“Nothing. Just hanging out and reading.”
“Reading what?”
Erin glanced at the pile of books from the magic shop and made a quick decision to keep that field trip to herself for the moment. “Nothing much.”
“Glad to hear it. Well, put your pants on and get ready to go. I’ll pick you up.”
Erin sat up. “Where are we going?”
“I’ll tell you when I get there. See you in fifteen.” Raya hung up.
Erin stared at the phone before dropping it back in its cradle. “Looks like I’m going out,” she said to Nancy. “Think you can keep an eye on things while I’m gone?”
Nancy Drew cocked her head.
“I thought so. Come on, girl.” She let Nancy out into the backyard before returning to the bedroom to freshen up. She removed the books from the bed and stacked them on one of the bedside tables next to her small collection of crystals.
It would have been nice to know where they were going, but Raya seemed to enjoy being mysterious. In any case, the weather hardly varied during the summer—scorching hot, of course—making it easy to choose an outfit. Erin pulled on a tank top and shorts, then added a pair of flat sandals and a wide-brimmed hat. The necklace still hung around her neck—she hadn’t taken it off except to shower—and as she checked her appearance in the mirror, the crystal sparkled as it shifted from side to side.
She brought Nancy Drew inside and filled the doggie bowls with food and fresh water. “See you later, Nancy,” she said, ruffling the dog’s soft ears.
At the sound of Raya’s car pulling into the driveway, Nancy put on her sunglasses and left the house, locking the front door. She walked down the driveway to Raya’s truck.
The passenger window rolled down. “Get in,” said Raya.
Erin slid into the passenger seat. “So what’s the big mystery? And where’s Phoenix?”
“Not like he’d fit.” Raya gestured to the truck cab. “Plus, we were getting on each other’s nerves. So I sent him to follow Mark around.”
“You what?” Erin whipped off her sunglasses and stared at Raya.
Raya shrugged. “He seemed to like the idea.”
“Of course he would. He’s a demon. But how’s that going to help?”
“You’re not getting squeamish, are you? Miss I-Summon-Demons-for-Revenge?” Raya pressed the accelerator and the truck shot ahead. “Come on, you have to be just a little curious about what your ex is up to. The more you know, the better you can plan your revenge. Isn’t that why you wanted Andy back?” Raya cast Erin a sidelong look before returning her gaze to the road.
Erin’s mouth opened and shut while she considered her answer.
Raya didn’t wait for one. “Anyway, since your ex was the key to Andy showing up, he might be the key to getting Andy back.”
“So where are we going?”
“Phoenix said Mark and Genevieve spent the whole day hanging around the big fancy hotel next to Destiny Park.”
“Le Nouveau Palmier?”
Raya nodded. “That’s the one. Phoenix said they didn’t stay overnight. They just walked around a lot. Like they were planning something. Does he have a lot of money?” asked Raya.
“Who, Mark? More than me. He has a higher-paying job by far. And a better house. That’s why I was going to sell mine after I married Mark. But the market wasn’t great, so it just sat there.”
“Thank God,” said Raya, pulling onto the highway.
“Thank God,” echoed Erin, wondering where God fit in, exactly, in the plans of a witch, two demons, and a divorcée with an elderly dog. She stared out the window as they zipped past pine forests under the blazing midday sun.
“Besides, whether we get anything out of this or not, it’s a good excuse to get out of the house. Sit by the pool, you know? Have a few margaritas.” Raya performed an impromptu dance by wiggling in her seat.
“So is this really about revenge, or getting Andy back, or getting out of the house?”
