“Yeah, of course,” she replied. “We’re on holiday break, so my brother’s driving me nuts, but other than that I’m good. Why do you ask?”
I relaxed and let out a breath. “She’s fine,” I whispered to Jesse. To Corry, I said, “Do you guys stay in town for the holidays?”
“We have to. My dad’s a minister; he has services to conduct.”
I thought that over. “Listen, I don’t think anyone will involve you, but just…keep an eye out, okay?” Then I added, “Especially for a female vampire with long, dark hair, looks to be in her forties.”
“What do I do if I see her?”
“Get your family, keep them inside your radius, and get into a private house. Stay away from the windows and doors. If she gets inside your radius, scream your head off and call me.”
“Call you while screaming my head off?” she asked, amusement in her voice.
I took a deep breath. “This particular vampire is extremely bad news, Corry. When I said I couldn’t see you anymore because it was too dangerous, this is one of the people I was talking about.”
Sobered, Corry agreed. As we hung up, I felt guilty for scaring a teenager, especially one who had been through as much as Corry had already. But it was better to have her scared and alive than relaxed and dead.
In the parking lot, Jesse said, “So if she’s not a part of this, then someone else must be helping Olivia.”
“You think she’s working with a human?”
“That’s my guess.”
“Wow, I feel like we’re in a detective novel in the forties.” He gave me a puzzled look. “Oh, come on. The PI takes on two cases, and at the end it turns out that they’re the same case!”
“Except that we’re not at the end, Scarlett. If she—they—really killed those witches to hide their actions, we’re just at the beginning of something.”
Well, that was alarming. “Huh. But Kirsten said both Erin and Denise could only predict the futures of people they came into contact with. So does that mean they both knew Olivia?”
“I don’t know.” He sounded tired. “Maybe they both knew the accomplice. But I’m officially assigned to investigate all of it.” His voice sounded a little bitter on the word officially, and I knew he was annoyed at the way Dashiell had pulled his strings. I could sympathize. “And I could really use your help.
“Will your girlfriend be okay with that?” I sounded a little sour, even to me.
“Will Eli?” he countered.
I had nothing to say to that, so we drove the rest of the way in silence.
Recipedia is a little place on La Cienega that started as an Internet café, back before everyone had their own laptops and smart phones. When people started carrying their own devices, the owner got rid of the computers and found a new gimmick: a different food special every day. There was always a full coffee menu, but each day just one food: a pastry, a sandwich, a soup—it could be anything, but it was always beyond delicious, thanks to a rotation of guest chefs wanting to show off their best items. You wouldn’t think a business could survive with only one menu item per day, but somehow Recipedia made it work. Maybe they had an underground casino in the back or something.
The place was pretty packed, but I spotted Kirsten’s angelic blonde bun in a booth near the back window.
“Listen,” I said to Jesse, “she’s nervous about meeting you. She thinks you’re going to try to bust her for…I don’t know, being a witch.”
He gave me a skeptical look. “Come on. This isn’t the Dark Ages. Half this town goes to Kabbalah meetings.”
“Whatever. Magical talent is hereditary in humans, and Kirsten’s from a long line. There’s history that you…that most people don’t know about.” I was skirting dangerously close to an outright lie here because there was a part of Old World history that I had personally chosen to keep from Jesse. There are things that are dangerous to know. “I’m not going to get into it, but believe me, it’s a sore spot for her. So try not to act like too much of a cop, okay?”
Jesse rolled his eyes, but nodded at me. I turned and threaded us through the tables. “Hey, Kirsten. Sorry we’re late.” She looked up. Her eyes were clearer than they were last night, but she still looked tired.
“Hello, Scarlett.”
“Kirsten, this is Detective Jesse Cruz. Jesse, this is Kirsten.” They shook hands. Kirsten’s face remained cool, but she looked at me and widened her eyes just a little, the international girl code for whoa. Sometimes I forget how gorgeous Jesse is. I sent her back a look that said I know, right?
“It’s very nice to meet you, ma’am,” Jesse said. I glared at him. “Can I call you Kirsten?” he added.
She gave him a wary nod. She was too well-bred to be openly hostile, but I could feel tension coming off her as she looked at Jesse.
A waitress wearing one of those headbands with reindeer antlers hustled up to get our drink orders. I asked for two orders of onion rings, today’s food specialty. When she went to get them, both Kirsten and Jesse looked a little amused. “What?” I said. “I haven’t eaten since lunch in New York. Yesterday. And it’s entirely possible that I’ll share.”
It took just a moment for Reindeer Headband to return with our drinks and my rings—this is one of the benefits of having only one menu item. While she walked out of earshot, I inhaled my first onion ring, “forgetting” to offer any to Jesse and Kirsten. When it was obvious they were both waiting for me to begin the conversation, I swallowed and said, “Okay. Kirsten, did you hear about a car accident last night? With a Jeep?”