Walking out onto the roof, I see her perched by the incubator.
“You could end up waiting for several days,” I say, setting up the charcoal grill.
“Why aren’t they with the hens like the other eggs?”
“It’s a redundancy. If something happens to one batch, the others will be safe.”
“Why do you have coops on each of the corners?”
“Because if I allowed them to inbreed, I’d be in trouble later down the road. The system I’ve set up ensures genetic diversity.”
Fiona’s eyes downcast. “Oh…”
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s just…I wouldn’t have thought of that.”
Ripping open the bag of marshmallows, I press two down on roasting sticks and hand one to her.
“You’ve had no reason to.”
“But maybe I should have.”
Her insecurities shouldn’t matter to me, but seeing her sullen face provokes an unexpected reaction.
“The only woman I know that would have known to separate the chickens was Selina.”
She places her marshmallow over the fire. “You’re just saying that.”
“Do I seem like the type that would lie to make you feel good?”
She chuckles. “No, not really.”
After we eat our first s’more, I pour two glasses of wine and pop two more marshmallows onto the roasting sticks.
“I wish Brett could see me now. He’d be so jealous. He’s probably eating rats.”
“Who’s he?”
“My boyfriend—ex boyfriend. The one that sold me to Madam Levy.”
Blinding fury overwhelms me. “He’s still alive?”
She shrugs. “I guess he could be. The last time I saw him was the day he sold me.”
“You didn’t put him on your list?”
“He’d dropped me off months before I ever met you. I guess when we made the list, he didn’t come to mind.”
“Where is he now?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Where was he when you last saw him?”
“West of the east side. An apartment building across from Concord Park. Why do you want to know?”
“Because if I’m going to kill him, I have to know where he is.”
