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“Scrying glass,” I corrected her.
“Nor that.” She smiled. “I’m too accustomed to catering to the ignorant.”
“It’s how I’ve lived my life,” I said with a shrug.
She scraped her bowl clean. “If we’re finished with lunch, we can get down to business.”
I was tempted to ask for a second helping, but I knew it was best to carry on. We still had to stop at Hewitt’s, and I had no idea how Sian was getting on with the ghosts.
Kane and I insisted on cleaning up from lunch. Once we finished, Birdie directed us to her office.
The room was nothing like the rest of the house. Metal and small flashing lights surrounded us. In the far corner, a large fan swiveled back and forth.
“It gets hot in here when all the systems are firing,” Birdie explained, noticing my gaze.
“What is all this?” I asked. “What about the crows?”
“The crows are only part of the equation.” She glided to the closest computer. “They bring me intel, and I use that to uncover more information, which I then enter in my database.”
Birdie would’ve come in handy when I needed to update my ancient computer. To be fair, Steven Pratt did the best he could with what he was given.
“What kind of intel?”
“Oh, it varies. As I’m sure you’re aware, Fairhaven borders Wild Acres and a multirealm crossroads. It’s important to keep tabs on all the residents and activity.”
My palms started to sweat. “Do you have information about me?”
“A small entry.” She tapped the keyboard and my name appeared on the computer screen. “There isn’t much. Your date of arrival and address. Your truck and the motorcycle you store in an outbuilding. Other than that, you’re somewhat of a mystery, Miss Clay.”
Kane and I exchanged looks behind her. I was relieved to know he hadn’t shared my secret.
“Why do you keep tabs?” I asked.
“Somebody should, or this town could end up a disaster zone.”
I thought of my recent experience chasing down gods trapped as animals. “Did you know about the roaming animals?”
“You mean the lion, the wolf, and that whole menagerie?” She cringed. “Oh, yes. The crows told me all about them.”
I was uncertain how much information the birds could’ve possibly conveyed about what really happened. How did you say “imprisoned avatar” in crow?
“What about the werewolves at Monk’s the other night? Not Arrowheads. Know anything about them?”
“If there were werewolves here that don’t belong to the local pack, they drove because they didn’t get here through the crossroads.”
That was my theory, too; otherwise, the guards on duty that night would’ve scented them at the very least.
“I should clarify,” Birdie said. “My information tends to center on the locals rather than outside activity coming in. That’s why you’re in here. If you’d only stopped in a B & B for a weekend, I wouldn’t have bothered. But you went and bought Bluebeard’s Castle and a coveted spot on my database.” She twisted to smile at me. “Now, let’s see how many Sarahs over the age of thirty we can find in Fairhaven and hope the one you want still lives in town.”
“If we don’t have luck with any of these,” Kane said, “we’ll go back further to Sarahs who moved out of town, but it makes sense to start with the ones still local.”
“Agreed,” I said.
Birdie centered herself in front of the computer and wiggled her fingers as though about to play piano. Her hands moved rapidly across the keyboard, showing no signs of arthritis or any other ailments. She and Otto could have a keyboard standoff. The speed and dexterity of her fingers suggested they’d be evenly matched.
A long list of names appeared on the screen. Birdie put on her glasses to read them. “So many Sarahs. Why couldn’t you be searching for an Armelle or an Addilyn?”
“They’re names?” I queried.
