Iron Crowned Page 0,68

his name, and why do you think he's cheating on you?"

"I - huh?" I jerked my head from a sculpture that looked like some Mayan god and stared at Enrique in astonishment. "What are you talking about? Is that what Roland told you?"

"No, he didn't tell me anything. I just figured that's why you were here. That's usually what women come in for."

Kiyo made a small sound beside me that I think was a laugh. "That's ridiculous," I exclaimed, unsure if I should be offended or not. "I need you to investigate a murder."

Enrique arched an eyebrow. "That's what the police are for."

"They already investigated it. And actually, they declared it a suicide."

"And you need me because ...?"

"Because I don't think it was," I said. "I think it was a murder and that the victim's family might be in danger."

Enrique made no attempt to hide his skepticism. "Do you have any evidence to support this ... theory?"

I took a deep breath, hoping Roland had been right about this guy. "The victim's, um, ghost said she didn't kill herself."

"Her ghost," he repeated. As though on cue, Deanna materialized in the room, though Enrique couldn't see her. Kiyo and I could with our Otherworldly senses, but neither of us gave any indication of her arrival.

I nodded. "Roland said you - "

"Yeah, yeah," said Enrique. "I know about that hocus pocus he deals with. I'm also guessing suicide might be so traumatic that afterward, maybe a ghost blocked out what she actually did."

"That's not true!" exclaimed Deanna.

I supposed it wasn't out of the realm of possibility, but I'd explore all other options first. "I don't think that's the case. I think she really was murdered. If that's true, we need to make sure no one else in her family gets hurt."

"If she was murdered," countered Enrique, "then statistics say someone in her family probably did it."

"That's not true either!"

I ignored Deanna's second outburst and stayed fixed on Enrique. "Well, one way or another, I need to know."

He leaned back in his chair, putting his feet up on his desk and crossing his arms behind his head. If he'd called me 'dame,' I wouldn't have been surprised. "The police take all this into consideration, you know. What makes you think I'd find something they haven't?"

"I thought guys like you were smarter than the police," said Kiyo. "Figured you had connections and channels above the law. That you didn't play by the same rules."

"That's true," said Enrique, seeming pleased at the compliment. I swore, he was also taking Kiyo more seriously than me. "I can look into it, I suppose. But it's not like I'll do it for free, just because you're cute." That was directed back at me.

I repressed a scowl. "I didn't expect you to. I can pay."

He considered this and finally gave a nod, straightening back up in his chair. "Okay. Tell me what you know, and I'll get to it when I can."

"What!" cried Deanna.

"This is kind of time sensitive," I said. Mostly because I wasn't sure how much more of Deanna I could handle.

Enrique gestured to a stack of folders on a table. "So are these. I'm drowning in paperwork. Can't keep half of these straight."

"We'll pay for you to expedite it," said Kiyo.

I shot him a look of astonishment, not thrilled that he'd speak for me - especially considering my income was lower than it used to be. Nonetheless, it got Enrique's attention. "Expediting it is, then."

I gave him all the details I'd recently learned from Deanna, and to his credit, Enrique diligently wrote them all down and asked pertinent questions that reaffirmed my faith in his legitimacy. The price he named didn't cheer me up as much, but there was nothing to be done for it.

When Kiyo and I finally got up to leave, I couldn't resist asking the obvious. "You seem to be doing pretty well ... so why's your office in a dump like this?"

Enrique didn't look offended so much as scornful that I'd ask such a ridiculous question. "Do you know how much office rent is lately? I'm saving tons of money."

"Maybe you should put that surplus toward a secretary instead of statues," I pointed out, nodding toward the tower of folders.

"I don't trust anyone," he said bluntly. "Especially when ghost clients show up." He opened the door. "I'll be in touch."

"Charming," I said, once Kiyo and I were on the road again. "The only thing I'm convinced that guy can do is help in