Hayley sat up. “Skinny girl with white spiky hair?”
“That’s her. Demon girl, and I’m not kidding.” He shot another shaft of smoke into the night, then shook his head. “Who would have thought someone that mean would have a nice, sweet-sounding name like Nora Belle Castor?”
Butterfly wings danced in her stomach. “How do you know her name?”
“I tried to stop her from stealing my things from my cart here, and when I grabbed hold of her sweatshirt, she yanked away so fast I ended up tearing the thing halfway off her. I was inches from her bare arm, and there it was in fancy black ink—Nora Belle Castor. She lit into me after that. I spent the entire next day filling out a police report. I gave them her name, but they said there was no address for her. Not that they would have given me the information if they had it. They said I wasn’t the first one to complain about the girl who everyone referred to as the Ghost.” He frowned. “I guess that could have been her mother’s name, now that I think about it.”
Hayley stood then and handed him her entire pack of cigarettes and the lighter. “Here you go. They’re all yours.”
“Hey, thanks.”
“I really hope you find a way to get yourself off the streets.” And then she walked away.
Two weeks after Hayley had found out the name of the Ghost, she walked into the kitchen as she did most mornings after waking up, and she knew instantly that something was wrong.
It was way too quiet, for one thing.
Concerned, she went to Salma’s room. The bed was neatly made. All baby accessories were gone. On the dresser was a handwritten note:
Dear Hayley, Kitally, Lizzy, and Jessica,
I can never repay you for your kindness. I hope you find it in your heart to forgive me for leaving without saying goodbye. I couldn’t take any chances. Joey and I have been making plans for a while now. Sadly, I will be unable to make contact with you in the future. As you know, it must be this way. In order to live a happy life without looking over our shoulders, difficult choices had to be made. I am giving up the only family I ever knew to make a new life for myself. All of you have taught me what it means to have a family I can trust and lean on in difficult times. I will never forget any of you. Our daughter, Hope Elizabeth, will grow up surrounded by love.
All our best,
Salma, Joey, and Hope
Later that day, Hayley sat at the end of the driveway and made a call to Jessica. It had to be done.
“What’s going on?” Jessica asked as soon as she picked up.
“I’m calling in a favor.”
“You can’t call in a favor, Hayley, unless I owe you a favor, which I don’t.”
“Do you always have to take everything so literally?”
“I just call it like it is.”
“OK, I need a favor. How’s that?”
“Better. What do you need?”
Hayley looked heavenward. “I need all the help I can get in locating a Nora Belle Castor. Caucasian. Young—late teens, early twenties. Last seen downtown. I’ve tried everything. I found a cousin, but he had no idea what she was up to or where she was living. Her parents live in New York and have yet to return my calls. I’m stumped.”
“No problem,” Jessica said.
“Thanks.” Hayley couldn’t believe it was that easy. If she had known Jessica wouldn’t balk at her request, she might have called her weeks ago.
“How are Salma and the baby doing?”
“They’re gone. She and Joey took off with Hope Elizabeth in the middle of the night. I found her room empty. Just a note thanking us all, including you, for teaching her what family is all about.”
“Ahh, well, that’s sweet . . . Wait a minute, did you say Hope Elizabeth? Did she finally give her a name?”
“That’s what the note says.”
“I like it. And Salma is right—we are family, aren’t we?”
“That’s us. One big happy family.”
Jessica laughed. “Did Lizzy tell you that she’s leaving the investigative business?”
“She did.”
“Did she tell you she was thinking about selling the business?”
“She mentioned it, yes.”
“What do you think?”
“If you’re thinking of buying it, I think it’s one of the craziest ideas you’ve ever had, and you’ve had your fair share.”
“Wow. Don’t be shy. Tell it like it is.”
“You never liked the business,” Hayley said. “You hate stepping over the line. You don’t like confrontation. You quit the business for a reason.”
“Hey, I was always good with people.”
“Are you kidding me? You were shot and kidnapped, and I’ve never seen anyone get more doors slammed in their face than you.”
“Now you’re just being your usual rude self.”
“You asked me what I thought. The idea makes absolutely no sense to me. You’ve worked hard to get where you are. Why would you even consider giving that up?”
“I asked you what you thought about Lizzy selling the business. Although I’ve already begun to realize that bureaucracy equals paperwork and I’ve never been keen on paperwork, I have zero interest in becoming a PI.”
“Well, phew, that makes me feel better.”
Jessica laughed. “Kitally, on the other hand, has shown some interest.”
“Kitally wants to buy the business?”
“When Lizzy and I talked about it, that’s what she told me.”
“Well, she certainly has the money to do it,” Hayley said. “Either way, you should stick with the FBI gig, Jessica. You’re going to make a fine special agent someday. We all know that.”
“Thanks,” Jessica said.
“You’re welcome. Now if you could find an address for Nora Belle Castor, I will be forever indebted.”
“What did the girl do?”
“She’s trouble with a capital T. She beats the crap out of homeless people while they’re sleeping.”
“So, what are you going to do with her when you find her?”
“Don’t worry, I’m going to turn her over to the police.” And that much was true.
There was a long bout of silence before Jessica said, “Sure. I’ll call you if I get a hit.”
“Thanks. Talk to you soon.”
As soon as she hung up the phone, Hayley heard Lizzy’s footfalls approaching. Funny, she thought, how everyone has their own distinct walk. She always knew who was coming and going based on the quickness of their movements and the noises they made. Kitally walked fast and always sounded like a deer scampering through the room. Lizzy was the opposite. Not slow, exactly, but methodical, as if she was watching everything in her path as she went along.
Lizzy sat down on the curb next to her, a cup of hot tea snug between her palms. Hayley could hear her breathe in.
“It’s so quiet in there without Salma and the baby,” Lizzy said at last.
“You might want to enjoy it while it lasts.”
“You might be right.”
“If you came out here to find out if I was still angry with you, the answer is no. If you had finished Bennett off, I don’t think you could have lived with yourself, although now we all need to sleep with one eye open.”
“I think it’s time to call it quits.”
“You can’t simply forget about Bennett. You know that.”
Lizzy nodded. “Not Bennett, but the others.”
“There’s only two more people left on the list who haven’t been taken care of. Scott Shaffer and the Ghost.”