“So, is that what you’re doing over at the party? Creating a distraction? I must say, I’m impressed.” We could hear the cacophony next door, the mingled shrieks of delight and surprise.
“That? Naw, that ain’t me. Truth is, I don’t have that kind of skill. That’s all Renee. Shoulda seen her, laughin’ her ass off, cookin’ it up.” He shook his head, and nudged something with his foot. There was a soft moan. Only then did I realize—what I had assumed was yet another heap of clothing was actually Renee, lying on the floor.
“What did you do to her?” I asked.
“She’ll be okay, prob’ly, just a knot on her head. Maybe her ego will be a little bruised—you catch my drift. I gotta say, Renee and me, we don’t share the same sense of humor. That’s one reason, maybe, why this whole coincidentia deal isn’t gonna work between us like I hoped it would.”
“The coincidentia oppositorum? You wanted Tristan out of the way so you could step in and be Renee’s partner?”
He nodded.
“Why did you set up Sailor?”
He laughed. “That part was sheer luck. Renee just couldn’t stop talkin’ about him, how unfair it was that you was gonna get married and be happy when no one else in your—how do you call it?—‘profession’ did. Gotta say, you have a way of getting under her skin. She sent me to your boyfriend’s apartment to steal something of his. No offense, but that’s a pretty depressin’ place.”
“He’s not big on home decorating,” I said lightly, hoping my tone would help to ease Selena’s fears a little. “Why did you steal his father’s watch?”
“Renee was gonna use it to hex him, get control over him. Maybe change who he was fond of—you catch my drift. But then she got lucky when Maya brought you one of her pasties—it had a charm in it, made just for you so it wouldn’t affect anyone else if they happened to eat it. She didn’t want to totally do you in or nothin’, just distract you. Guess she managed that, right?”
“Yes, I guess you can say I’ve been a little distracted lately.”
“I happened to have Sailor’s watch on me when I tried my first silverfish deal. Looked in the mirror, and voilà! No wonder you people enjoy this magic thing so much. Anyway, I got a few of those special silverfish from a Russian out in the avenues who I was able to persuade to help me with the spell. Took some practice, but I got to where I could keep up a glamour for, like, twenty minutes. Which is pretty darned good, if you ask me. Had to keep checking the time—wouldn’t do to transform back to little ol’ me in the middle of things.”
“Again, I’m impressed. When you chased after us at Sailor’s apartment, I had no idea it was you.”
“Yeah, that was just dumb luck. It’s like I’m charmed lately, excuse the pun. I went by Sailor’s building just to practice this glamour deal. Gotta say, it’s a little addictive once you start doing it. I thought I’d see if I could fool folks who really knew Sailor, up close and personal, like his neighbors or landlord. Couldn’t believe it when I looked up the stairs, and there you stood, with that Gypsy lady.”
“Why did you chase us?”
He grinned. “Just to see if I could. A guy like me, in my normal form . . . well, I don’t exactly inspire fear and trembling just by looking at me. You get my drift. It was a hoot to see how scared you guys got. You just about jumped off the roof!”
“That we did. And before that, while you were in Sailor’s form, you figured you could kill Tristan with impunity.”
“Impuni-what? I figured I could get away with it, if that’s what you mean. Went there to get the lachrymatory Tristan promised Renee, and figured he’d be a goner by then. But he came at me, really made me mad. He was sick as a dog, but he still thought he could take me. I guess I showed him what for, but it sure did make a mess.”
“Your use of poison surprises me. I thought you’d be a gunman.”
“Why’s that?”
“You pulled a gun on me once, a while ago, remember?”
“Oh, that wasn’t a real gun. It was a starting pistol. Nabbed it from my nephew’s track coach. I support gun control, tell you the truth. Bunch of nutcases walking around with concealed weapons, what’s that about? No, thank you. Besides, poison’s got lots more advantages. Slip some mushrooms into one of Renee’s pasties, wait a few hours, and it’s vomit city. After all, who could resist one of Renee’s creations—am I right?”
I nodded. “That makes a lot of sense. You’re pretty smart, Jamie. You thought this through.”
“See, you get me. You suppose me and you got a shot at this coincidentia oppositorum deal?”
“I thought you were partnering with Renee?”
He glanced down at her crumpled form. “Yeah, that might not work out so good. Seems like we weren’t on the same wavelength, after all. Plus, she’s prob’ly gonna be pissed when she comes around, so I really could use someone on my side. Not sure my Russian connection can handle someone like Renee. Also, here I thought she was the big threat to you and Aidan, but now I guess there’s something else happening.”
“Something else?” I kept my eyes on Jamie, but tried to convey calm and strength to Selena, who hadn’t made a sound other than a muffled whimper.
“You don’t know?” Jamie asked. “Yeah, turns out, Renee’s just an underling, too! She likes to talk a big game, but she’s takin’ orders, just like the rest of us.”
“Orders from whom?”
“Hey, lady, if I knew everything you think I know, I’d be running the show already, wouldn’t I? All I know is she started burning some batches of cupcakes, and
