Chapter 9

N either Matty nor Josie did more than twitch when my alarm blared the next morning.

Near-death experience aside, I had no excuse to skip work. I hadn't even dreamed of Armie. Though, as I swung my legs over the edge of the bed, I registered my big toe was killing me. There was a chance Badb was watching over me while I slept. As much as I appreciated her having my back, I might have to start wearing my steel-toe boots to bed if she was the reason for my wakeup limp.

We were coming up on a holiday weekend, and Paco had booked us solid. Any holiday, state or federal, was an excuse for a pop-up car show, and plenty of our regulars wanted tune-ups before hitting the road in their classics.

Lucky for me, Badb was on my team. Most of the time. A solid fifty percent anyway.

When my siblings ignored me, she tugged on Josie's hair (saving a few strands for nesting) and pecked Matty's butt until they fled my apartment for the safety of theirs. All I had to do was yell after them to get ready.

Though Josie kept her own schedule for the most part, her garden her main contribution to the family, it was all hands on deck when every slot on my spreadsheet was filled to bursting. Today was one of those days where we would be lucky to get pee breaks, let alone lunch hours.

Poor Matty would be swamped for the next two days as well. Times like these, I considered hiring more help, but the Suarezes acted insulted if I even hinted at it, like I was implying they couldn't do their jobs. As if. They were all ace mechanics.

Alone with my roomie, I got dressed for my shift. "You got out of my apartment last night."

Busy grooming her feathers, Badb pretended not to have heard me.

Since punishment wasn't getting me anywhere, I tried bribery. "Do you want to come with me?"

Faster than I could register her decision, she perched on my shoulder, her cheek against mine.

"Good girl." I stroked down her spine. "I'm ordering in breakfast." I couldn't remember eating yesterday, and there was a place nearby using fluffy pancakes as the bread in their breakfast sandwiches. "We'll eat in the office."

Happy with that, she allowed her human servant to carry her down the stairs.

"Have you found anything?"

The voice dragged my head out of a mountain of paperwork to a blue smudge in my doorway.

"Mr. Collins?" I checked my window, bright with the colors of sunset. "What are you doing here?"

"I've looked everywhere." He kept to the shadows in the room. "I can't find her."

"I understand you're distraught." I jumped up, darted to the window, and closed the blinds. "But who will champion her if you get yourself vaporized? It's too early for you to be out and about."

Curiosity had prompted me to check where he was buried. For him to be so mobile, I knew it had to be close. Turns out he was interred at nearby Greenwich Cemetery.

"I heard what happened to you." He wrung his hands. "I had to know if it was her."

The news would have made the rounds by now, with the culvert being only a mile from Bonaventure.

"I can't be certain." I wished I had better news for him. "I hope to confirm the spirit's identity tonight."

"How?" He sank into the chair across from my desk. "Will it hurt her?"

"Mr. Collins." I bit down on a few impolite words, knowing spirits didn't hold the same human values on life and death, before settling on fair ones. "The spirit almost killed me. She would have killed a human."

Sweeping his gaze over me, he found no sign of my trauma thanks to Aretha. "You survived."

"I had help." I held up a hand to stave off more protests. "She can't be allowed to continue on."

"But if it is Audrey?—"

"You're welcome to join me when I return to the culvert." I forced a smile. "Then you can be certain."

"When do we leave?" He rose in a flash. "Can we go now?"

"We're not going anywhere without a plan, supplies, and backup to make sure this spirit doesn't finish what it started." I read defeat in the slump of his shoulders and made a counteroffer. "Can you come back in a few hours?"

Quick to counter my counter, he asked, "Can I wait here?"

"Sure." I rubbed my eyes, accepting he was too worked up for me to get rid of. "Let me go make some calls."

I made it one step outside my office before bumping into Paco, who gripped my shoulders to steady me.

"Everything okay, jefa ?" He released me, leaving black fingerprints. "You were talking to yourself."

"To a client. My only client." A depressing reminder I stuffed away. "He's here to check on my progress."

"I'm sorry business is slow." He wiped sweat off his brow with his wrist. "Things will pick up soon."

For the sake of my bank account, and sanity, I hoped he was right.

"Thanks." I slid my attention past his shoulder. "How's the real business going?"

"We're on track for today, but tomorrow is a new day." He brushed my shoulder. "I can get those stains out."

"Pedro taught me your never-fails trick for removing grease from cotton years ago."

Another one of the major benefits of hiring the Suarezes? They did Matty's laundry. They were used to it and enjoyed one-upping each other on who could turn out the most pristine uniform. Their mother, who taught them everything they knew about cars, made it a game when they were kids. How she convinced kids that chores were fun, I had no clue. They claimed they had been sworn to secrecy and couldn't tell.

Knowing them as well as I did, I suspected the three Suarezes were just good eggs who had done all they could for their mother to make her life easier after their dad passed in a racing accident when they were too young to remember more than his deep voice and how he made their mother laugh.

"Are you sure? We have to do Matty's laundry tomorrow. One more shirt won't hurt."

"Okay, okay." I lifted my hands in surrender. "I'll put it in with his."

Grinning at his win, he started to walk away then turned back. "Did you need anything?"

"No." I waved off his concern. "I just have to make some calls."

"Ah." He tipped his chin. "Give me an hour to finish up this last appointment, then I'll start closing down the garage."

With that settled, I headed outside and sat on the bench, figuring I would dial Harrow first. "Hey."

"Are you ready to head out?" He wasted no time on niceties. "Carter and I just wrapped our shift."

"She was my next call." I crossed my legs. "Are you sure you guys don't mind?"

"Chief Leer made it official this morning. Carter and I are working the missing girls' cases. I would have let you know sooner, but I wasn't sure if you slept in. I decided to wait and tell you when you called me."

"You're fine." I uncrossed then recrossed my legs, unable to get comfy. "Will you need me after this?"

Collins came to me due to lack of police involvement, but now there was plenty. Audrey, and the other girls, were in the hands of two officers I trusted to show them the proper respect, regardless of what their circumstances had been in life.

And, if I was honest, I was happy for an excuse to extricate myself from further involvement with the 514.

"You're our only hope of finding these girls, let alone communicating with them." He pitched his voice low. "We need you, Frankie. These girls need you."

"I brought this on myself," I muttered under my breath.

"What are you afraid of?"

Clearly, my mumbling skills could use improvement. "I don't want to call attention to myself."

"The 514 already knew you existed," he reminded me. "Carter has known about you for years."

"But I didn't know they knew, and it was nice. The not knowing. It made me believe we were safe."

"I'm sorry I ruined the illusion for you. I didn't mean to give them an excuse to make first contact."

"No." I gripped my ankle. "It's for the best."

Ignorance was only bliss until it blew up in your face and exploded your life.

And Harrow had resources at his fingertips I wouldn't have had access to without him.

"Do you know what you want to do?" Harrow gave me a moment. "How you want to do it?"

"I'll get what I need, change, and be ready when you guys get here." I rubbed my nape. "We close in an hour. I'll need to run out to Bonaventure, pack my supplies, then get Josie and Matty. Mr. Collins is also here and intends to go along for the ride."

"The grandfather?"

"He heard about my near-death experience, and he's worried Audrey is the asrai."

Aided by the Buckley Boys, no doubt, local cemeteries would be buzzing with the hot gossip.

"His insight could prove valuable."

A commotion in the garage drew me to my feet. "I need to go."

Ending the call, I walked in through the open bay door to find Paco scooping screws into a pan. A woman old enough to be his grandmother stood behind him, admiring the view as he bent over. The smudge of black on her pale slacks, as if she had wiped her fingers clean, convinced me Paco had help making the mess.

About to go rescue him, I hesitated when Badb called out to me from the power line.

She turned her head toward the burning tree, stretched her wings, and cried out again. As I stared at the elm, an odd sensation flickered across my skin. Static electricity. That same prickle I got before a storm that promised to be a bad one. But the sky was clear. Not that there had been clouds last time lightning struck either.

A yelp drew my attention back to Paco, who was rubbing his backside while the elderly client tittered behind her hand. Abandoning Badb to her vigil, I went to save Paco—and Matty—from a lady who had her own ideas what the full service promise on our sign meant.