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Christina dropped the phone and covered her mouth. Through a haze she could hear Vivi’s voice squawking at her and feel Eric’s arm snake around her shoulders.
“What’s wrong, Christina? This is good news. This is a lead.” He swept the phone from the floor.
Her nails dug into his arm and she choked. “No. No. Didn’t you hear my mother? Darius is in San Miguel. He’s after Kendall.”
Eric’s heart slammed against his rib cage. “Wait.”
“What’s wrong? What’s going on?” Vivi’s hysterical voice pierced the air.
Eric spoke into the phone. “Christina’s mom saw Darius in San...”
Before he could finish his sentence, Vivi started to wail.
“Call her, call Linda right now.”
Christina was already on the room phone. “I’m calling her now, Vivi.”
Eric took a measured breath. Someone had to keep calm here, and although he felt far from it, the job fell to him. “Is there any other reason for Darius to be in San Miguel?”
“None. He just came along with me. Did Christina reach Linda yet?”
Christina dropped the receiver in its cradle. “She’s not answering. I just left a message. Vivi, Mom mentioned something about Darius having friends in San Miguel. C-could that be why he’s there? Why are you so sure he’s the killer?”
“It just makes sense, Chrissy. He was hanging around me in Santa Cruz, but was always going into the city. He’s a minor brujo but wants so much more. He wanted to meet Dad, but you know how Dad feels about mentoring.”
“That’s purely speculation, Vivi.” Eric smoothed his hand across Christina’s thigh. Her breathing had returned to normal and she seemed to be putting Vivi’s claims into perspective.
“He knows so much about Los Brujos de Invierno. He knew, he found out I wasn’t really Dad’s daughter. It’s why he dropped me. It’s why he came to the city to meet you. The fact that you’re an FBI agent must’ve scared him off, or maybe your friend scared him off.”
“What does Dad say?”
“I haven’t told him. How do you think he’d feel if I told him I led Darius right to his only granddaughter?”
“Stay right where you are, Vivi, and tell Dad, or better yet, have him call me.”
“There’s no phone where we are. He’s not going to come into town.”
“Not even to save his granddaughter?”
“I’ll talk to him, Chrissy. I’m so sorry.”
“If Darius is who you say he is, he would’ve found Kendall on his own.”
They ended the call and Christina covered her face with her hands. “I wish Mom would call me back. Where could she be?”
“Out to dinner?”
“My mom cooks. She doesn’t go out to dinner, especially not when she has Kendall.”
“Did you try her cell phone?”
“Yes. I left a message on her answering machine at home, and then her cell phone voice mail.”
“I was talking to Vivi when you called your mom. What did you tell her?”
“I just told her to watch out for Darius and not to leave Kendall alone for a second.”
“Call her again. Maybe she didn’t pick up because she didn’t recognize the number.” Eric tossed her cell phone at her and crossed his arms, bunching his hands into his biceps.
Christina tried again. “Mom, give me a call as soon as you can, and stay away from Vivi’s friend Darius if you see him. Vivi doesn’t trust him. I’m going to try your home phone again, too.”
She placed the second call and left the same message on her mom’s machine. She cradled the phone in her palm, passing it back and forth. “I’m sorry, Eric. I can’t go out to dinner now.”
“You have to eat something.” He reached for the plastic menu on the nightstand. “Let’s do room service again.”
“Where could she be?”
“We’ll give her another hour, and then we’ll call the San Miguel P.D. to check on her. Better yet, I’ll have my brother the chief call. I’m sure the chief of police for Crestview has some pull with the San Miguel P.D. I’ll call him right now.”
He tried his cell first and left a message. Then he called the station.
He listened to a recording about calling 911 for an emergency, and then a human voice came on the line. “Crestview Police Department, can I help you?”
“Is Chief Brody in? This is his brother Eric.”
“One moment, sir.” There was a thirty second pause, and then she came back on the line. “He’ll be right with you.”
“Thanks.”
