Page 48 of Ravaged
“She seems like a good friend,” I said.
“The best,” Iris said. “If I ever need her, she’s there for me.”
“She’s loyal to you, then.”
“Except when it comes to escaping the clutches of you.”
“Don’t let that discourage you,” I said. “It says nothing about your friendship.” Iris rolled her eyes, but I continued, “She knew that more people would die if she left. That this was the best thing to do, in order to save you.”
“Whatever.”
A few minutes passed. I closed the window. We were almost there. I only had a few more minutes to ask about Teagen, to find out whatever I could about her.
“What does Teagen want?” I asked.
“What do you mean?” Iris said.
“What does she want? More than anything?”
Iris put a finger to her cheek. The Dahlia District’s brick building came into view, the walls lit with soft lights, the orange flowers illuminated in the darkness.
As I parked, Iris spoke, “To be loved and appreciated.” She unbuckled her seatbelt, even though I was still parking, then added, “It’s why she’s such a sucker for her dad. She’s always seeking his approval. She just wants him to love her.”
I turned off the engine and unbuckled my seatbelt. Iris wrinkled her nose.
“Why are you getting out?” she asked.
“Want to show me around Teagen’s room?” I asked.
“Do I have a choice?”
“Not really.”
She led me to the side of the building, through a backdoor that went through a large kitchen, then motioned to a bedroom. The closet was stuffed with music books and a portable music player. A curling iron lay on the dresser, unplugged. It smelled fruity and clean, like she had smelled that first night met. I found her body spray in the closet and held it in my hands, along with a few other items.
Iris knocked on the doorframe. “You got everything you need, partner?”
“Do you know anything about a harp?” I asked. “Oliver mentioned that Teagen knew something about a hidden treasure.” That was all I needed to say to see if Iris knew about the Pink Diamond.
“Oliver is a piece of shit.”
“Agreed. But the harp?”
“No,” she said. “She never mentioned anything. And you guys have her harp now.”
Iris’s bedroom was a few doors down, so she left me in Teagen’s bedroom by myself. A few young women’s voices floated through the hallway, though it sounded mostly empty. It was strange to be in a room that Teagen had called her own for years, to feel her there, even when she was gone.
But there was no harp. No hidden fortune. No Pink Diamond.
To get Oliver to talk, Teagen would have to pay.
