“Now that is a rude little man.” Death stood in the middle of the street, drinking a Slurpee and watching the police car turn a corner and disappear from view.
Casey crossed her arms. “So. Will I?”
“Will you what?”
“Evaporate?”
Death walked over and pinched Casey’s cheek with fingers icy from the drink. “Hardly. Chief Reardon doesn’t know anything about gypsies.”
“Really? And you do?”
“Of course. And gypsies do not evaporate.”
Casey sighed. “So much for that idea.”
Death took another loud slurp and took off the drink lid, stirring the ice with the straw. “Gypsies do, however, get arrested and convicted of crimes they did not commit.”
Casey jerked her head in the direction of the police car.
When she turned back around, Death was gone.
Chapter Seventeen
Casey was pedaling slowly, trying to bring her heart rate back to normal, when a strange vibration came from her jacket pocket. She glanced down. What in the world? Oh. Her phone. She’d forgotten to remove it the day before.
She braked and stopped, one foot on the curb. Yanking the phone from her pocket, she scanned the face for the incoming number. Ricky. Of course. He could’ve gotten her information when she’d called yesterday. His catering business was sure to have Caller ID.
“Ricky?”
“They were here again. At my house. The lady with the hair, and the guy with the face.”
“What? When?”
“Just now. And that’s not all. She was with them.”
“She? You mean…” He could only mean one person. Dottie Spears. The CEO of Pegasus. “What did she want?”
“Same thing Hair and Face wanted yesterday. To know where you were.”
“But for her to come—”
“Something must’ve happened.”
He was right. He had to be. “What did you tell them?”
“What I always tell them. The truth. I don’t know where you are, where you’re going, or how to get in touch with you. Except that was a lie, of course, since we’re on the phone now and I do know your e-mail address. Not that you check it very often.”
“Are they gone?”
“Of course they’re gone.”
“I mean gone gone. Have you looked outside?”
She could hear his sigh over the phone, and the rustle that meant he was moving.
“Okay. I’m looking out the front window. There’s nobody there. No cars, either. Except mine and—”
Casey waited. “And?”
“Nothing.”
“Oh, no. You’re not doing that. Who’s car is there?”
“Casey…”
“It’s not that awful girl from work again, is it, Ricky? What was her name? Jewel? Please tell me it’s not.”
“And if it is?”
“I guess I’ll have to come home after all.”
“Aaaah, so now I know the secret. I think I will have to call her again.”
Casey put a hand to her forehead. “So it’s not her?”
“It’s not her. But back to the reason I called—”
“You’re okay?”
“I’m fine. It’s not like these people are dangerous or anything. Just annoying.”
Casey wasn’t so sure. The guy with the face…well, that face wasn’t any too forgiving. “Just promise me you’ll be careful.”
“Of what? Incoming lawsuits?”
“Ricky…”
“All right, all right. I’ll be careful. Whatever that means.”
“It means—”
“I know what it means. I’m not an idiot.”
“Are you sure?” Casey squeezed her phone. “This number will be in your records now. I’ll have to get rid of it. You do realize they can track cell phones?”
“You called me yesterday.”
“At work. Not on your personal phone.”
“Oh. That’s right. But if you get rid of the phone how am I supposed to—”
“By e-mail, like usual.”
“But you have to promise—”
“I can’t promise anything.”
“—that you’ll check your e-mail more often. Okay? That’s all I’m asking.”
Casey blew a stray hair from her eyes. “Once a day.”
“At least.”
“Once a day.”
Ricky grumbled something she couldn’t hear.
“And Ricky? Check on Mom, will you?”
“You think they’ll go after her?”
“They’re bugging you. They’ve gotta think Mom knows where I am, even if you don’t.”
“I’ll check as soon as we hang up.”
“Thanks. And hey, if you find something out about…about Pegasus, let me know, okay?”
“Same goes for you.”
“I’ll tell you.”
“Good.”
A few seconds of humming phone service hung in the air between them.
“So…”
“Thanks for calling, bro. I appreciate the heads up.”
“You’re welcome. Now come home.”
Casey smiled sadly, gripping the phone tightly to her ear. “As soon as I can, Rick. I promise.”
“Well. I guess that’s about as good as I can expect. Love you, sis.”
“Love you, too.”
She held the phone to her ear long after he’d hung up, listening to the dead air.
Chapter Eighteen
Dottie Spears hadn’t started out as a horrible person. At least not when Casey had met her. She’d been sympathetic and kind, her iron hand at Pegasus showing only when one of her underlings said something insensitive
