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“Right.”

She dropped her gaze, denying me the pleasure of lookinginto her blue irises for a few painful seconds. “I’m sorry. About theconvenience store. I thought my houseboat was on fire and didn’t have enoughgas to make it to the marina.”

“Why?”

She looked up, and the air fled from my lungs. “Because mytruck was on empty.”

“What? No. I meant why did you think your houseboat was onfire?”

“Oh, I got an alert on my phone. I panicked and took it outon you. I just want you to know I’ve never done anything like that before. Notever,” she added when I eyed her doubtfully. “I swear.”

I studied the dark circles under her eyes, her chapped lips,her nails that had been chewed raw, and fought the concern inching up my chest.

“Not once.” She pulled her lower lip between her teeth andreopened a small cut that had been healing before adding, “In my life.”

“I know what never means,” I said, pretending to be unmovedand wondering if I should apologize for revving my engine every time she triedto talk.

“I believe her,” Aunt Lil said. She nudged me. Or she wouldhave if she weren’t incorporeal. Instead, her elbow slid across my arm like ashadow. “I think we should take her case, Constantine.”

I closed my eyes and prayed for patience.

“I’m sorry to have bothered you.” Halle grabbed her book andmug and started to leave.

“What kind of security system alerts you that your house ison fire?” I asked, interrupting her departure.

“Excuse me?”

“I’ve never heard of a home security app doing that.”

She sat down again. “Oh, yeah.” She pulled her phone out ofa small bag slung over one shoulder and started to show me but then seemed tochange her mind. “Well, it’s supposed to. But mine… Security systems don’t likeme in general, but this was a first. I’ve never gotten a fire alert.”

“Then your houseboat wasn’t on fire?”

“No. And let me tell you, the firefighters who showed upwere not happy.”

“Firemen!” Aunt Lillian said, perking up. “I wonder if theywere hot.”

I laughed softly for Halle’s benefit, not Aunt Lillian’s. Ididn’t dare encourage the woman. “You would think they’d be happy—”

“Ask her if they were hot.”

“—not having to fight a fire and all.”

“You’d think,” Halle said. “You’re Jason’s friend?”

“The one and only,” I said, offering her a grin.

She smiled, just barely, and the Earth stopped spinning onits axis for several precious seconds. A thousand years from now, all theclocks would be wrong, thanks to that hiccup. This would throw everything off.

“My dad told me about you. Jason has him convinced you’rethe real deal.”

“The real deal?”

“That you can see into the supernatural world.”

“Oh!” Aunt Lil said, squirming in a chair that just happenedto be pulled out enough for her to pretend to squeeze into it. “Tell her aboutme!”

“Jason’s a pathological liar.”