I flinched, waiting for Manning to ask, Who is that? but she didn’t. Let’s hear it for technology actually being aimed at just the driver. I knew it was designed so soccer moms and dads could talk hands-free while kids were screaming in the car, but hey, it was good for my job, too.

“I have to clean up and get food. My sweeties have been complaining I forget to eat when I’m on a case and it makes me . . . grumpy.”

She made a sound that was almost a snort. “Well, eat before you watch the videos, because you know you won’t want to eat afterward.”

“Yeah, not so much,” I said.

“I’m going to try to get Kirkland in on this round of video watching, Blake, just so you know.”

“I figured you were.”

“Will you watch the videos with him?”

“Will you sit in with us and make sure we don’t fight?”

“Like you’re teenagers that need a referee?” she asked.

“No, more like we’re those two officers that haven’t thrown a punch at each other yet, but it’s coming. Think of it as the grown-up version of the teenage thing.”

“I’m not sure I call that grown-up behavior.”

“Call it what you like, but I’m requesting that you don’t leave Larry and me alone with the videos, because it will not go well.”

“If you were one of our agents, admitting that you couldn’t work professionally with another agent would be a tick against you in my report.”

“Well, isn’t it just peachy that I’m not one of your agents, Special Agent Manning,” I said, and I knew the smile that went with the words was my unpleasant one, the one that was more snarl than happy smile. I didn’t care, and she couldn’t see it anyway.

“And this is exactly why the bureau doesn’t want you to come play with us, Blake.”

“I’m never going to be team player enough for the FBI; you know it, I know it, we all know it. Now, can we move on, and will you give Larry and me a supervising agent or someone so we don’t kill each other, metaphorically speaking?”

“Yes, Blake, I’ll make sure you have a supervising agent to babysit the two of you while you look for clues.”

“Great, thanks, let me know when Larry is free to watch the horror show. Wait, I thought you said he had seen the videos and told you to show them to me, that I’d see more than he had?”

“He’s seen some of the videos,” she said, and her voice had that I’m-hiding-something tone again.

“He stopped near the beginning of them, didn’t he?”

“He said that he didn’t have your level of expertise and that you would be able to help us more.”

“Son of a bitch,” I said.

“Blake, there’s no call for profanity.”

“The hell there isn’t; he didn’t want to watch the videos all the way through, because he didn’t want to see the nightmares on them, but he’s fine with me seeing the whole fucking mess.”

“You are better with the dead than Kirkland, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Then he was right.”

“He was right, but not for the reason he said.”

“I don’t understand, Blake.”

“Nothing, just fuck it. I’m going home to clean up and eat; let me know when Kirkland’s schedule opens up.”

“I will, and Blake, I don’t know what personal beef you have with Kirkland, but don’t let it hurt the investigation.”

“I won’t if Larry won’t,” I said, and it sounded childish even to me.

“I really expected better of you, Blake. We need to stop these men before they pick a new victim.”

“We need to free the victims they have already, Manning, I know that. Trust me, I’m motivated to stop this shit.”

“Okay, that’s what I needed to hear, Blake. I’ll text you later with times.”

“Thanks, Manning. See you later.”

“Not if I can help it; I do not need to sit through those images again, but you’ll have your agent to babysit and take notes.” And she hung up. You’d almost think she didn’t enjoy talking to me, or something.

40

MANNY THANKED ME for trying to include him in the investigation. “De nada, Manny, you’d be a lot more help than Larry will.”

“You know that I did things when I was with Dominga that I would undo if I could.”

“I know.”

“I’m just glad that Rosita found me and made me leave all that behind before the Señora talked me into having a child with her.”

“What?” I asked, and glanced away from the road long enough to stare at him.

“Red light, Anita,” Nicky said.

I had to brake hard not to run the light. “Okay, explain that last comment, Manny.”

“The Señora wanted us to have a child together; she hoped it would be even more powerful than we were, or than she was; she made no bones about the fact that I was strong, but not as strong as she. One of the reasons you intrigued her was that she sensed a power that could rival hers.”

“Yeah, she made it clear that her interest in me was strictly magical, in that ‘join me in my evil plot to take over the world’ kind of way.”

“She didn’t want to take over the world, Anita. She just wanted your help to find ways to make a profit from raising zombies. She enjoyed that people were afraid of her, but she was a very practical woman, the Señora, and she thought you could help her find new ways to expand the business.”