Free half-lich 02 - void weaver by katerina martinez Page B

woman wanders into the diner she left unlocked and gets killed by the thieves who then rob the place… can’t imagine that’s making life easy for her.”
    “Have you tried making contact?”
    “No, ma’am, that isn’t my place. Old man like me running around after a pretty young woman like that would raise all sorts of suspicions, wouldn’t you agree?”
    Something about him , Alice started to think, but she couldn’t complete the thought.
    “Do you know where we could find her?” Cameron asked. “Raegan, I mean. I think she has information that can help us in our investigation.”
    “Find her?” Doug asked. “What information could she have?”
    “Maybe she’d seen the victim before, or maybe she came back after you dropped her off—maybe she remembered she had left the place unlocked and when she came back she found the blonde girl dead. This wouldn’t be the kind of thing she’d tell the police, but she may tell us.”
    “Could be… y’all look like trustworthy people, but this isn’t the kind of thing anyone would own up to easily.”
    “If this is weighing heavily on her, then we need to find her and help her get the truth out. For her sake.”
    “I believe when you say you’re looking out for her best interests, an’ the last thing I would want is for anything bad to happen to that girl. She was real nice.”
    “So you’ll tell us where we can find her?”
    “I don’t think that’s necessary,” Alice said, jumping in before Doug could say another word. “She was a person of interest, but she was cleared.”
    “Maybe,” Cameron said, “But if we don’t clear her ourselves, then we aren’t doing our jobs as private investigators.”
    With his leather jacket and the bristles on his jaw he looked more like a stereotypical bounty hunter—the kind you see on TV chasing down assholes who have broken bail—than a private eye. But he was playing the part, and Alice could appreciate that… even if she didn’t appreciate getting involved with Doug. She couldn’t reach his aura, but there was something about him .
    “Fine,” she said, “Let’s go talk to Raegan.”
    “Now hold on,” Doug said, “I didn’t say I could give you her address. I know where I dropped her off, but I don’t know what building she went into. I could probably get her address from the manager, though.”
    Alice nodded. Doug stood and stepped away from the booth. With Doug busy talking to the waitress, Cameron said “We came here to find out what happened to the Greek woman and we found out, but I can see it on your face; you know something doesn’t add up as much as I do.”
    “You’re right.”
    “Then regardless of what he’s told us, we need to find this girl and see for ourselves.”
    “Are you saying you think he’s lying?”
    “I’m not saying anything except for what I’ve just said. We need to find this girl. We need to know .”
    Alice looked across Cameron’s shoulder toward the counter, toward Doug. He was still talking to the manager, who was also a woman, all smiles and nods and eye contact. The manager wrote something down on a Post-It for him, and he took it with a grateful nod. A moment later he was at Alice’s table with Raegan’s address in his hand.
    When he offered the Post-It, Alice took it.
    “This is it,” Doug said. “Girl lives with her mom. You know how to find the place from here? I don’t mind leading y’all in my truck. My rounds are gonna take me down there anyway.”
    “Thank you,” she said, “But we can find it ourselves. You’ve been a great help.”
    Doug nodded, smiled politely, and backed away. “Alright, you have a good night now. I hope you find what you’re looking for.”
    Alice turned the paper around in her hand a couple of times before finally deciding to chug the remains of her coffee which, incidentally, tasted like coffee ought to taste; thick, sweet, and nothing like a mouthful of wet soil. She then stood up, pulled a ten out of her