Cute how he thought doing me a tiny favor like getting Ryder out of the vampire’s kill zone was going to settle his dues with me. He was still the one who had lost the god powers, and we still had no clue as to where they could be.
I pulled my phone, texted him:Better be at the station by the time I get there.
Before I had time to start the car, a text pinged back:Already there. Ryder didn’t kill Sven. Stop listening to the vampires.
After that he had attached emojis of an angel, a bat, some kissy lips, and a banana.
I didn’t want to know why he included the banana.
I texted back:I’m a cop. I listen to everyone.
Good. Listen to me. Ryder’s innocent.
Prove it.
I don’t need to prove it,he texted back.I’m not a cop.
Typical. Just couldn’t leave anything alone. Always had to get in the middle of it and stir it up. If I hadn’t seen how genuinely ill he’d looked at losing the powers, I might even suspect he’d done that on purpose just to liven things up.
The phone rang. I started the engine and picked up the phone, thumbing on the hands-free. “What do you want, Crow?”
“It’s me,” Myra said. “Crow’s not with you?”
“He took Ryder and Jake Monroy out for free donuts. Said he’s at the station.”
“Maybe. Roy’s there. He’ll keep an eye on him. How did it go?”
“Not great. Rossi hired Ryder and Monroy for some kind of remodeling project or business franchising thing.”
“Uh-huh.”
She knew just as well as I did that Rossi wanted to keep Ryder close enough to snap his neck without the added trouble of Rossi having to leave his own property.
“Anything else?”
“I talked to Etta. She was dating Sven.”
“And?”
“She said Ryder was at the bar the last time Sven was seen alive. She also said she saw him when Sven died.”
“Ryder?”
“Yes.” I rubbed my forehead. “I don’t have any solid proof, and she’s grieving. Plus, her view was via telepathy. We can’t submit that to court.”
“Right.” It was only one word, but it had a lot behind it. Like the sickening truth that if Ryder had killed Sven with blood and some kind of ancient ritual, it meant he knew what Sven was. That meant he knew there were creatures in Ordinary, maybe even knew there were gods here.
Which made Rossi’s theory that there was a group of vampire hunters all the more likely.
Could this day get any worse?
“Have you thought...considered that it might be Ryder?”
My heart beat so loud I was surprised I could hear my voice over it. “Yes.”
Then there was nothing but silence on her side and fear on mine.
“I’m headed over to talk to Apocalypse Pablo at the gas station,” she said. “Meet you there?”
