Industrial Magic
Page 72
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No response.
If it cant hear us, itll need some other prompt, I said. Hold on.
I grabbed my pen and notepad from the spilled contents of my purse, tore a sheet from the pad, and wrote CASSANDRA. I laid the sheet on the table. Again, the spirit gave no response.
Well, Jaime said. Three possibilities. One, were flat-out wrong. Two, the spook has simmered down because we finally got the message. Three, its illiterate.
If the message is Cassandra, I still dont know what that means, I said.
Why dont you call her, Lucas said. See whether she can shed some light on this.
Paddling Upstream During a Hurricane
I USED OUR HOTEL ROOM PHONE TO CALL CASSANDRA. THIS was moderately indiscreet, and normally Id have been more cautious, but the truth was, phoning from the hotel was the best way to ensure shed answer. Cassandra was a call-screener, and not one who just ignored calls from strangers. She almost always let her machine pick up, then phoned back at her leisure. The only way to persuade her to answer was to pique her curiosity. A call from a Miami hotel just might do that.
Cassandra answered on the second ring.
Its Paige, I said.
The line went silent and I could fairly hear Cassandras annoyance buzzing down it. Short of accidentally pulling out the phone cord, though, there was little she could do. Well, she could hang up, but that would be crass, and Cassandra would never be crass.
What is the problem, Paige? she asked, voice dripping icicles.
I had a question
Oh, of course you do. Why else would you call? Just to chat, say hello? Hardly. Very presumptuous of you, Paige, to come asking for favors after what youve done to me with Elena.
I havent done
I dont know what youve been telling her about me but, let me assure you, I will set her straight. I understand you feel threatened in your friendship with her, but
Cassandra, I said sharply. I havent said anything to Elena about you. Why would I? If shes not taking your calls, then Id suggest you ask her why not. Or better yet, ask yourself.
Whats that supposed to
It has nothing to do with me, thats all Im saying. Believe me, I have better things to do than sabotage your friendships. No one elses world revolves around you, Cassandra.
Did you call me to insult me, Paige?
No, I called to see how youre doing.
Very funny.
No, Im serious. Im in the midst of a murder investigation and your name came up
Oh,and you suspect me, do you? Howthoughtful.
No, I dont suspect you, I said through gritted teeth. Sometimes, carrying on a conversation with Cassandra was like paddling upstream during a hurricane. The victims had all their blood and Im sure you wouldnt waste a free meal. Im calling because your name came up, so I was concerned. Has everything been okay there?
Are you saying Im in danger? How long did you know this before you deigned to call?
About two minutes.
A pause, as her brain whirred to think up some way to turn my concern into a slight.
Whats going on there? she asked.
A murder investigation, like I said. There have been several deaths
And you havent notified the council?
I counted to three. Across the room, Lucas pointed to the minibar. I rolled my eyes.
Its not council business, I said. Its Cabal
Well, then, it cant concern me, can it? Cabals will have nothing to do with vampires. So obviously Im neither a suspect nor a potential victim.
Guess not, I said. Must be a mistake. Ill see you at the next council
Dont blow me off like that, Paige. If my name came up in this investigation, I want to know more about it. Whats happening?
I squeezed my eyes shut. Id tweaked her curiosity and now she wouldnt let me off the phone without a full explanation. I didnt have time for that.
Like you said, it must be a mistake I began.
I didnt say that.
Sorry for bothering you. If I hear anything else, Ill let you know. Thanks. Bye.
I dropped the phone into the cradle and collapsed onto the sofa.
Jesus, Jaime said. She sounds like a piece of work.
Next time we have to make contact, Ill trade you, I said. Your spook for my vamp.
Think Ill stick with the spook. So it seems maybe my haunting isnt related to the case after all. This spirit saw me with you last week, you know Cassandra, and it wants to relay a message to her. Although, from what I heard, I cant imagine anyone wanting to talk to her.
Shes not that bad, I said. We just dont get along.
Maybe, but she is a vampire. Gotta be a whole passel of spooks in the next world because of her, just biding theirtime waiting for her to show up. Maybe thats the message: When you die, were gonna kill youor something like that. Course, theyll be waiting a long, long time.
If it cant hear us, itll need some other prompt, I said. Hold on.
I grabbed my pen and notepad from the spilled contents of my purse, tore a sheet from the pad, and wrote CASSANDRA. I laid the sheet on the table. Again, the spirit gave no response.
Well, Jaime said. Three possibilities. One, were flat-out wrong. Two, the spook has simmered down because we finally got the message. Three, its illiterate.
If the message is Cassandra, I still dont know what that means, I said.
Why dont you call her, Lucas said. See whether she can shed some light on this.
Paddling Upstream During a Hurricane
I USED OUR HOTEL ROOM PHONE TO CALL CASSANDRA. THIS was moderately indiscreet, and normally Id have been more cautious, but the truth was, phoning from the hotel was the best way to ensure shed answer. Cassandra was a call-screener, and not one who just ignored calls from strangers. She almost always let her machine pick up, then phoned back at her leisure. The only way to persuade her to answer was to pique her curiosity. A call from a Miami hotel just might do that.
Cassandra answered on the second ring.
Its Paige, I said.
The line went silent and I could fairly hear Cassandras annoyance buzzing down it. Short of accidentally pulling out the phone cord, though, there was little she could do. Well, she could hang up, but that would be crass, and Cassandra would never be crass.
What is the problem, Paige? she asked, voice dripping icicles.
I had a question
Oh, of course you do. Why else would you call? Just to chat, say hello? Hardly. Very presumptuous of you, Paige, to come asking for favors after what youve done to me with Elena.
I havent done
I dont know what youve been telling her about me but, let me assure you, I will set her straight. I understand you feel threatened in your friendship with her, but
Cassandra, I said sharply. I havent said anything to Elena about you. Why would I? If shes not taking your calls, then Id suggest you ask her why not. Or better yet, ask yourself.
Whats that supposed to
It has nothing to do with me, thats all Im saying. Believe me, I have better things to do than sabotage your friendships. No one elses world revolves around you, Cassandra.
Did you call me to insult me, Paige?
No, I called to see how youre doing.
Very funny.
No, Im serious. Im in the midst of a murder investigation and your name came up
Oh,and you suspect me, do you? Howthoughtful.
No, I dont suspect you, I said through gritted teeth. Sometimes, carrying on a conversation with Cassandra was like paddling upstream during a hurricane. The victims had all their blood and Im sure you wouldnt waste a free meal. Im calling because your name came up, so I was concerned. Has everything been okay there?
Are you saying Im in danger? How long did you know this before you deigned to call?
About two minutes.
A pause, as her brain whirred to think up some way to turn my concern into a slight.
Whats going on there? she asked.
A murder investigation, like I said. There have been several deaths
And you havent notified the council?
I counted to three. Across the room, Lucas pointed to the minibar. I rolled my eyes.
Its not council business, I said. Its Cabal
Well, then, it cant concern me, can it? Cabals will have nothing to do with vampires. So obviously Im neither a suspect nor a potential victim.
Guess not, I said. Must be a mistake. Ill see you at the next council
Dont blow me off like that, Paige. If my name came up in this investigation, I want to know more about it. Whats happening?
I squeezed my eyes shut. Id tweaked her curiosity and now she wouldnt let me off the phone without a full explanation. I didnt have time for that.
Like you said, it must be a mistake I began.
I didnt say that.
Sorry for bothering you. If I hear anything else, Ill let you know. Thanks. Bye.
I dropped the phone into the cradle and collapsed onto the sofa.
Jesus, Jaime said. She sounds like a piece of work.
Next time we have to make contact, Ill trade you, I said. Your spook for my vamp.
Think Ill stick with the spook. So it seems maybe my haunting isnt related to the case after all. This spirit saw me with you last week, you know Cassandra, and it wants to relay a message to her. Although, from what I heard, I cant imagine anyone wanting to talk to her.
Shes not that bad, I said. We just dont get along.
Maybe, but she is a vampire. Gotta be a whole passel of spooks in the next world because of her, just biding theirtime waiting for her to show up. Maybe thats the message: When you die, were gonna kill youor something like that. Course, theyll be waiting a long, long time.
