Echo: A Young Adult Urban Fantasy (Spectra Book 4) by Lan Chan

Author:Lan Chan [Chan, Lan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-07-28T16:00:00+00:00

29

It was strange on patrol with just Tara and Patrick. Moore continued to provide medical certificates stating that he was unfit for duty. They could have at least assigned me a new mentor for the time being, but with resources stretched so thin, it was impossible to find anyone on such short notice.

“So,” Tara said in the parking lot. “We appear to be without Officer Moore.” She said it with a smile. “What would you do if this were your beat?”

“Really?”

“You seem to know the people better than we do.”

Part of me thought maybe she was testing me and would rescind the offer once I accepted. Still, it was better than what I’d get if Moore were here. “I’ve got a friend I want to visit,” I said. “I think she might have been attacked not that long ago and I want to see if she’s okay. Plus, she hears a lot of things.” Leaving out that most of it was pillow talk seemed to be the way to deal with the situation here.

Tara contemplated the suggestion. “All right. I’ll drive.”

We parked in a legitimate spot with a meter that Patrick paid for with coins from the cigarette compartment of the cruiser. The club where Nina worked sat amongst various other night-time and gentlemen’s clubs. I’d tried calling earlier in the week and had been told she would be back at work tonight. Yes, they knew me by name here. Yes, Gabe knew about it, and, yes, he would kill me if he knew I was coming here to hassle her, as he so eloquently put it.

“Would you like to come inside or should I go alone?” I asked while we still sat in the car.

“What do you think would be the wiser decision?”

I peered at the entrance. There was barely any foot traffic on that side of the road. Mind you, I hadn’t noticed much traffic on the way here either. It was as though the city was holding its breath waiting for the tournament storm to blow over.

“That’s weird,’ I said. “There aren’t many people around. It’s not a great time, but there are usually a few people coming and going.”

Linking with the half-dozen closest surveillance drones, I inspected the small section of the Square around me. I couldn’t spot anything amiss.

“How long has it been this quiet?” I asked.

“A couple of days.”

“Do you think that’s suspicious?”

“People are obviously frightened.”

“There’s frightened and then there’s shut-in,” I said. “This is the worst I’ve ever seen it. Even during the curfew for Second Sight. I’m going in. It’s probably better if I’m alone.”

Not waiting for a response, I opened the back passenger door. At the entrance, the bouncer stopped me. When I showed him my identification, the hostility in his posture ramped up to ten.

“You got a warrant?” he asked.

“I don’t need one. I’m not here to search the place. I’m a friend of Nina’s. Just wanted to check how she is.”

“She’s not here.”

That was a blatant lie. I could actually hear Nina’s deep voice coming from the change rooms upstairs.

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