Chapter Forty-Six

Edmée carried on as if nothing rocked her world. She never let on that she knew anything about Raven following her in a rented Hyundai sedan. Raven tailed her to the gym the morning after the supposed wounding. This after spending the night watching Edmée’s house. She then tailed her to the hair salon, the nail salon, and finally to Edmée’s foster home on Heron Street where her quarry stayed for several hours. It was well into the evening when Raven followed Edmée on foot as she Christmas shopped amid the jewelry, art and boutique clothing vendor stalls beneath a colorfully lit Texas Street Bridge.

Edmée was about thirty yards ahead, her tall, graceful figure easily distinguished in the crowd when Raven’s Android rang.

“Raven, Rita.”

“Yeah, Rita. What is it?”

“You know that dirt we took from beneath Clyde’s nails?”

Raven stopped, unaware of the crowd of Christmas shoppers slowing to flow all around her still figure.

“Some of it was potting soil,” Rita said.

Raven sighed. That did her zero good. She already knew that Clyde spent Friday after school helping Edmée in her garden. Just another piece of evidence Billy Ray could bat away, and another piece of the puzzle that no one but Raven thought fit.

“You sound disappointed.”

“That’s because I am,” she said as she was putting her free hand back into the pocket of her hoodie and slowly walking on.

“Fine. Let’s see if I can do better. The soil on Clyde’s body? It’s indicative to wetlands, swamps. Got me to thinking about the ones on the edge of town they’re talking about protecting. That’s got a lot of people riled. Maybe that’s what this is all about. At least that’s what I’m thinking.”

Raven was suddenly aware of her surroundings, the lights on the bridge, the laughter and conversation all around her, shoppers laden with bags and boxes, middle-aged women in bright red Santa hats, the bark of the vendor stall owners, their gentle jokes and teasing cajoling their more-than-willing customers into one more buy. It’s Christmas. Raven thought. Or it will be soon. How could I have missed it?

“Raven, sweetie? Do you think I’m right about the motive?”

“No,” Raven whispered, wonder in her voice. “I don’t think you’re right at all.”

Rita laughed lightly. “Way to burst a girl’s bubble. And here I am working my heart out for you on a Sunday. Sorry I couldn’t help.”

“Oh no,” Raven said. “You helped me more than you know.”

She hung up while Rita was still talking. Yes, it was almost Christmas, and Rita just gave her the best present she’d ever had in the entirety of her whole troubled life. She was about to turn and make her way back through the crowd to the Hyundai. But then she felt something press against her back, smelled a cloud of expensive perfume.

“Raven,” Edmée said lovingly in her ear. “If you wanted to talk to me, all you had to do was say so.”