The Getaway God (Sandman Slim 6)

I can’t take my eyes off Chihiro.

“Sorry. This is Julie. My new boss.”

“New boss? What kind of work do you do?” says Chihiro.

“I used to work for the government. But now I run a detective agency.”

Chihiro nods.

“This is a good town for it. Things go missing all the time.”

“It’s our job to bring them back home again,” I say.

“You any good at it?” says Chihiro.

“We’ll just have to wait and see.”

“Don’t wait too long. It might get away.”

“Then I wasn’t supposed to find it in the first place.”

Chihiro raises her eyebrows.

“You’re a philosopher.”

“No. Just drunk.”

“That sounds like a very good idea,” says Brigitte. “Let’s all have too many drinks. I’ll get us more glasses.”

Chihiro presses her leg against mine under the table. I want to kiss her and I know she wants to kiss me too, but we’ll have to take it slow. Let the idea of Candy being dead settle into everyone’s mind.

She has a new name and she’s blonde now. To the ones who can’t see past the glamour. Having Julie here was a good test. She didn’t spot Candy at all. It took my hoodoo, Vidocq’s alchemy, and Allegra’s herbs and potions to come up with a glamour strong enough to fool even most Sub Rosa. I don’t know how long it will last, but we have the formula now, so we can reapply it when we have to. Too bad we’re the only ones who can ever know about the stuff. We could make a fortune selling it.

“What do you do for a living, Chihiro?” says Julie.

“I’m a guitarist.”

“Are you in a band? Would I have heard of you?”

“We broke up, unfortunately. But I’m putting a new one together.”

“Good luck,” says Julie.

“Thanks.”

Chihiro looks at me.

“Aren’t you going to say good luck?”

“I don’t think I have to. By the way, I have a guitar at home that no one is using. It’s red . . .”

“Sold,” she says. “When can I come by and see it?”

“Tomorrow. Around one?”

“A late riser? Me too. I’ll be there on the dot.”

Brigitte comes back with glasses and a bottle of vodka.