Tears spilled silently down her cheeks. “Brooke was my best friend. She’d only been with the coven for a few years, and she didn’t live in the house, but she spent most of her time there.”
“Where did she live?”
“With her boyfriend. But they just broke up. She was staying at the house for a while.”
“Was she staying in your room?”
“No, but she hung out there a lot. My room has a TV and hers doesn’t. She knows she’s welcome to watch whenever.”
Evie kept slipping into the present tense, her brain refusing to accept that Brooke was gone.
“What can you tell me about her boyfriend?”
“He was kind of a dick. When I started hanging out with Liam, Brooke talked about how lucky I was because he was such a gentleman. Charles was kind of a slob, and Brooke did everything around the house. Shehatedthat. It was one of the big reasons why she dumped him. She said if he refused to pull his weight now, it would only get worse if they settled down and had kids, and she had no desire to clean up after an extra child.”
A shadow of a smile flickered across her mouth before it disappeared. “She said he was the kind of guy who’d probably refer to looking after his own kids as babysitting. I think she loved him for a while. But she wanted a family. She’ll never have a family now. She would’ve been such a good mom.”
The Brooke I’d seen had been ready to party. She’d seemed young. But Evie would know her best friend’s deepest wishes.
I reached out and scratched Lia under the chin.
“Do you know his last name?”
“Walker.”
“How’d he take the breakup?”
“Called her a heartless bitch. Brooke mostly talked about how she was better off without him.” Evie stared at me. “You think he did this? He’s a human.”
“I don’t think anything. I’m looking at everyone.”
Evie wiped at her face. “I keep thinking I can’t have any tears left. And then it all hits me again.”
“I know. Listen, I’m going to do everything I can to find out who did this to the coven, but Riona could still be alive.”
She nodded. “I know, Danica. You need to prioritize her.”
“I’m going to go talk to the mage she dated. Then I’ll go talk to Charles Walker.”
I hesitated and glanced at Vas.
“I’m hanging out here,” he said before I could say anything.
“Thanks.”
Evie didn’t protest that she didn’t need a babysitter. She simply closed her eyes and pulled her comforter over shoulders as Kyla and I walked out.
“Jerry will probably be at the Mage Council,” I said as we stepped into the elevator. “Technically, I shouldn’t be allowed back after they fired me, but Keigan gave me guest access. There’s no way I’ll be able to get you in though.”
“Makes sense. What do you want me to do?”
“Siobhan sent me a list of Riona’s friends, and I’m going to forward them to you. A few of them work together at a clothing store… ah… Blast. Get as much out of them as you can and I’ll text you when I’m done.”
Kyla nodded. “I know Blast.” She smiled slightly at my blank look. “It’s a boutique store on Main Street.”
“Okay. Take your car. We’ll split up and I’ll meet you outside the Mage Council.”
Twenty minutes later, I ignored the furious beeps from a white SUV as I nipped into a parking spot on the street outside the Mage Council.
