We talked for a while longer, but that was all the ex-pit boss had for me. He really didn’t know all that much, but he had confirmed a number of my suspicions. I decided I needed to start talking to more members of the Community. They might be in a mood to cooperate now that I had further evidence someone was moving among their domains, stirring things up.
After Bernie left, I told Jenna she couldn’t stay here any longer. She was easily convinced. One man showing up with a gun to steal her ring was one too many. I helped her pack up her things. Tears glistened on her cheeks as she folded her wedding dress.
“I was supposed to return this,” she said. “It’s a rental. But I haven’t been able to get myself to do it yet.”
“We’ve got to find another place for you to stay.”
“I know,” she said, “but it feels like I’m giving up on Robert.”
“You aren’t. I’m not giving up on Tony either. I’m not giving up on any of them. I’m going to keep digging.”
She hugged me, and I tried not to enjoy the feel of her body up against mine. I smelled the hotel shampoo in her hair.
Before she let go of me, my phone rang in my pocket. She pulled away so I could answer. She went back to packing, but I could tell she was listening while I answered my cell.
“Hello?” I said.
“Draith?” It was Holly’s voice. “Come to my place—right now, will you? I need help.”
“Um,” I hesitated. I glanced over at Jenna.
“You need to leave, don’t you?” Jenna asked.
“Who’s with you?” Holly asked in my ear. “Where are you, Draith?”
“I’ll be right there,” I said to Holly. I hung up before she could say anything else.
Jenna stared at me. Was there a new hurt in her eyes?
“I’ve got to—” I began.
“It’s all right,” Jenna said quickly. “Really. I understand—just go.”
“I’ll be back. We have a lot to do together.”
“I know you’ll come back,” she said.
I left her then, feeling awkward. I considered leaving my gun with her, but I figured the odds were higher I would need it than she would.
As I walked out, I could feel her eyes on my back, but I didn’t turn around.
By the time I climbed out of the taxi and ran up the concrete steps to Holly’s apartment, it was too late. Her door was a kicked-in mass of splintered wood. I pulled out my gun.
A woman backed out of the apartment, looking confused. I almost shot her, but managed to stop myself. She didn’t seem dangerous, just disoriented. She saw me and gave a little whooping cry of alarm.
I slid the pistol back into my pocket, hoping she hadn’t seen it in the fading light, quickly checked the apartment, and came back out. The woman was leaning up against the wall.
“Where’s Holly?” I asked.
“Who are you?”
“A friend of Holly’s.”
“I’m the manager. She’s had a lot of men over here, but none of them ever kicked in one of my doors until now.” She stared at me suspiciously, and I realized she thought I had broken down the door.
She wasn’t someone who dressed up for work. She wore crimson sweatpants and a sweater shirt, but they weren’t quite the same shade of crimson. The shirt was covered in sequins in the shape of a rainbow. I walked past her and peered inside again, looking for signs of struggle. There weren’t any, other than the kicked-in door.
“When did this happen?” I asked. “Did you hear anything?”
“Yeah, I heard my door split open.”
“Did you see anything—anyone?”
The landlady had her fists on her hips. She eyed me critically, but must have seen my concern. She relaxed and frowned.
“I guess you didn’t do it, then,” she said.
“No, ma’am, but I think Holly is in trouble. Tell me what you can.”
“There was a bright light,” the landlady said. “Down in the space between the buildings. I saw that, then heard some hammering on her door. When I came outside, the door was kicked in and she was gone.”
I pushed past her again and skipped down the steps two at a time. The breezeway between the buildings had scorch marks, not only on the concrete walkway, but on both the bordering stucco walls as well. I imagined the scene then. The air had warped here, letting someone come through. Probably, it was one of the Gray Men. Maybe they’d been looking for me, and my trail had led them here. They’d gone up the steps to her apartment, kicked in the door and…
And what? I didn’t know what had happened next. She had called me in a panic. Maybe she’d been followed home. Maybe she’d heard or seen the warping of the air.
“Damn it,” I said. My words rang from the walls of the breezeway. The landlady peeped around the corner behind me, but she kept quiet.
I looked everywhere in the complex over the next few minutes, but found nothing. I’d made a new friend, and I’d lost her. Maybe that’s why no one had come forward since I’d escaped the sanatorium, claiming to be my close friend or relative. Maybe they were all gone.
“Draith?” called a man’s voice from behind me.
I turned around slowly. It was McKesson.