Mom stayed until the jet lifted off. Then we took my new cell phone and left the damaged rental car at the airfield for Benicio to deal with. He'd rented us another--a small Mercedes, which was probably his idea of an economy vehicle--expendable, should we destroy it, too.
TWELVE
Mom's old contact lived in a trailer park just off I-10. I figured he'd been displaced by Katrina and still didn't have a home, but Mom said no, Toby had always lived in a trailer.
If I hadn't known this area had been spared by the hurricane, I'd have been sure this particular trailer had been swept away by the floods and dragged back. It certainly looked that way. It even seemed to have mud spatter until I got close enough to see it was rust. A lot of rust. One window was boarded up. The roof sagged at two corners. A single hinge held the screen door in place. Where other trailers had nice grass front "yards" and even flower beds, this one had mud, with beer cans piled as statuary.
Otherwise it was a decent trailer park. Respectable enough that we felt comfortable leaving the Mercedes in the visitors lot, though Mom did cast a security spell on it.
We didn't worry about sneaking up on the derelict trailer--the remaining windows were dark with blackout blinds.
"What's his type?" I asked as we approached.
"Blondes, I think. You're safe."
I gave her a look.
"He's an Aduro," she said. Midgrade fire half-demon. "You know how to handle that, I take it?"
"I do."
"Good."
She walked up to the side of the trailer, put her fingers to the aluminum and rubbed, as if clearing a peephole through dirty glass. That's exactly what she was doing, except as an Aspicio half-demon, she could see through more than just glass.
She shaded her eyes and peered through. Then she repeated the process further along.
"He's home," she murmured. "Watching TV. I'm going to have you head around the back. If I'm right, another boarded-up window doubles as an escape hatch."
"Got it."
I found the boarded window and waited while Mom knocked at the door. A minute passed. Then the wood over the window opened. A bald guy with glasses poked his head out.
"Hello," I said.
Toby stopped. Blinked. Glanced back toward the front of the trailer.
"No, you're not seeing double," I said. "My mother is still at the front door."
"You're . . ." His eyes widened, magnified by his thick glasses. "Shit!"
He swung at me, fingers blazing. Those glowing hands would have worked better if I hadn't grown up around Adam. A sharp sideswipe to his forearms knocked them down and knocked him off-balance. As he tumbled from the window, I grabbed him by the collar and hauled him upright.
"Got him!" I called.
Mom rounded the corner. Toby had been struggling, but he went still when he saw her.
"E-Eve," he said. "I thought it was . . ." He glanced at me. "I didn't get a good look, and I know your daughter is supposed to resemble you, so I figured that's who was at my door. You know I don't talk to anyone without an introduction. That's why I bolted. If I knew it was you--"
"You'd have bolted faster."
"I--"
"You thought you got off easy," she said as she set her sword case down. "I died right after you buggered up our deal with the St. Clouds. You got to keep the money, and I was dead and couldn't object. Surprise."
"I--I didn't renege on the deal. I was going to give you the money--"
"Which is why I hear you already had your truck hitched to your trailer, ready to skitter off for parts unknown. Until I disappeared and you figured you were safe to wait it out."