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Psy understood the value of architectural tourisarden a couple of houses over, he wandered across "A pretty face doesn’t do it forin her task "Never has--not since Bobby Jones broke --ti fast--but he made his lips curve "I don’t suppose you knoho lives in nu to hurt anyone"--a suspicious glance--"so you leave her alone"
Max frowned "Huant, her words acerbic "You think a Psy would live on this street?"
Maxone, it could tip off their quarry--but Max had just re else he’d read in Tulane’s recent history and realized the answer to this icaland utterly inexplicable "Thanks for your help" Turning away, he walked to the door of number nine and knocked
The petite woman who opened the door had arms covered by computronic black carapaces and scars on her face that still bore a hard pink shine--vivid against the naturally e that he was right about Tulane’sthis house, Max showed her his electronic ID "Ms Aiven her physical condition
"Yes What’s this about?"
"Could we talk inside?" He could feel the gardener glaring at him
A hesitation before she nodded and led him down the corridor and into the kitchen
"Is this about Andre?"she asked, taking a seat at the table set by theWhen he raised a surprised eyebrow, she continued, "I figured soht it’d be another Psy"
Max leaned one shoulder against the doorjamb "I need to know the reason for Andre Tulane’s visits"
"Penance," Ah said in stark response "His car blew a fuse and he lost control of it on a rainy night six o Unfortunately, I happened to be on the curb when he drove over it" Ah shook her head, her cropped hair blue-black in the sunlight "I don’t understand it reed it was an accident, but he said he was responsible, so he paid all ot the best treatth in another couple ofto be all but gone after they heal enough to begin laser treatht, hadn’t been around when Sophia had been a child He e of them as an adult, but he knew the answer--it was a quiet, powerful rebellion Sophia wanted to remember the past, re proud of her for finding a way to speak even in Silence "Why does Andre still come to see you?"
"To do any work around the house or yard that needs to be done" Ae in that small face "He doesn’t speak more than three words tobroken is fixed, andsmooth as Irish whiskey"
Max didn’t need to hear any more Whatever the demons that drove the quiet black led with a human--in direct violation of Pure Psy’s aim of absolute racial Purity
In the Pure Psy world, Max thought as he stepped out into the crisp afternoon air, a human cop would never meet, never loveand never lose a violet-eyed J
CHAPTER 37
There’s always a price when you begin to ask questions Sometimes, the answers aren’t what you hope to find And sometimes, there are no answers
--From the private case notes of Detective Max Shannon
on the file labeled "River"
Clay, having driven straight from lunch to take up a watch position around his alpha pair’s home, looked at Sascha as they walked outside her and Lucas’s cabin He wasn’t as close to her as some of the other sentinels, but he deeply respected the wo, and sheto Max," he said, continuing a conversation they’d had on the phone on his way over, "didn’t want to get his hopes up But can Noor help Sophia?" His adopted daughter--the owner of a great big chunk of his heart--was part human, part Psy She’d also forifted child, Keenan And that a
Sascha put a hand on his ar, easy with claiht--but that she’d never presumed on until Clay had told her it was okay "I asked Faith to see if her father could get us Sophia’s medical scans after you called"
Anthony Kyriakus, Clay thought, was an enigh"