer terror, then a gleefulness that was frightening. I know ’cause I was staring right back at him and wishing, right that moment, that I was maybe anywhere else.
‘‘Hello there,’’ James practically purred. ‘‘How nice of you to come back again. May we help you?’’
Mama was quick on her feet. She glanced up at me, her eyes too wide. Then she turned on James like a five-foot hurricane.