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We were walking up the side alley, heading for the front of the building, when Lucas's cell phone
rang.
"That was Oscar," he said when he hung up. "Faye's awake and very upset. All he can make out is
that she wants to see me immediately."
"Damn," I said.
"If she has new information on the case, it almost certainly relates to Edward's whereabouts, which
we've probably found, rendering her information welcome but potentially unnecessary. At this point " He
looked up at the hotel. "I'm loath to walk away, however briefly, from the best lead we've had."
"I could go talk to Faye," I said. "But if Edward's in this hotel, I'd rather back you up."
"And I'd rather have you backing me up."
"What about sending Jaime? She's good with people, and it sounds like she's had some experience
with Faye's type of condition, with her grandmother."
"Good idea."
Lucas called. Jaime was still in bed, but once she had woken up enough to understand what he was
asking, she agreed to speak to Faye. If it was important, she'd call me back. So Lucas turned off his phone,
I switched mine to vibrate, and we headed into the hotel.
***
"Sure, yeah," the young desk clerk said, head bobbing as he looked at the photo Lucas held. "Room
three-seventeen. That's him."
"He's still checked in?"
"Right."
"Has he gone out yet this morning?"
"Not this way." He checked his watch. "And not this early. He usually heads out around noon,
comes back after my shift."
Lucas wrote down a phone number. "If he comes down, wait until he's gone, then call this number.
But only after he's left. Don't do anything to make him suspicious."
"Sure." The young man's head bobbed. "Okay. Sure."
***
Lucas strode through the front doors, face grim. "Time to call the SWAT team?" I said.
"I'm afraid we have more immediate concerns. Right now that clerk is on the phone to Edward,
warning him we're here."
"What?"
Lucas rounded the building corner, walking so fast I had to jog to keep up. "I introduced us as NSA,
told him we needed to find this man immediately. The first thing he should think, given the current climate, is
'terrorist.' But he doesn't ask any questions, even after I tell him not to raise the man's suspicions, implying
he's dangerous. He tells us what we want to know and gets us out of there fast so he can call Edward,
collect whatever reward Edward offered for warning him."
"And once Edward gets that call, he'll grab his things and bail."
"Precisely. Now " He stopped halfway between the front of the hotel and the side door. "I want
you to stand here. Cast a cover spell. If he comes out, don't do anything. Let him go, but watch where he
heads, then get me. I'll be around back watching that door."
I nodded, but Lucas had already broken into a jog, heading toward the rear. I stood against the wall
opposite the hotel, and hid behind a cover spell.
Less than two minutes later, the side door opened. A man stepped out. He wore a baggy
windbreaker, sweatpants, sunglasses, and a ball cap pulled low, but none of that left any question that it was
the man from the photograph: Edward.
Edward stepped out from behind the door and looked both ways. When his gaze passed over me, I
resisted the urge to hold my breath, and concentrated instead on staying perfectly still. He eased the door
shut. Then he lowered his backpack to the ground, bent, and opened it. As he crouched there, I couldn't
help thinking how easy it would be to trap him in a binding spell. All I needed to do was break cover for a
second and
Edward pulled a gun from the knapsack and my idea died mid-thought.
He fiddled with the gun, then tucked it into the pocket of his windbreaker, hoisted his knapsack onto
his back, and headed toward the rear of the building. Damn it! If only Lucas and I had practiced my
long-range communication spell more, I could warn him. He'd be hiding, but not under a cover spell, since
his cast wasn't reliable yet. I reassured myself that Lucas knew better than to pop out of hiding the moment
he heard someone. Not that he'd even hear Edward. The man walked across the gravel like it was a foam
cushion, not so much as rattling a stone underfoot. He stuck to the shadows, glancing over his shoulder with
every few steps. Right before he reached the back of the building, he turned left and seemed to walk right
through the wall I stood against.
I counted to three, then broke cover and leaned out to see an adjoining alley farther down. I took
one slow step. The crunch of gravel under my feet resounded like thunder. I quickly recast my cover, but
Edward didn't return. Again, I broke cover. Again, I took a single step. Again, the gravel crackled
underfoot.
This wasn't working. After a moment's thought, I cast a light-ball and tossed it down the alley,
praying Edward didn't pick that very moment to look behind him. When Lucas saw the ball, he peered
around the corner. I gestured to the side alley. He nodded, darted across the alley, and pressed himself
against the far wall. Then he inched to the opening and peeked down it. As he pulled back, he waved me
forward.
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