When I materialized on the other side, the smell of gas and oil were almost overwhelming. I fought the dizziness in my head to quickly light up my phone and look around. Metal shelves lined the walls, and they were filled with car parts. Or bike parts. I didn’t know enough to tell the difference.
But no sign of Lila. No room to keep her here, either. An old motorcycle frame took up most of the floor space, except for where a chest freezer hugged one wall. Boxes of random restaurant supplies were stacked on top of it.
I couldn’t imagine eating anything that came from the Rare Breed’s kitchen.
Then I wondered if I should check the freezer. I didn’t really want to. But if I didn’t, I’d always wonder.
I picked my way over to it, took a deep breath, and hoisted the top up. The smell made me gag. I shone my light inside. Nothing but small, foil-wrapped packages of food that hadn’t been fresh in a very long time.
I dropped the lid and went back under the door as quickly as I could. I leaned against the old pickup until my head settled, happily breathing outside air. I checked the time. I had about two minutes before Sin came looking.
I hoped he’d done better than I had. I was disappointed that I hadn’t found anything useful. I went back to the car to wait.
He came out of the bar about two seconds after I flipped the passenger-side mirror down to watch for him. He looked both ways, then hustled to join me.
He got in. “Bartenders didn’t know anything. I looked around the back of the joint as best I could. Besides the bathrooms, there was the kitchen and a small office, but the door was open, and I could see all of it. She’s not there.”
“Nothing in the back either, except a shed chock-full of parts and restaurant supplies. And a freezer loaded with gross expired food.”
With a curious expression on his face, he pushed the ignition button. “Two down, more than half a list left to go.”
Chapter Twenty-seven
Sinclair
The horizon was turning pink as we finished checking out the last property on the list. We hadn’t found a single thing linking Frank to my mother, which was frustrating, but Aunt Z’s news that my mom was still alive and Jayne’s reminder about the note had lifted my spirits considerably.
Which didn’t mean vengeance wasn’t still on my mind. It was. But it had drifted away into a recessed corner. Hope had taken center stage again.
I parked in front of the house, and we went in. My dad was asleep on the couch with Sugar and Spider tucked in beside him, Birdie was sitting at the dining-room table working on her laptop, and Jack and Aunt Z were nowhere to be seen.
Birdie looked at us, eyebrows raised in question.
We both shook our heads.
“Nothing,” I said softly.
Not softly enough, apparently, because my dad shifted and sat up enough to dislodge Spider.
He jumped down and came running toward Jayne. “Mama, Spider hungry.”
Birdie rolled her eyes. “I just gave them a handful of treats an hour ago.”
He put his front paws on Jayne’s leg and peered up at her. “Spider loves Chicken Party.”
Jayne scooped him up and kissed his face loudly. “Okay, you silly beast, let’s go feed you.”
She took him to the kitchen while I sat on the loveseat across from my dad.
“No luck, huh?” he asked as he moved Sugar so he could sit up all the way but scratched her under the chin, which ensured she didn’t go anywhere.
“No. But Frank sure owns an interesting mix of places.”
He nodded. “I appreciate you kids doing that.”
Anything for my mom. “How was your night? Anything new here?”
“Nothing yet. And it was uneventful. You both must be exhausted. You’ve been up all night.”
I was starting to feel it. Until that point, adrenaline had kept me going. “I think a hot shower and a few hours of sleep are probably in order.”
Jayne walked back out, her gaze on Birdie. “What are you working on?”
“Nothing.” She sighed at the screen. “Just waiting to see if anything new pops up. What’s new with you?”
Jayne shrugged. “Got a text from my dad that he’d have our next store for us soon.”
“Maybe it’ll be Nocturne Falls,” Birdie said. She yawned.
“I doubt it,” I said. Then I gave her a little smile. “Thanks for all your hard work, Birdie.” Her diligence was amazing. “Have you been up all night too?”
“No, only since about an hour ago. Jack’s still sleeping though.”
“And Aunt Zinnia’s in one of the guest rooms,” my dad added. “She’s not taking the news about Lila very well. She called every psychic friend she has asking for help.”
That sounded promising. “And?”
“Nothing worth following up.” My dad got to his feet. He seemed his age to me in that moment. I didn’t like it. He glanced at me, then Jayne. “Go rest, the both of you. There are plenty of guest rooms. If anything happens, we’ll wake you up.”
I stood, and Jayne came over to put her arm around me. “He’s right. We should get some sleep.”
“I know.” As reluctant as I was to sleep, the lack of it was already making me punchy. “Don’t let us sleep long.”
My dad raised his hand in acknowledgment on the way into the kitchen.
Then a new thought hit me. “Dad?”
He turned. “Yes?”
“Maybe you should call Tony. He said he was going to let you know if he heard anything, but now that he knows what’s going on and knows that we suspect Frank… I just think you should talk to him and see how he acts now that he’s had a chance to process all this new information.”
My dad seemed to mull that over. “You think he was lying to us?”
“No. But my gut says he’s involved in this in some way. He might not even realize it yet. A lot could have happened in the few hours that have passed since we saw him. An employee could have said something. He could have heard more from Frank. Who knows?”
Jayne nodded. “Yeah, that’s not a bad idea. Kind of take his temperature on this whole thing again.”
“All right, I’ll do that, but it’s a little early. You know the kind of hours show people usually keep. Let’s give him a chance to wake up. I don’t want him hanging up on me because I called him before sunrise.”
The sun was up but just barely, and I understood what my father was saying. Plus my dad probably wanted a cup of coffee to wake himself up a little more. “Right. Makes sense. We’ll be in the blue room. Unless Jack or Aunt Z have already claimed it.”
“No, that one’s free.”
I took Jayne’s hand, finding comfort in that connection, and we walked back to the guest room. One of many guest rooms in my parents’ house, the blue room was decorated in tones of deep blue and gold. It had a kind of postmodern galaxy theme going on that I’d always found restful.
I think the room could have been decorated in neon colors, though, for all the difference it made. We lay down on the bed, fully clothed, and fell asleep in seconds.
If I dreamed, I didn’t remember it. And maybe that was for the better because I’m not sure what kind of dreams I would have had, all things considered.