"I think so. I didn't see him myself, but some of my friends told me he was looking. That was before—” She looked away, uncomfortable, and Luci intervened, reaching out to take Liz's hand in both of hers.
"It's okay, sweetie. None of that matters now, and Cyn understands. Don't you, Cyn?"
"Sin?” Liz said. “They call you Sin?"
"Cyn with a C Y,” Cyn said. “I always hated the name Cyndi and Cynthia sounds so ... I don't know ... proper.” Luci snorted and rolled her eyes, surprising a little laugh out of Liz.
"My parents always called me Elsie,” Liz volunteered. “I thought I hated it too,” she added wistfully.
Cyn knew enough about the girl's parents and their untimely death to change the subject. “So tell me what happened, Liz. I've been looking for you all over the place."
"Yeah, I heard. You sounded okay, and you gave those food coupons to all the kids. But I didn't know who I could trust.” She stared down at her hands, held tightly by Luci. “And all those girls were dying.” She looked back up, meeting Cyn's eyes. “I was scared and Todd started coming around. He does a lot of stuff with the street kids, basketball games and shit like that. He started talking to me and he seemed really nice, although he's kind of old and out of shape for a guy who plays sports. He wears those big striped shirts all the time, you know, like those Australian guys do? But all the kids seemed to know him, so...” She shrugged.
"When he found out I was from Texas, he said he had family there too. Some cousins or something. And I told him about Mirabelle and Jabril and everything, and how if I could just hide out until my eighteenth birthday everything would be okay, because then I'd have my own money. So he said, why don't I come stay with him until then, you know, ‘cuz it was only like two weeks away.” She paused to give Cyn a forlorn look. “He seemed like a nice guy,” she repeated.
"So what happened? What made you change your mind?"
"He never touched me. Not like that. I would have been out of there if he had, because he's ... well, like forty or something. Anyway, he started getting really bossy. Like I had to tell him everywhere I went and what I was doing and everything. And then I got the message from Mirabelle saying she was here and we should meet. I'd lost my computer, but he was letting me use his to like check my message boards and stuff. He works at night somewhere, and I didn't want to go out after dark, plus it was a good time to try to reach Mirabelle and let her know I was safe. So anyway, I got this message saying she was here in California, and it seemed weird. I mean why would she be here? So I wrote back to her how I wasn't sure and how did I know it was safe? And she told me about that Raphael guy, that he's not like dickhead Jabril or anything, and she's living in a nice place and I can come stay with her."
Cyn nodded. She'd already heard most of this from Mirabelle.
"Anyway, so I'm online with Mirabelle, and he comes in and starts freaking out about vampires and especially Raphael, and he tells me Raphael's been arrested for killing those girls and he doesn't want me to have anything to do with him or with Mirabelle, because that f**king vampire—that's what he called him, that f**king vampire—he's using Mirabelle to get to me because I'm his type. And I said, what do you mean I'm his type? But then he says I don't have to worry because I'm not like all those other girls."
"Not like them how?” Cyn said quietly.
"He said all those girls hung out with vampires and that's why they died."
Cyn exchanged a look with Luci. “What'd you say his name was, Liz?"
"Todd. Todd Ryder. He lives down near the beach, but in that kind of scummy part where it's really crowded. Venice, I think they call it. Someone told me they have canals there like in Italy, but I never saw any."
"I'll show them to you sometime,” Cyn said absently. “So what happened then?"
"The f**ker tried to lock me in his house, that's what happened! After we argued, I like stormed into my room and fell asleep. And when I got up, he'd locked the bedroom door! And all the windows have those like jail bars on them, you know? So I'm pounding on the door, but he's gone to work and left me there without even a bathroom or anything!"
Luci looked over her shoulder at Cyn with a pleased grin. “My girl Liz here broke the door down,” she said.
Liz blushed, embarrassed and proud at the same time. “Yeah, well, it was one of those cheap hollow doors. It didn't take much. He had this like old metal lamp on the table. Really ugly, but heavy. So, I pounded and pounded. Trashed my arm, but once I broke through it was pretty fast. I stuck my hand out and unlocked the door, and then I got the hell out of there. I didn't have anything but my purse anyway, so I grabbed it and ran.” She looked up at Cyn and shrugged again. “And here I am."
"So here you are, and I'm very happy to see you,” Cyn agreed. “What do you want to do now?"
"I don't know. I didn't really think past getting here."
Cyn nodded. “And you're probably okay here for now, but you need to be careful. Jabril's man won't think twice about breaking the law to grab you. I'd feel better if you stayed with me until we get everything cleared up."
"I don't want to live with vampires."
Cyn opened her mouth to point out that she didn't live with vampires, but Luci spoke up. “Maybe Liz could stay here for awhile,” she suggested. “Everything will look different after you've had a couple days to think about it,” she said to Liz.
"What about Mirabelle?” Liz asked, looking at Cyn. “Is she living with you?"
Cyn shook her head. “Mirabelle has nutritional needs I can't meet. She's staying on Raphael's estate, at his sister Alexandra's house, which is separate from everyone else. The two of them have discovered Internet shopping, God help us.” She shivered dramatically. “If you don't want to stay with me right now, maybe you can at least go by for a visit with Mirabelle. I'd be happy to give you a ride, and I know she'd like to see you, to know you're really okay."
Liz twisted her mouth, biting the inside of her lower lip in thought. She glanced at Cyn, then back at Luci. “I think I'd like to stay here tonight at least. I trust Luci.” Cyn ignored the implication that she, on the other hand, was not to be trusted. “And maybe tomorrow night,” Liz continued, “I can see Mirabelle. Would that be okay?” She directed the question at Luci, not Cyn.
Luci leaned forward and hugged the girl, then stood. “Of course, whatever you want. Come on, we'll get you set up. You need a shower, and I think I've got some clothes that will fit you.” The two of them pretty much ignored Cyn as they started out of the room, but Cyn touched Liz's arm, drawing her startled attention.
"Can you tell me where this Todd guy lives? If not the address, then how to get there?"