in particular.
From the squat, she squinted up at Jones and scratched her chin with long, ragged fingernails. “The signs aren’t clear,” she said. “All I see is that he was close to me this morning.”
I accidentally inhaled some latte in my surprise. “It’s true,” I said excitedly, around hacking the coffee. “I found the toe tag near the capitol. Nana was there on a bench, only I didn’t know it was her. I almost went to ask her if she’d seen anyone, but I thought she didn’t want to be disturbed.”
Nana’s pale green-tinged eyes turned to inspect me. They were deep set, but sharp. “Yes, this morning,” she agreed. “I was communing with the ghosts.” She frowned to herself and dug in her ear. “But to have missed the presence of not one, but two magicals? I must be losing my touch.”
Jones cleared his throat. “What about the shoe?”
“I need more than it can give me. Time for the big guns.” Nana pulled a fast-food ketchup packet from her coat pocket. She threw it on the ground. In a flash, she lifted her foot and stomped on it. Ketchup spattered explosively.
Devon jumped back as if he was hit. “Jesus, watch where you’re splashing that stuff.”
Nana paid no attention to Devon, except as she followed the trail of gooey mess to his pants leg. He’d started to shake it off when she grabbed the cuff of his jeans.
“Don’t,” she hissed. “You’ll mess with the signs.”
He froze, balanced awkwardly on one foot. She grasped the denim in her clawlike grip. She was hunkered down so tightly, her parka looked like a big gray boulder that had sprouted a frizzled mat of hair.
I thought, by the way he was squirming, Devon was going to fall over onto his butt.
“Okay, okay,” she said. “This is better. The bad guy has gone home to roost. With a sibling or other family member or a mouse. And there’s something about moons or lovers.”
“Oh,” Devon said, jerking his foot from her grasp finally. “That’s probably for me.”
She gave him a squinty inspection. Standing slowly, she glared up into his face. Nana stood only as tall as his sternum, but she had twice the presence. He twitched nervously until she finally demanded: “Werewolf or vampire?”
“Er, both, ma’am,” he said.
“Eh, it probably was for you.” She shrugged, turning away. The circle began to break up. Jones helped Nana shoulder her army bag. I noticed him slip a twenty into her palm.
Stone, meanwhile, looked like she really wanted to clean up the ketchup packet, but Jones shook his head when shemade a move to pick it up. She backed off, and instead came over to offer Devon a wet wipe for the ketchup on his jeans.
He accepted the wipe gratefully. Putting a hand on my shoulder to steady himself, he said, “It’s where they come from, you know.”
“What?”
“Weird abandoned shoes. You’ve always wondered, right? How did that get there and why is there only one? Well, now you know.”
He let go of me, and walked over to toss the wad into the Dumpster. I looked at the shoe, looking a lot like the other strange, single shoes I’d seen in gutters and lying at the side of the road in Chicago. When he came back over, I had to ask, “What about the pairs strung over wires?”
“Thrown by
civitas veneficus
dowsers,” he said. “They mark crossroads or warn of danger. I really don’t know how to tell the difference, so if I see some, I usually avoid that part of town entirely.”
Nana waved good-bye and hobbled off to wherever she had been headed. I watched her slow progress down the street. When she passed the edge of the building, the plastic bag shot out. It rustled and tumbled along behind her heels like a faithful dog.
“Okay, we have a lead,” Jones said, shepherding us back to the squad. “Let’s roll, people.”
Maybe it was the fact that I’d finished my latte and I finally felt fully caffeinated, but I had a small quibble with Jones’s assessment. “What lead is that,
From the squat, she squinted up at Jones and scratched her chin with long, ragged fingernails. “The signs aren’t clear,” she said. “All I see is that he was close to me this morning.”
I accidentally inhaled some latte in my surprise. “It’s true,” I said excitedly, around hacking the coffee. “I found the toe tag near the capitol. Nana was there on a bench, only I didn’t know it was her. I almost went to ask her if she’d seen anyone, but I thought she didn’t want to be disturbed.”
Nana’s pale green-tinged eyes turned to inspect me. They were deep set, but sharp. “Yes, this morning,” she agreed. “I was communing with the ghosts.” She frowned to herself and dug in her ear. “But to have missed the presence of not one, but two magicals? I must be losing my touch.”
Jones cleared his throat. “What about the shoe?”
“I need more than it can give me. Time for the big guns.” Nana pulled a fast-food ketchup packet from her coat pocket. She threw it on the ground. In a flash, she lifted her foot and stomped on it. Ketchup spattered explosively.
Devon jumped back as if he was hit. “Jesus, watch where you’re splashing that stuff.”
Nana paid no attention to Devon, except as she followed the trail of gooey mess to his pants leg. He’d started to shake it off when she grabbed the cuff of his jeans.
“Don’t,” she hissed. “You’ll mess with the signs.”
He froze, balanced awkwardly on one foot. She grasped the denim in her clawlike grip. She was hunkered down so tightly, her parka looked like a big gray boulder that had sprouted a frizzled mat of hair.
I thought, by the way he was squirming, Devon was going to fall over onto his butt.
“Okay, okay,” she said. “This is better. The bad guy has gone home to roost. With a sibling or other family member or a mouse. And there’s something about moons or lovers.”
“Oh,” Devon said, jerking his foot from her grasp finally. “That’s probably for me.”
She gave him a squinty inspection. Standing slowly, she glared up into his face. Nana stood only as tall as his sternum, but she had twice the presence. He twitched nervously until she finally demanded: “Werewolf or vampire?”
“Er, both, ma’am,” he said.
“Eh, it probably was for you.” She shrugged, turning away. The circle began to break up. Jones helped Nana shoulder her army bag. I noticed him slip a twenty into her palm.
Stone, meanwhile, looked like she really wanted to clean up the ketchup packet, but Jones shook his head when shemade a move to pick it up. She backed off, and instead came over to offer Devon a wet wipe for the ketchup on his jeans.
He accepted the wipe gratefully. Putting a hand on my shoulder to steady himself, he said, “It’s where they come from, you know.”
“What?”
“Weird abandoned shoes. You’ve always wondered, right? How did that get there and why is there only one? Well, now you know.”
He let go of me, and walked over to toss the wad into the Dumpster. I looked at the shoe, looking a lot like the other strange, single shoes I’d seen in gutters and lying at the side of the road in Chicago. When he came back over, I had to ask, “What about the pairs strung over wires?”
“Thrown by
civitas veneficus
dowsers,” he said. “They mark crossroads or warn of danger. I really don’t know how to tell the difference, so if I see some, I usually avoid that part of town entirely.”
Nana waved good-bye and hobbled off to wherever she had been headed. I watched her slow progress down the street. When she passed the edge of the building, the plastic bag shot out. It rustled and tumbled along behind her heels like a faithful dog.
“Okay, we have a lead,” Jones said, shepherding us back to the squad. “Let’s roll, people.”
Maybe it was the fact that I’d finished my latte and I finally felt fully caffeinated, but I had a small quibble with Jones’s assessment. “What lead is that,
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