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“Frankly, yes.”
He didn’t look offended. Actually, a faint smile touched his mouth. “Because I want to know what really happened. I’m sorry you got dragged into the situation — Tansy told me that Chief Standingbear questioned you — but I know you’re innocent…and I also know you’re probably the only person in Globe who can get to the bottom of all this.”
I wanted to thank Boden for his vote of confidence, but I wasn’t so sure. True, I had a plan to reach out to my higher powers to see if I could determine who had killed Lilith Black, and yet I hadn’t intended to tell anyone about that plan. I figured I’d try quietly on my own, and if that didn’t work out, I’d go on to Plan B. But with Boden asking me for help, he’d know right away if I failed miserably.
Which, I reminded myself, wasn’t the end of the world. Magic, as I was so fond of pointing out, wasn’t what you could call an exact science. Sometimes the spirit world came at your call, and sometimes it pretended you didn’t exist.
“I’m not so sure about that….” I began slowly, and he shook his head.
“Well, I am. I heard how you were able to discover who really killed Lucien Dumond. Why should this be any different?”
Because unless the killer shows up in my apartment and tips his or her hand, I doubt it’s going to be that easy,I thought. The only reason why Eugene Dershowitz and Violet Clarke hadn’t killed me outright was because they needed me to talk to Lucien’s ghost and find out where he’d hidden his will. In the end, the joke was on them, since he’d left almost everything to me anyway. Still, I didn’t think this was remotely the same type of situation.
I could have pointed all that out to Boden Marsh, but I refrained. The particulars of the story hadn’t made the rounds, and I preferred to keep it that way.
“I’ll see what I can do,” I said.
“Great,” Boden responded, clearly not put off by my less than enthusiastic answer. “I thought we could go to the place where she was killed, see if we can pick up any vibes.”
Oh, boy. Although I’d done pretty much the same thing while trying to investigate Lucien’s death, I didn’t know if it was such a good idea this particular go-’round. If Calvin caught me snooping around down there….
“I’m not sure it’s wise to interfere with an active crime scene,” I said, and my guest deflated, slumping against the back of the couch.
However, he seemed to perk up as he said, “I don’t think it’s active anymore. Chief Standingbear told Tansy and me that we could go back after noon today to clear out the rest of the stuff that got left behind, so that has to mean it’s okay to take a look, right?”
If that was really what Calvin had said, then I supposed it would be all right. I could see how the San Ramon tribe would want the area opened up and the detritus from Lilith’s ritual removed as soon as possible.
However, I also knew that if Boden really wanted me to poke around and pick up on the vibes in the crime scene, I needed to go alone. It was hard enough sensing that sort of thing when I was by myself; I knew if I had someone else around — especially someone I didn’t know very well — then my chances of discovering anything useful would be much lower.
“Maybe,” I said. “But — and don’t take this the wrong way — I have to go alone. It’s hard for me to do this sort of work with an audience.”
His face fell. I could tell that he really wanted to go with me. Because he was just that eager to get to the bottom of the mystery, or because he’d been hoping for some alone time for the two of us?
I was probably flattering myself.
To my relief, though, he didn’t seem inclined to push it. He tapped his fingers against his knees, almost as if trying out some sort of staccato rhythm. Since he used to be a drummer, it was probably an unconscious tic.
Then he said, “I guess I can understand that. Are you sure it’s safe?”
Very good question. I wanted to believe that Lilith’s killer had a grudge against her personally, and so I wouldn’t be in any kind of danger to go poking around the clearing where she’d died. However, there was also a chance that the person — or persons — involved were still lurking in the area, and would do whatever it took to ensure that the crime remained unsolved.
My skin prickled. Getting stabbed in the back was not how I wanted to leave this world, even if I knew that something more waited for me on the other side. Death was really nothing to be scared of.
Pain, on the other hand….
“I don’t know,” I said frankly. “But it’s a risk I’m willing to take. Also, I’ll consult my spirit guides before I go, see if they have any words of wisdom for me. And I’ll bring along my pepper spray.”
The pepper spray was a relic of my time living along in Los Angeles. I’d never had any reason to use it, but a girl couldn’t be too careful.
That comment seemed to relax Boden, because he shifted backward slightly on the couch and gave me a nod. “Well, then. I suppose you’ve thought of everything.”
I wished. In my experience, it was usually the one angle you hadn’t considered that nailed you in the end.
But I didn’t say anything on that subject. No, I just smiled and said, “I hope so. Why don’t you give me your number? I’ll call or text if I come up with anything.”
He seemed pleased that I’d asked him for his phone number. At least, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he rattled off the digits.
Since I had my phone with me, it was easy enough to create a new contact entry for him. While I had my head bent over the phone, I had to hope he wasn’t reading anything more into the request than there was. He might have spent a night with one of Lilith’s groupies, but it didn’t seem as if she’d left a lasting impression on him.
