As I passed Trsiel, he grasped my shoulder, forcing me to stop pacing.
"Eve, we need to-"
"Slow down and think. I know that. But I think better when I'm moving."
He let me go. I wheeled and strode across the cell.
"Let's see what we have," Trsiel said. "Her name is Lily and she works at a community center as part of the cleaning staff."
"Yeah, yeah." Still walking, I rubbed my hands over my face. "Okay, she just woke up, so it'll take her a while to get to work. It was seven-Wait. What time is it now?"
Trsiel walked through the cell bars and looked around. "This clock says just past nine-thirty."
"Then we've got a two-hour time difference. That means she's somewhere west of Colorado. American accents, so definitely in the country."
"Upper West Coast accents," Trsiel said. "North of California."
"Right. Thanks; I'll talk to Jaime. We'll search the Internet for community centers on the upper West Coast with mentions of a Spring Fling and March Break Madness. Once we've narrowed it down, she can see whether any have a janitor named Lily." I stopped pacing. "A game plan. Good. But it'll take some time. With any luck, that guy she's after won't be heading to the community center for a while today."
I paused, then looked at Trsiel. "So she wants to kill this guy because he doesn't notice her. Besides the seriously fucked-up logic behind that, there's one thing I don't get. What is this boy to me?"
Trsiel frowned.
"The Nix is doing this for my benefit, right? A demonstration of her power. A lesson for me. So-" I stopped and met his gaze. "Look, if she succeeds in killing this kid, I'll feel bad. Anyone would, right? But it won't-well, I don't know him. If this is a lesson, either I'm missing the point or this Nix has me pegged all wrong, thinks I'll fall apart over the death of a stranger."
"She knows you're working on something usually reserved for angels-"
"So she probably assumes I'm typical angel material-protect the innocent no matter who they are. Makes sense." I glanced at Sullivan. "Should we check in her skull one last time? If I could get a better look at the flyers in that hall-"
As I said the words, I pictured the flyers again and my words froze in my throat. The pink poster. TUTORS WANTED. I'd seen that before. Months ago. My memory pulled up an image-a soft, pretty hand reaching for the tabs along the bottom of the flyer, ripping one off, silver rings flashing. A deep sigh sounded somewhere to the left.
"Literacy tutors? Oh, please. Don't you do enough of that crap already?"
"It's not crap. And it's only an hour a month."
"Like you've got an hour to spare! Geez, Paige-"
I spun on Trsiel. "Portland. The community center is in Portland. My daughter-oh, God, Savannah goes there."
Chapter 27
I RECITED A TRANSPORT INCANTATION. AT THE LAST second, Trsiel realized what I was doing and grabbed my hand. We landed a few blocks from Paige and Lucas's house. The community center was a couple miles in the opposite direction.
"Can you get us any closer?" I asked.
"I'd need to find out exactly where we're going. A map, a street address-"
"No time."
I started to run. Trsiel shot up beside me.
"She's not going after your daughter, Eve," he said. She can't.
"Can't?" I said, still running. "Can't how?"
"The Nix can't choose her partner's victims. They make the choice. They pull the trigger. She can give them the resolve to pull it, but she can't aim it for them."
I rounded a corner, not slowing.
"This Lily is going after that young man," Trsiel said. "He must have a connection to your daughter. That's how she's going to hurt you. By hurting Savannah-emotionally."
I eased down to a jog, giving my brain a chance to digest this. Could this Brett guy have a connection to my daughter? Sure. He played basketball-so did Savannah. Had he coached her? Maybe played some one-on-one with Savannah and her friends? Or had she just seen him around the courts, thought he was good-looking, developed a crush?
There had to be a connection, but it did no good to stand around pondering the possibilities. We still had two miles to go, and no idea what time Lily started work.
We arrived at the community center just past nine. The massive two-story building was filling fast. A steady stream of cars and minivans drove through the drop-off circle, disgorging kids toting knapsacks and duffel bags. As the children and teens climbed the stairs, they merged with the current of adults flowing in from the parking lot, heading to the gym, a class, or a club. A typical Saturday for an urban family-twice as busy as any weekday.
We hurried up the front steps, through the congestion, and into the bright foyer. I looked around. We were at the junction of four hallways and a double set of stairs. Ribbons of people wended their way in every direction.
"We should start with the janitor's room," I called back to Trsiel, yelling to be heard over the cacophony of laughs, shouts, and greetings.
"Good idea. Where is it?"
"I have no idea. I've only been here once, and only to the basketball courts. Maybe we should check there instead. Brett was coming off the courts."
"Which doesn't mean that's where he is today. Better to find Lily. Then it won't matter where her target is."
"Right. So where-"
"Just a sec." Trsiel disappeared. "Hey! What-"
He zipped back before I could finish. "There's a basement."
"Then that's where we'll start."
We found a suite of janitorial rooms downstairs, everything from storage closets to an office to a lunchroom. All were empty. Two jackets hung in the office. A man's and a woman's.
We spent the next two hours combing the building. The problem was that, in a place like this, nobody stayed still. Kids raced from swimming lessons to the lunchroom to model-building classes. Adults hurried from the treadmills to their child's floor-hockey game to the coffee shop. Walk into any room, then return an hour later and ninety percent of the faces had changed.
Eventually, we found one of the janitors-an elderly man. But there was no sign of his female counterpart.
After our fourth sweep of the building, we stopped in the second-level child-care center, by the window overlooking the front entrance. Below, the flow of traffic dropping off children had slowed as noon approached. A brief break for lunchtime, then it would start all over again.
"So is Lily not here?" I said to Trsiel. "Or do we just keep missing her?"
"We haven't seen a female janitor yet. And that was definitely a woman's jacket downstairs."
"But is it from today? It's spring. Come to work in a winter coat and by afternoon it can be hot enough that you forget to take it home. Damn it! What if-"
I caught a glimpse of a motorcycle pulling out of the drop-off circle, and turned for a better look, invoking my long-range sight. One glance, and I was flying out the door.
"What is it?" Trsiel asked, hurrying after me.
"That bike. The motorcycle. It's Lucas's. Lucas Cortez. Savannah's guardian. She's here. Savannah's here."
Trsiel grasped my shoulder, but I shrugged him off, plowing through people as I made my way to the stairs.
"Don't panic, Eve," Trsiel said, jogging at my heels. "Maybe it looks like his motorcycle-"
"It is his motorcycle. It's an antique. Very rare. He restores them."
"Maybe he was dropping off his wife, Paige. You said she comes here-"
"There was no helmet on the back of the bike."
"What?"
"Paige would have left her helmet. Savannah's fifteen. She'd carry it inside with her."