“If you leave Moke alone, I’ll take you to Croda,” Crystal said.
“I don’t think you’re in any position to bargain,” I said.
“Neither are you,” she said. I hate smart kids.
Moke and I tensed as Moke moved again. “You okay, Crystal?”
“Yeah, Moke. Thanks. I think I’ll be all right with these guys,” she called over her shoulder.
He stepped back more. “You call. I come.”
“Thanks for everything,” she said.
Murdock pointed a finger at Moke. “Wait a minute! You’re not going anywhere. You’re under arrest for assaulting a police officer.”
Moke’s face broke into a jagged-tooth smile. “Not tonight.”
Everything around us began to vibrate. Dust rained down from the bridge, and the dirt in front of Moke erupted. A wall of rock rumbled out of the ground, rising in a massive heap. When it almost reached the undercarriage of the bridge, it crested like a wave and rolled down over Moke, sealing him in against the retaining wall. Murdock looked at me in utter disbelief.
I shrugged with my good shoulder. “It’s a troll thing.”
Murdock’s radio squawked somewhere nearby. He looked one more time at the rock wall and went to retrieve the radio.
I turned to Crystal. “Where’s Croda?”
“I need protection. Big-time,” she said.
“You’ll get it. Tell me where Croda is.”
As Murdock returned with his radio, I heard him call off the backup. Not that they seemed to have made any rush to get down to this end of the Weird.
She turned to Murdock. “I heard you guys talking. Are you really trying to find out who killed Denny?”
“You don’t answer questions very well,” I said.
She glared at me. “I’m trying not to die. Are you the good guys or not?”
“Good guys. Bad guys would have beat the hell out of the troll,” said Murdock.
Crystal zipped her jacket and looked around. Most of the homeless who had been there when I arrived had made themselves scarce. “I was safe here. You’ve got to hide me somewhere until you get Denny’s killer, or I’m dead.”
“Tell us where Croda is, and we’ll take care of you,” I said.
She crossed her arms. “I can’t. I ran, so I don’t know exactly where she is. We can go look tomorrow when it’s light.”
“Let’s go now,” I said.
She began to bounce on her feet against the cold. “Dude, look at me. Every snitch in the Tangle will sell me out the moment we hit the Avenue. I’ll be dead before daylight. Hide me tonight, and I’ll take you tomorrow. Otherwise, I’ll call Moke back.”
I hate to admit she had a point. Her platinum blond hair would stick out, to say nothing of the jacket. The only neon pink in the Tangle is in the bar lights.
“The only thing I can give you is a lockup cell tonight. I’m not waking up my boss for a safe house until I know you have something,” said Murdock.
She shook her head firmly. “I won’t be safe there in jail.”
Murdock looked at me, and I shook my head. A sixteen-year-old girl was not going to spend the night in my apartment. Even if I thought it was okay, the gracious not—Mrs. Finch would probably claim I molested her daughter.
“I have an idea,” I said. I pulled my cell phone out and walked out to the channel to get a better signal.
Meryl picked up on the second ring. She never picked up on the first. “Hey. It’s late even for you.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t sound angry anymore. “I need a favor.”
“At this rate, when I call in all the favors you owe me, you’ll be my slave for the rest of your life.”
I smiled. “Really? You’d be into that?”
“Funny. What do you need?”
“Can I stash a sixteen-year-old girl at your place for the night?”
“You’re joking.”
“Not in the least.”
“Is this a kooky French comedy involving a maid?”
“No. That was last week. This week it’s a murder witness who has a troll at her beck and call.”
“She can stay, but not the troll. I’m still finding maggots from last time.”
“Funny. Can you meet me on Summer Street by the Reserve Channel?”
I heard a heavy sigh. “Which one?” I told her and disconnected.
I went back under the bridge. I could tell by their faces that Murdock and Crystal were not getting along. “I found a place for you. If you don’t bring us to Croda tomorrow, Murdock puts you in a cell.”
Crystal looked uncertain for a moment, then nodded.
Murdock pulled at my sleeve. We moved out of earshot.
“What’s the deal?” he said.
“Meryl will take her for the night.”
He nodded toward Crystal. “She says she won’t talk until daylight.”
I glanced back at her. She looked tired and scared. A kid scared enough that she only felt safe with a troll under a bridge. “If she saw what happened to Kruge, I don’t blame her.”
Murdock turned to look at her again, assessing what he wanted to happen. “Think we can trust her?”
I shrugged. “She managed to keep a troll from killing me. Let’s give her a shot.”
My cell phone buzzed against my thigh. Meryl’s number lit the screen. “Let’s go. Ride’s here,” I called to Crystal.
We made our way up the embankment to find Meryl leaning against a black car smoking a clove cigarette. She wore a long leather coat with matching black gloves and her standard Doc Martens.
“Crystal, this is Meryl. She’s going to take care of you,” I said.
Meryl took a drag and eyed her up and down. “Just so we’re clear, he doesn’t mean that in a milk-and-cookies kind of way.”
“Not a problem,” Crystal said.
Meryl jerked her head back. “You look cold. Get in.”
I waited until Crystal had settled herself inside the car. “You have a Mini Cooper. Very nice.”
She smiled. “Astute.”
“I didn’t know you even had a car. I thought you’d come in a cab.”
Meryl smiled at Murdock. “Don’t you hate it when he wants to chitchat at two in the morning on a work night?”
He laughed. “I’m not touching that one.”
She looked back at me. “Hmm. Blood all over you, and, if I’m not mistaken, something’s wrong with your shoulder. Did the kid do that to you?”
I smiled. “She’s pretty tough. Would you mind helping me out a little?”
She rolled her eyes. “More favors.” She crushed out her clove and placed her hand on my shoulder. Even through the glove, a soft white light glowed. Warmth spread inside my shoulder, easing the pain. I could imagine the ligaments and muscles knitting back together. She released me, and I rolled the shoulder. It felt much better. By the time I woke up, I doubted I’d feel a thing wrong.
She turned to Murdock. “You’re pretty banged up, too. Here, this is on the house.”
She placed a hand on his chest and called up her essence again. Murdock closed his eyes and smiled. Meryl pulled her hand away and gave him a curious look. “Interesting essence you have there, Murdock.”
“So people keep telling me,” he said.
Meryl looked up at me. “So what’s the deal with the kid?”
“We just need to keep her out of sight until tomorrow. I think we all need some sleep, so how about we pick her up late morning or so?”
“Okay.” Meryl opened the car door and slid inside. She buckled up and rolled down the window. “I’ll drop her off wherever you want. You don’t get to know where I live.”
I dropped my chin and mock-glared at her from under my eyebrows. “Fine.”
She smiled. “Sleep well, boys!” She made a sharp U-turn from the curb and drove back up Summer Street.
Murdock shot me a sidelong glance.
“Do not say a word,” I said as we walked back to his car.