“Thank you. I’m glad you’ve enjoyed it,” Abby said.
“We have,” Jackson said. “For now, however, we’re going to get the check. There’s a girl out there—and she might still be alive. Everyone will be starting early.” He glanced around, as if looking for the waitress.
Abby shook her head. “Dinner is on the house,” she insisted.
“This is your business, Agent Anderson. We don’t take advantage,” Jackson Crow told her.
“Please! You’ve come here. Let me offer what I can. Which, by the way, is a house,” she said.
“We do have rooms booked,” Jackson responded. “But thank you.”
“Jackson,” Will said. “It might be wise to accept. We’ll have space and privacy.”
“Yes, you can cancel your hotel rooms,” Abby urged.
“We don’t want to put you out. We only need two rooms—except that I thought we should assign someone here, too,” he said.
“I’ve been staying at the Dragonslayer since I came back,” Abby said. “And not to worry. I’m fine. I’ve spent time here all my life. But I also have a home—a family home—on Chippewa Square.” She shrugged. “It happens to be available. And there’s no reason to incur taxpayer expenses that don’t need to be incurred.” Abby realized that Malachi had remained quiet; he’d been watching her all the while. He didn’t appear angry, just bemused.
“We don’t take chances,” Jackson said. “Malachi, do you want to stay here? I’m sure Agent Anderson has a couch somewhere. And, if you really don’t mind, Agent Anderson, we will take you up on your offer. We do, as a group and as individuals, tend to prefer the historic and the private—places with plenty of room to meet, without probing eyes. Detective Caswell will set us up with a room at the police station, but we still like having some private space—when we can get it.”
“I’m fine on a couch. Or a floor,” Malachi said.
“And you are sure you want to offer this invitation?” Crow asked Abby.
They were leaving Malachi here?
Maybe that made sense. Malachi had already seen Blue. And she hadn’t seen him since he’d led her to her grandfather’s corpse.
“Um, yes, of course.” Abby turned to look at Malachi. “You don’t have to sleep on a floor or a couch,” she told him. “I can give you my grandfather’s room.”
“That certainly sounds more comfortable,” Malachi said. He still appeared a bit bemused. Of course he did. Now that Jackson Crow had arrived, she was all hospitality. “I’ve been staying a few blocks away at a hotel on the riverfront, so moving over will take ten minutes.” He spoke softly to Jackson. “We have a lead. At least, I think it’s a lead. We found a map with an X. Abby has a friend who’s a city expert, and we’re meeting up with him in the morning to see what we can find.”
“I’ll be speaking with the task force,” Jackson Crow said, “and we’ll compare notes later.”
Abby got a piece of paper and wrote down the address of her house on the square. “There are a few things there—coffee in the freezer, dry creamer, but not much else. I went over one day last week, checking up on the place, and everything’s in order.” She hesitated, looking at the group. “I was thinking I’d rent it out again when I leave here to get my assignment.”
“The rest of your family is gone?” Angela asked her.
Abby nodded. “Yes, it was Gus and me for a while there,” she said.
“I’m sorry.” Angela didn’t add that her grandfather had been old, and Abby was glad of it.
“All right, then,” Jackson said, rising. “We’ll go to your house now.”
“I haven’t stayed at the house in years, and it’s been empty for a while. Oh, it won’t be terrible—no moldy sheets or anything like that. They’re in the hall closet in sealed bags. I can come with you, to get you in, but—”
“No need,” Malachi said. “You need to see if your tour-guide buddy is here.”
Abby retrieved her house keys and handed them to Jackson.
“We’ll see you both tomorrow. In the meantime, we’ll keep in contact on our cell phones,” he instructed. “And, like I said, we’re careful in this unit. That’s why we check out a situation, and then work in numbers when warranted. We’ll say good-night now.” Jackson Crow left a tip on the table. Abby started to dispute, to assure him she’d handle it.
“Ah, well, the least we can do is reward our excellent server,” Jackson said.
Abby nodded, and the group walked to the door. Malachi told her he’d pick up his bags at the hotel while the restaurant was still in full swing.
When they were gone, she realized that Grant Green was standing right at her back. “Okay, give!” he said.
“Give?”
“A cool-looking, authoritative...mysterious group of people! So, who are they?”