The Trouble with Twelfth Grave (Charley Davidson #12)(58)

Kit climbed in the backseat with me while her partner in crime … solving, Special Agent Nguyen, sat in front.

“Charley Davidson,” she said, opening a file she held, “as I live and breathe. You tricked me.”

“Tricked is a strong word.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Visiting an old friend.”

“An old friend who just happens to be in protective custody?”

“Weird, right?”

“I would ask how you found her, but I’m not sure I want to know.”

“You probably don’t.”

“What about how you got inside the house? A house, mind you, that has been completely compromised.”

“I wouldn’t go there, either.”

“Okay, how about why are you here? Only the truth this time, yeah?”

“I’m trying to solve Hector Felix’s death. A friend of mine, a friend other than this one, is a person of interest in it, and I want to make sure her name is cleared.”

She nodded and opened the file.

“Do you have any clues into his death?” I asked, hopeful.

“Don’t know. Don’t care.”

“Really? Why? Isn’t that, like, your job?”

“We’re after bigger fish, Davidson.”

“The matriarch.” It hit me why they had Judianna in protective custody. Hector’s mother had ordered the attack.

Kit closed the file. “You are about thirty seconds away from fucking up my case.”

“Come on, Carson. You know my record. We can work together on this.”

“You’re good, Charley, but not this time.”

“What? Why?”

“We have someone on the inside. Someone with family connections. For the first time in a decade of investigations, we’ve managed to infiltrate their family. I can’t risk his life, Davidson, no matter how much I’d like you on the case.”

I fought the disappointment bubbling inside my chest and nodded.

“And I’m not going to arrest you even though I should. I don’t want to bring any more attention to Judianna or this case than is absolutely necessary.”

A get-out-of-jail-free card. I’d take it.

“But if I see you butting your nose into this case, Davidson.”

“Kit, I’m only after Hector’s killer.”

“That’s butting.”

“Not this time. My case has nothing to do with Judianna, who’s totally great, by the way.”

“I mean it, Davidson. I don’t want to see you anywhere near this family.”

I let out a long sigh of surrender. “Fine. No going near the family.”

“Swear to me,” she said, like she didn’t trust me.

I held up my pinkie. She glared, then kicked me out of her SUV. Two minutes later, she absconded with Judianna, heading north with a full security detail following.

Judianna must have had something good on Edina Felix, Hector’s mother. Something solid. I couldn’t mess that up if I just went to Hector’s funeral, could I? I hadn’t actually sworn. We never shook pinkies. And I really, really, really wanted to meet the woman Hector Felix called Mommy.

*

It seemed that shifting in and out of the celestial realm stirred up my anarchistic husband, or the anarchistic entity residing in my husband’s body, even more. I’d felt him close all day, but when I shifted to sneak into the safe house, I’d felt a stronger version of his presence. His warmth. His energy. His anger. He obviously hadn’t found what he was looking for.

I hadn’t found what I was looking for, either, so we were even.

I walked back to Misery, climbed inside, and picked up my phone just as it rang.

“Hey, Cook,” I said, turning the engine over and heading back to the office.

“Are you wearing a little black dress?”

“Not this month.”

“How are your clothes as far as attending a funeral? Will you blend?”

“I won’t stick out, but I’d rather change. I take it the funeral is soon?”

“Hon, the funeral is at two.”

I held my phone out to check the time. “Oh, I have just under three hours.”

“In El Paso.”

“Texas?” I asked, appalled. “Why El Paso? I thought the Felix family was from Albuquerque.”

“They have a few holdings here, but they’re based out of El Paso.”

“Wonderful. Okay, I can do this. I’ll run home, grab some clothes, and change on the road.”

“While you’re driving?” she asked, equally as appalled.

“It’s that or miss the whole thing. El Paso is three hours away. I can make it in a little over two without killing anyone. Yeah,” I said, thinking out loud. “I can do this.”

“Why don’t you just do that teleportation thing?”

My shoulders sagged. “I’m just not that good. I could end up in Scotland again. Or Siberia. Or Mars.”

“I’ll get some clothes together and meet you out front.”

“Thanks, Cook. I owe you.”

“You already owed me. How’d it go with Judianna?”

“Kid’s a survivor, through and through. And I didn’t get arrested. So, you know, that’s a plus.”