Page 19 of Dead Ringer

We have no proof,I said to Cain.It’s the word of a ghost.

Taliyah could get him to confess,Cain argued.It’s what she does.

Yet, we still don’t know where the idol is, and that’s the most important part of all of this.

The truth was that I wanted to solve this mystery myself. I wanted to be able to hunt down the idol and return it to Sophia. Mainly so I could prove to Mr. Howard that I was worth it—that he hadn’t made a mistake in hiring me. I wanted to prove... myself.

Darla, you’re making this personal.

You’re right,I answered.

I poked my finger into Dimitri’s chest, hard enough to make him flinch.

“You better hope I find it, buster.”

Then I turned around and stormed away.

I had an idol to find.

Chapter Seven

I stalked my way through the Erepto reception room, feeling like I had no idea what to do next.

There was so much blood in my head that I had to have turned a red so bright I would have matched my favorite lipstick.

I couldn’t believe this, this applesauce! I was going to lose my job because some rich kid brat had issues with his mommy. Not to mention who knew what would happen to all the people in there if it came down to a fight about who was taking over. It was enough to have me ready to pop off like a firecracker.

Any ideas on how we find this thing,I thought really hard at Cain as I made my way towards the front hall.

Yeah, you call Taliyah.

I don’t want to call Taliyah,I answered.I want us to do this ourselves.

People were still streaming in, and I was fighting the crowd and feeling a bit like a salmon trying to swim up river. It was making it really difficult to storm off in a huff.

I couldn’t see him, on account of us sharing a body, but I got the idea that Cain was shaking his head.

He made a little frustrated grumble.Everyone shut me out in Haven Hollow, trying to cover up their little conspiracy. It made it almost impossible to do my job properly. So I’m not sure where you could go next.

I’d never really thought about it, but keeping the spooky side of town under wraps, it was kind of a conspiracy. That must have driven Cain up the walls when he was Chief of Police.

Cain mulled it over for a minute, and I caught the occasional murmur, and a word that sounded like ‘cult’, but I didn’t think he was talking to me, so I left him alone to think.

When in doubt, go to an expert,was what he finally came out with.

What do you mean?

Well, think about it—the idol is some form of antiquity, most likely, right?

I mean, I guess so. It seems to be old.

So who would have been interested in buying it?

I don’t know—a pawn shop?

Maybe. But if the kid has any intelligence at all, he would have tried to sell it to the highest bidder and that wouldn’t be a pawn shop.

Oh.

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