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"Wonderful," she said.
"I think so," Lucas said.
Faye laughed. "You should. You couldn't do better. Now, what do you have for me?"
Lucas told her the details, particularly those about Edward. He also gave her a photo of Edward and Natasha that he'd taken from their house, plus a shirt he'd removed from Edward's laundry hamper. I hadn't known he'd taken either. He must have already been considering contacting Faye.
As Faye listened, the sheen of perspiration spread to her cheeks and jaw, then beaded into rivulets of sweat. The room was cool, with a faint air-conditioned breeze that set goose bumps springing up on my bare arms, but obviously that wasn't enough for Faye. When Lucas finished, I offered to find Oscar and see if we could get Faye a fan or a cold drink.
"It's not the temperature, hon," she said. "It's me. Keeping the old brain clear takes some effort."
I remembered something my mother had done for a necromancer friend when she'd begun losing her battle with the spirit world.
"Can I try something?" I asked. "A spell?"
"You're welcome to try."
I cast a calming spell, then recast it for added strength. Faye closed her eyes. Her lips moved soundlessly, then she peeked one eye open.
"Not bad," she said, then opened the other eye. She smiled and rolled her shoulders. "Well, that gives a bit of relief. What was it?"
"Just a calming spell. Any witch can do one. I'm surprised they don't have a witch here. Shamans are great caretakers, but for a nurse, you really should have a witch."
Faye snorted. "Try telling that to those damned sorcerers."
"I will," I said. "I'll speak to Benicio next time I see him."
Faye's eyebrows shot up, and her lips curved just a fraction, as if waiting to burst into a laugh when I acknowledged the joke.
"She's quite serious," Lucas said. "She'll tell him and, even more shocking, he'll probably listen."
"I have leverage," I said, slanting a look toward Lucas.
Faye threw back her head, laughter filling the room. "You found the bastard's weakness, did you? Clever girl. If you can get me a witch, you'll move to the top of my approved visitors list. Now, let's see what I can do for you."
Faye laid Edward's photo on her lap and stared down at it. I took a chair slightly behind Faye, knowing it was always easier to concentrate when your audience was out of sight. Lucas pulled a chair over beside mine.
After a moment, Faye's shoulders dropped and she slouched forward. I glanced at Lucas. He nodded, telling me this was normal. At least ten minutes of silence passed. Then Faye's body tensed. Her mouth opened.
"I have--"
She gasped and her body jerked upright, eyes rolling to the whites. Lucas leapt up. She blinked, recovering, and shooed Lucas away.
"Sorry," she said. "Wrong tactic. I was too open. Got an emotional shock wave."
"You found him?" Lucas said.
"Big black hole of hate? That'd be him. Damn thing nearly sucked me right in." She shivered, then straightened. "Okay, round two coming up. This time, I'll turn off the emotional radar and stick to the visuals."
Faye dropped her head and, this time, took only a minute to hone in on Edward.
"He's sitting on the edge of a bed, staring at the wall. That doesn't help you much. Let me look around. Bed, dresser, television, two doors...wait, there's something on the back of the door. A fire escape plan. So we're talking motel or hotel. No surprise there. Details, details...I see a window. Looks out over the top of buildings, so let's narrow that down to hotel, something with at least three floors, he's probably on the third or fourth. The room's clean. Not so much as a sock on the floor. Okay, start directing."
"Back to the window," Lucas said. "Describe the buildings you see outside."
"Two. Both concrete, lots of windows. A tall one in the far distance, the shorter one in front of it, maybe fifty feet from the window. Doesn't leave much of a view."
"Any distinguishing marks on either?"
