Page 53 of Hextreme Measures

“Maybe a silver color?”

“Yeah. I guess.”

“What color were her eyes?” Ofelia asked.

“That I do remember.” Oscar broke out in a wide smile. “They were blue, but not blue like your eyes. Your eyes are a deep blue. They were more of an ice blue.”

Ofelia nodded. He was saying exactly what she wanted to hear. “And her fingernails?”

“Oh, man.” He rubbed his cheek. “I had forgotten about the fingernails until you mentioned them. They were really long, but she didn’t paint them or anything. They were kind of ragged.”

“Like claws?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Exactly like claws.” He looked Ofelia over with fresh eyes. “Is that important?”

“It’s interesting,” Ofelia replied. “Can you remember her name now?”

Oscar nodded. “I remember it. Her name was Shirley Castle.”

Ofelia froze in place for several seconds, then slowly slid her eyes to Sully. “Isn’t that who we tried to visit last night before dinner?”

He nodded. “Yup. She wasn’t home.”

“And she lost her husband recently?”

“Yes.”

Ofelia had no idea what to make of the information. Obviously, it wasn’t a coincidence. If Shirley Castle was a banshee, however, why would she risk killing her own husband? How did she factor into what was going on with the other banshees?

“I guess we know where we’re going after breakfast,” Sully said.

“Oh, most definitely,” Ofelia agreed. Her mind was a whirlwind. “We absolutely have a destination for after breakfast.”

“Did I help?” Oscar asked hopefully. “Like … did you get what you needed from me?”

Ofelia leaned over and gave him a side hug of encouragement. “You were just the biggest help in the world.”

Oscar let out a long breath. “That’s good. I like being helpful.”

“Then you should be happy.” Ofelia hugged him a beat longer before releasing him. “You just gave us our first big break.”

13

THIRTEEN

“Why would she kill her husband?” Sully asked once they were in his vehicle and driving toward Shirley’s house.

Ofelia lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “I have no idea.”

“You can theorize, though.”

Ofelia opened her mouth, then shut it. “Maybe she didn’t kill her husband,” she said after a long stretch of silence.

“What do you mean?” The question was barely out of Sully’s mouth before he realized what she was saying. “Oh.”

“Oh,” she agreed.

“You think that the other banshees are working against her.”