Two white brows pulled together like angry caterpillars. “Of course.”
“I can see how the capable assistance of Tweedledee and Tweedledum would convince you of that.”
The guy with the blade sucked loudly at his front teeth.
Harry’s frown was back. That was always the worst thing about him. Mean, I could handle, but mean and stupid was a lethal combination. “Anyway,” I said. As much as I enjoyed watching Morales deliver insults that flew over their heads, it was kind of like watching an armed gunman threaten children. “Turns out Aphrodite’s break-in wasn’t an isolated incident. There’s a new Raven on the streets, and we have reason to believe he might target other covens.”
Harry’s chin came up. “Let the asshole try. He gotta be suicidal to come after the Sangs.”
I barely managed not to roll my eyes. Harry was only weeks into his leadership of his daddy’s coven, so he made the perfect target for a Raven. Mercenary wizards loved to strike fragmented covens, because they had the weakest infrastructure. My guess was, despite Harry’s bravado, he had his hands full of pissing matches among his lieutenants on down the chain as everyone scrambled for position under the new leadership.
“Yeah, yeah,” Morales said. “We get it. I’m sure you got lots of new blood potions some Raven would love to steal.”
“That’s—” Harry caught himself and narrowed his eyes. “That’s bullshit, man. You can’t entrap me.”
“All right,” I said. “Look, this Raven goes by the name Dionysus.” I pulled out a photocopy of the picture Owens had shared.
“Looks like a fag.” He crumpled the image between his pale fingers. “This asshole steps up to me or mine, I’m a put a bullet in his mercenary ass and throw the body on a trash trawler.”
I sighed. “Look, tough guy, I’m gonna give you some advice for free on account of you helped us put your daddy in the can—and in exchange we kept you out of it, I might add. You ready?” At the mention of how we’d blackmailed him into turning state’s evidence on his father, his cheeks flared red. “Threatening to murder someone in front of cops is bad juju.”
“Fuck off, bitch.”
“Watch yourself, asshole,” Morales said, his voice low and mean.
I shook my head at Morales. “How’s your dad doing, anyway?” I asked, going for the jugular in my own way.
Harry’s eyes narrowed. “I wouldn’t know. They got him locked away someplace safe while he waits for trial.” He shrugged. “Not that he’d talk to me anyway.”
“Maybe once he’s in Crowley,” Morales said, “you can sneak him in some cigarettes and buy back his love.”
“I don’t give a fuck, man. The old man wouldn’t even be in this position if he turned on Abe like I told him.”
I froze. From the corner of my eye I saw Morales’s muscles flex like he was about to pounce on that information like a dog on a juicy steak. “What’s your dad got on Abe?”
Harry snorted. “Shit, man, some cop you are. Everyone knows Abe was the one put Dad up to framing Volos.”
If I didn’t think quick, Morales’s investigative instincts were going to take over and cause a lot of fucking problems for me. “Guess your dad doesn’t have enough evidence to frame Abe for the crime or he already would have done it.”
“Frame him?” Harry laughed. “Ha!”
“Evidence against Abe would be a get-out-of-jail-free card,” I said. “If he had it to use, Ramses would already be out of jail.”
I chanced a glance at Morales. He looked less intense, but not exactly convinced, either. Harry just shook his head like we were both naive, and I was content to let him go on thinking that. “Look,” I said, “you see Dionysus around or hear anything about his plans, just call me, okay?” I handed him a business card.
“Detective, huh?” He glanced down at it. His lips made a mocking sound. “They let just any bitch be one of those these days, I guess.”
“A pleasure talking to you as always, Harry.”
“Fuck off.” With that he tossed the card in the dirt and walked back toward the trailer.
“Well,” Morales said, “that guy’s about as useful as a knuckle on a dick.”
I shrugged. “Better than dealing with Volos.”
We started walking back toward the car. Morales’s head was down, a bad sign since it meant he was probably thinking. “You think Abe’s getting away with murder on the Gray Wolf case?”
I kept my stride even and my reaction cool so he wouldn’t see how much this topic affected me. “I think Abe’s gotten away with a lot of murder, both metaphorical and literal. But I know the last thing we need is to chase down hearsay from a blood wizard when we’ve got a different psycho threatening the city.”
He paused, thinking it over. I tried not to look like I was praying he’d let it drop. Finally, he shrugged. “Maybe Harry’s right. If Ramses has proof Abe was behind Gray Wolf he would use it to plea-bargain.”
I let out a breath. “You’re probably right.”
He smiled that Morales smile. “ ’Course I am, Cupcake.”
I smiled back. Not because I thought he was right, but because I was happy to let him go on believing I was wrong.
Chapter Fifteen
That night Danny and I went to visit Pen. She’d been discharged from the hospital the day before. Baba had been hanging with her during the day, and her neighbor Lavern took night duty. I’d been so busy chasing down foul-mouthed homunculi and douchebag albinos that I’d not spent any quality time with her since the accident. To make up for that, I’d picked up a couple of containers of soup from Pen’s favorite Vietnamese place in downtown Babylon.
“Do we have to stay long?” Danny asked on our way to the building.
After spending part of my day interviewing the brat prince of the blood coven and then ten minutes hunting down a parking spot outside Pen’s building, I was in no mood for teenager drama. “We’ll stay as long as we need to stay. Your video games can wait.”
His eyes rolled so hard I worried he might pull something. “I have some posters to make for tomorrow’s DUDE meeting.”
“Oh,” I said, “we’re just staying for supper. Should have plenty of time after.”
Baba answered the door. That night she wore a black housecoat with purple cats embroidered along the hem. She even had a broom in her hand to complete the domestic witch look. “Come in, come in,” she said, waving us inside. “What took you so long? I’d punch a priest for a pizza right now.”