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Alex’s cubicle was in the far back corner of the room, near the fire escape and only three steps away from both the copier and the coffee machine She’d personalized the space a little with a Far Side calendar and a fraray, with a red silk blouse, was the same in both the photo and real life The woriestured for me to take the visitor’s chair and pouredto ask

"Alex?" I made her na a sip of her coffee, she sighed "So, do you want the good news, the bad news, or the seriously weird shit?"

"It’s been a rough couple of days Start with the good news"

She nodded and sood on you"

"Thanks" My tone was dry Not that I didn’t appreciate the coroo

"The bad nee found as left of your car" She opened the center drawer of her desk, pulled out a little metal plate, and tossed it onto the desk in front of me "Sorry," she said as I stared at my Miata’s VIN stamped into the ID plate

"Damn it!" I wasn’t surprised, but I was disappointed I’d hoped … well, never mind what I’d hoped I’d liked that car I’d had it for years Noas going to have to find soe car pay to have to deal with yet another insurance claioing to cry, damn it I was not I was alive I wasn’t horribly scarred I had et another car "And the weird news?"

"I got an anonyo Soical artifacts, I should go to this address" She pulled a slip of paper froo et calls about the a couple of things, I thought ht like to ride along"

I juet your hopes up, Graves It could be nothing"

Too late for the warning I was hoping like crazy My knives andare ical artifacts that there was no way I could replace the as she rose fro over the cubicle partition, she told the coworker in the next stall, "I’ave a nod of acknowledg on the phone

The address was down in the warehouse district The area was familiar It’s off the beaten track, not well patrolled, and not all that busy Most of thehas s; their For Lease signs are barely readable under the graffiti The street was echoingly empty and bits of trash blew across the road like uy has established a hohborhood just had a bad vibe Even in broad daylight a chill ran upto do with the AC in Alex’s car

Alex pulled her car to the curb Unfastening her seat belt, she reached between the seats to retrieve her bulletproof vest As she put it on, she asked me, "That jacket of yours spelled?"

"Yes" In fact, I was probably safer wearing my blazer than she would be in her vest I don’t cut corners on protection, and Isaac Levy does terrific work

"Yeah, well, you still stay behind reed "But I don’t suppose you have a spare gun?"

Gruer from an ankle holster, and passed it to me

She led the way up a set of cracked concrete steps up to a loading dock and awhite paint The door was unlocked and partially open Alex stopped outside She drew her weapon, holding it next to her right leg as she called, "Police Open up!" and swung her arm to pound on the door

When her fisteasily back--too easily Somebody had spelled it to open at a touch

I shtened and I could hear the squeals of rodents and soft gasping noises that reminded me of the way it sounded when so a deep breath My teeth lengthened, saliva filling o to the bat side I concentrated, beating down that part of ave a hiss of displeasure "You can sense ht?" she asked ," I said "But I didn’t feel the spell on the door either"

"Wow, that’s real helpful" She edged around the door,carefully so as to have the best possible cover while still getting a look inside

I couldn’t see anything but her back, but I was okay with that If there was soan swearing Turning to , she said, "Go back to the car Use the radio to call for backup and an ahtaway Instead, I leaned around Alex to get a look at as inside--and ier lay naked in the center of the room, his hands pinned to the wooden floor by my knives The blood had attracted rats, and while he wasn’t dead, he was adock, then ran to the car to call for help as Alex went into the warehouse and started giving what first aid she could

Slugger had been a thug and a potential rapist He’d leftand nauseated, I told myself he’d made his bed It didn’t help It had been obvious froer had been there for hours before anyone had bothered to call Alex The casual brutality of it was chilling I thought of the e Presued to have this done

"You okay?" I started--I hadn’t heard Alex approach Not good I must be a little bit shocky I’d need to take care of that

"Not really," I admitted

"Too much like what happened to you?"