Page 2 of I Am Salvation

“Talk to me,” she says into the phone.

“Alayna, it’s Dragon Locke.”

“Hey, Dragon, you were on my list to call today.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, just to give you an update. I haven’t got a lock on that first phone number, and?—”

“There’s a problem,” I say. “I got another call last night from a different number. They told me I need to call you off or they couldn’t guarantee my sister’s safety.”

She doesn’t speak for a moment, until?—

“All right. Send me that number. But I should ask what you want to do.”

“I’m torn,” I say. “On the one hand, this could all be a big ruse. Someone’s fucking with me. But on the other hand…”

“Your sister could actually be alive.”

“Yeah.”

She pauses. “I can be discreet.”

“You weren’t discreet enough because they figured out someone’s looking.”

“They couldn’t know. I use the top technology in the business. No one can trace what I’ve been doing. Frankly, Dragon, I think they’re trying to con you.”

“They said to call her off. They know you’re a woman.”

“Are you saying it’s less likely that a woman would be doing this work?”

I rub my forehead. “Of course not. But if I were some derelict…”

“Dragon, it’s all right. I understand where you’re coming from. There are typically more men in my line of work. If this guy was making this up and going with the odds, he’d probably have referred to me with male pronouns. I still am not sure that’s enough to warrant throwing this investigation. He could still be trying to mess with you. But I’ll leave the decision to you. Do you want to keep investigating?”

“Do you think we should?”

“That’s all up to you,” she says. “But if it were me? I’d keep on it.”

“All right,” I say. “Keep on it, then. I’ll send you the information as I get it. But there’s one other thing.”

“Yeah?”

“I need you to find my parents. Felix and Stefania Locke.” I give her the address of the house in Thornton as well. “That’s the last known address, but they haven’t lived there probably for decades.”

I hear her typing on the other end. “This shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“I didn’t find them on any social media.”

“Older folks aren’t always on social media, but I’ll check it all out.” She pauses. “This shouldn’t be hard at all. I should have something for you by the end of the day.”

I shove my phone in my pocket and rise, ready to leave and go to the music store when the intercom buzzes.

I push the button. “Yeah?”

“Dragon Locke?” A voice says.

“Yeah, that’s me.”

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