I messaged Evie with Becca Carter’s name, and she replied instantly.
Will send to Steve. Nelson called. Says to come to station to look at phone. Meet you there.
I sighed. Was I excited to use my power in front of a cop? No. Would I do it anyway if it meant finding Ilayda? You got it.
Detective Nelson worked out of the Durham Police Department Headquarters, which was located on East Main Street. I walked down to the station—myexercise for the day. Since the ugly concrete building occupied the footprint right in front of the morgue, Evie and Kyla had already visited a few days ago and taken a look at what was left of Douglas Wills.
I’d been more than happy to skip that part. They hadn’t learned anything new, and I didn’t need any more nightmares.
Evie and Kyla met me outside of the police station, both of them looking far too bright-eyed for this early in the morning. I filled them in about Becca Casey.
“More than a little suspicious that she disappeared right when Ilayda did,” Kyla said. “I got nothing from the baby class. Nothing except nightmares for life. You ever thought about how wide ten centimeters is?”
Evie shrugged. “This is why it’s better to ignore the metric system. I talked to Mariam. She was actually real cut up. She’s close friends with Ilayda, and she’s been reaching out to all her own contacts to try to find her. But she didn’t know anything.”
“Did you ask her why Ilayda was so scared?”
“She said she didn’t know she was scared. She knewsomethingwas up, but she figured it was just the pregnancy. Kyla and I will take the rest of the cafés, restaurants, and stores she was always visiting,” Evie told me. “You’ve got a bar to run.”
Nelson had cleared us for our visit, although we still had to sign in at the front desk. The cop behind the desk studied my ID.
“Meredith. I drink at your place occasionally. Good vibe.”
I grinned at him. “Thanks.” I’d never imagined that human cops would grab a beer next to a table of paranormals at my bar, but my chest felt all warm and cozy at the thought.
Nelson met us in the reception area, swiping his keycard along the pad so the doors swung back open. We followed him down the corridor, and the scent of bad coffee, someone’s microwaved leftovers, and sweat slid up my nostrils.
Police radios squawked, and a group of officers scowled at something on one of their screens. A cop marched a suspect past us, the guy whining that his cuffs were too tight and he “didn’t fucking do it.”
Thankfully, Nelson led us through the chaos and into a large office, shutting the door behind us. He gestured at us to take a seat, then sat in his desk chair himself, folding his hands in front of him.
Since Kyla seemed content to prowl the small space, Evie and I each took one of the visitor’s chairs. Nelson opened a drawer and removed an evidence bag, handing it to me.
I took a deep, steadying breath. Then I opened the bag and pulled out the warped phone. The glass screen had been completely melted. The battery… There was nothing left.
I concentrated. A comforting warmth filled my chest, spreading out to each of my limbs, and I smiled.
Using this part of my power feltgood. It wasn’t often that I was able to make the most of my talent, and I basked in the feel of my power as I speared it into the phone.
Sometimes, like now, it was almost as if I entered a hypnotic state. I could hear myself speaking the first number, was sure the people around me were writing it down, but I couldn’t catch the individual numbers themselves. I was too busy watching the blue light that represented that number, following it across time in an effort to see where the phone it was attached to was…
There. I rattled off the address and moved to the next number.
By the time I came back to myself, Evie, Kyla, and Nelson were all staring at me.
“What?”
“You managed to get four phone numbers.”
I glanced down at the pad in front of me. I’d written them down. That didn’t always happen.
Only four? Well, itwasa hunk of melted plastic. “What else did I say?”
“You traced one to an address. You said the others are outside of Durham but still in this realm, but you couldn’t trace them.”
I nodded. “The phone is too damaged.”
Nelson looked like he was considering handing me every electronic device in his evidence room. I was suddenly glad we were in his office, far from prying eyes. He got to his feet. “I want to send a couple of plainclothes officers to the address. I’ll be right back.”
