“He could die,” Quince finished for her.
She turned to Zee. “I need you to talk to Mr. Walden again. Try to find out if he’s ever seen the boy with Seabright before. If he’s been with him this whole time.”
“I’m on it, boss.”
“Quincy, I need an address on this guy. Anything in his name or even his parents’ name. Get Anita on that. Then how about you and I go talk to Mrs. Kent?”
“Thought you’d never ask.”
Sun’s phone dinged just as Anita came into the bullpen. “Hey, boss. Mrs. Fairborn is here to confess to stabbing Keith Seabright Saturday night.”
“Damn it,” Sun said under her breath after reading the text. “I need to run an errand before we head out.”
“I got Mrs. F.,” Quincy said. “You go. I’ll call in Salazar to babysit while Anita and I try to get an address on Seabright.”
“Thanks, Quince.”
“To be honest, boss, I’m looking forward to reading how an eighty-year-old woman with blue hair repeatedly stabbed a two-hundred-pound man in a knife fight outside the Ravinder’s bar.” They watched as Anita led her in. “I didn’t know she had it in her.”
“You realize if your mother finds us here, she’s going to catch onto the fact that we’re skipping,” Cruz said once they were ensconced into a corner booth at Caffeine-Wah.
“She just left here. She won’t be back for a while. It’s all good.”
Sybil nodded absently, her lids as round as the rims on their cappuccino cups. Poor thing. Auri should’ve never dragged her into this.
She got a text from her mom and checked the time. Her mom was very careful not to text during class. Sure enough, second period just let out. They were officially skipping two classes.
Her stomach gurgled from her nerves as she read the text. Knock, knock.
Who’s there?
Etch.
She laughed. Mom, that one’s older than the Pecos River.
Etch.
Mom.
This is not Mom. This is Etch.
OMG! Fine. Etch who?
Gesundheit. Now have a good day.
Her mom only used the Etch joke when she was worried about something and couldn’t come up with anything better.
Is everything okay?
I just needed to read your voice. I’ll probably be home late.
Everything was definitely not okay.
I love you, Mom.
After a moment in which she was sure her mom covered her heart with a hand and sighed aloud, Auri had to laugh when her mom typed back, It’s hard to blame you, really. All things considered.
Then she added an entire line of hearts and it was Auri’s turn to sigh.
“Your mom’s pretty great,” Sybil said.
“She seems to think so.” She looked at her cohorts. “I’m sorry I chickened out.” She tightened her hands around her cup. “I think I’m ready now.”
“It’s okay,” Cruz said. “Let’s give it a minute. Mrs. Fairborn will be in the station for hours.”
She nodded a little too enthusiastically. Cruz’s penetrating gaze didn’t help.
Seeming to sense her discomfort, he refocused it on Sybil. “So, do you know your new expiration date?” When she turned a confused expression on him, he added, “When you’re going to die.”
“Cruz!” Auri said.
Sybil had known her whole life she was going to die on her fifteenth birthday. She’d had a premonition as a kid and had dreamed about it since. Thankfully, Sunshine Vicram had something to say about that and Sybil survived a terror no kid should ever have to endure.
Cruz shrugged, oblivious, which was not like him. “It’s just that Auri’s mom stopped your premonition from happening, so I wondered if you knew your new expiration date.”
“Oh,” Sybil said, brightening. “I do, actually.”
“For real?” Auri asked.
“Yep.” She slid her glasses up her freckled nose. “As of this moment, I’m going to live until I’m eighty-three and die of congestive heart failure.”
“Oh.” Auri cringed inwardly. “That’s good …I guess.”
“Yeah. I’m shooting for ninety-three. I’ve decided to get more exercise and eat healthy.” They all looked down at the pastry in her hand. “Right after this delicious chocolate croissant.”
The bell dinged and the owners of the coffee shop came in through the front carrying boxes. Auri decided to take advantage of the opportunity given her.
“Here.” She handed Cruz a butter knife. “Hold this to my throat and go with it.”
“Okay, but if they stab me, I’m blaming you.”
“Deal.”
Auri and her mom had lived in a loft above Richard and Ricky’s garage in Santa Fe for years. They were like family and Auri had been the flower girl at their wedding. But in all the years they’d lived there, the couple held one captivating secret over their tenants’ heads: the eyeliner trick.
Ricky, a gorgeous Asian, wore the most perfect eyeliner Auri had ever seen. He applied it with surgical precision and Sun and Auri wanted to know how.
Now was her chance to find out.
She waited until they got closer, positioned herself to be at Cruz’s mercy, then said, “Help me! He wants the eyeliner trick or he’ll kill me.”
Ricky set his box on a nearby table and looked at them, less than impressed. Richard, with his glorious mop of spiked, black hair, followed suit, only his expression held more humor than disinterest.
Sensing her inevitable defeat, she added, “And he’ll get blood all over your porous Italian tile.” Which, really, who put a porous tile in a coffee shop?
Ricky gasped. “Fine. Your chai latte is on the house.”
She rolled her eyes. “My chai latte is always on the house. He knows that. You’re not fooling him.” She pointed at the kid holding a butter knife against her throat, rather limply much to her chagrin. “He’s a criminal mastermind.”
Ricky gave Cruz a dubious examination.
Richard winked playfully at him. “The redhead put you up to this?”
He lifted a shoulder.
Ricky leaned closer to her and whispered, “Better luck next time, squirt.”
She deflated. So close.
She disentangled herself from her captor and stood to give them each a hug. “You just missed Mom.”
“We have some fresh-baked pastries we’ll take over in a bit. Aren’t you supposed to be in school?”
“We’re on a scavenger hunt!” Sybil shouted. Really loudly. She didn’t handle panic well.
“Yeah,” Auri said, going in for the save, “for history. We’re finding different historical sites in town and taking pics of them.”
“Nice,” Ricky said. “You should take a picture of Richard. He’s a historical site.”
Richard glared at him. “I’m not that much older than you.”
“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Grandpa.”
Auri giggled, then sat down and scowled at Cruz. “We need to talk.”
“Okay,” he said, a telltale grin lifting one corner of his mouth.
“Your performance was underwhelming.”
“Underwhelming?”