They go out, talking and laughing. I’ve never seen two people more excited about golden beetles and fermented goat’s blood.
“Be patient.”
It’s Vidocq.
“Patience isn’t my best quality.”
“She’s not running from you. She and Kinski might not have been lovers, but she still loved him. It will take her some time to get over his loss.”
“Yeah. Him dying right then was inconvenient for a lot of us.”
Vidocq pats me on the shoulder. The French are like that.
“Don’t drink too much.”
“When I can spell out your name in shot glasses, I’ll stop.”
“I’ll have to get a shorter name.”
“I’ll have to forget how to spell it.”
Maybe I’m looking at this all wrong. Maybe I should be like Allegra and get a new job. The store closing might be opportunity knocking. I should go across town and see if the skinheads are back in business. I heard somewhere that a lot of skinheads support themselves by dealing meth. I wonder how much cash they keep around? It’s not like they can call the cops if someone stops by and takes all their money. How many other gangs and crooks are there in L.A.? Is there a Forbes 500 list of the ones with the most cash? I might be on the verge of a new career.
I see a familiar face heading my way. She’d be hard to miss in a room twenty times this size.
“Hello you. You’ve been kind of scarce the last few days.”
Brigitte nods, takes the glass from my hand, and finishes my drink.
“Yes, I needed some time alone to do what you Americans love most. Process my thoughts. Becoming a revenant wasn’t something I’d planned for this trip.”
“But you didn’t. We stopped it in time.”
“But I felt it. I felt the infection burning through me. I felt myself dying, but not truly dying.”
“I don’t know how many times I’ve been stabbed and shot. It’s part of my job description. Taking a chance on getting bitten has to be part of yours.”
“Of course it is. But there’s the other thing.”
“And what’s that?”
She lifts a finger and Carlos brings us a couple of new drinks. She blows him a kiss.
“The way you left the Geistwalds, it upset some people, but I thought it was apt. If I’d been there, I would have helped.”
“I know.”
“But there’s the other thing.”
“So I hear.”
“Your friend Candy was knifed. Your father is dead. Simon is dead. Lucifer himself almost died.”
“Johnny is gone.”
“Who was he?”
“Someone I only knew for a little while. A good guy. He had a sweet tooth.”