Part 29 (1/2)

Crying out, Kiko stumbled away from Dawn.

”And...” He calmed down, regulating his breathing. ”There's nothing after that. It's like some presence came up behind him with a two-by-four and turned out the lights.”

Dawn sprang to her feet, headed for the door. ”I'm going to Bava.”

”We're going to the coroner's,” Breisi said. ”Our friend in that office won't be so understanding about rescheduling.”

Kiko beat Dawn to the door, opening it and running outside. ”Bava,” he called over his shoulder. ”It's our best chance! You can handle Klara on your own, just try to get a hold of any of Klara's clothes, even a sc.r.a.p, so I can read it!” Softer, he muttered, ”I ain't so sure I can read dead people anyway.”

”To Bava then,” Dawn said. ”I'm checking out that storage room. Maybe there's something...a clue? Frank wasn't there too long ago. Or maybe we can sift through the liars at Bava and find someone who saw what really happened.”

Probably knowing she had no other choice, Breisi rolled her eyes. ”Keep in contact. The boss won't-”

”The boss willdeal.” Dawn took off after Kiko.

He was already inside her car. They'd left his at home since he'd rather be chauffeured around town in his sungla.s.ses with I'm-a- budding-star grandeur. Forget that she was driving a beat-up Corolla, it was all in the ent.i.tled att.i.tude.

As they roared off, it felt odd to be without Breisi. Sure, they were used to meeting her at the sites of interviews, but this was different. She wouldn't be there to baby-sit, and Dawn hated the fact that having Breisi around made her feel a little better about whatever they might encounter.

It was the bladed crossbow, no doubt. G.o.d, Dawn really had to get one of those, too.

On the way, Kiko compensated for the lack of antiradar gadgets and opticoms by pumping up Dawn's lame radio. The sound system conjured thoughts of a symphony in a tuna can.

”I have a jittery feeling,” Kiko said, messing with the radio dial until he hit pay dirt. ”Like this is going to be huge. I almost feel like Frank was begging us to go back to Bava, like he's dropping bread crumbs as clues.”

Swallowing down her anxiety, Dawn gripped the steering wheel as it shuddered. Hitting thirty miles per hour did that to her ride.

While a hot/cool jazzy song tinned out of the radio, Kiko relaxed against the seat, as if meditating. Hewasnervous. Was it because he'd channeled Frank's fear and he hadn't been able to shake it?

The voice from the radio was as smooth as a balmy night, as elegant as Spanish moss and as dark as bayou swamps.TheTamsin Greene, a young legend whose career had blossomed from singing to movies. A superstar.

The music did nothing to calm Dawn, so she floored the gas pedal, eventually screeching onto Vine, where parking was at a premium. They pulled onto Argyle Avenue, found a place, then hoofed it to Bava.

The quake of musical ba.s.s stamped the air as they approached. At this time of night, and on a Friday besides, there was a bouncer sitting on a metal stool outside, collecting a twenty-dollar cover charge and checking IDs in a parody of law-abiding cooperation. The guy was huge, with Muscle Beach written all over his hard body.

Ignoring the line to get in-it consisted of a few guys who looked like shadow versions of Ziggy Stardust-Kiko walked up to the bouncer with a d.i.c.k-in-the-hand strut. Dawn was impressed.

She took up his back, putting on her mean face. With her well-practiced glare, her obvious eyebrow scar, and her biker boots, she gave good p.i.s.sy att.i.tude.

Her a.s.sociate flashed his PI license so quickly that Dawn doubted the bouncer had time to read the info.

”We'd like to check out a back room for a case,” he said.

The bouncer looked at them both, then busted out laughing. ”This isn't midget night.”

”Little person,” Kiko said with great dignity.

”You're still a short s.h.i.+t. And guess what? We're closed. n.o.body else can go in.” Amused with himself, he gestured for one of the pseudo-Ziggies to come on over.

They all laughed-tee-hee-hee-at how the bouncer was being so politically incorrect.

”Hey...” Kiko began.

Muscles took his time with the Ziggy's driver's license. ”Dude, if you're under four-ten and have p.u.b.es on your face, you're not getting in. And what's that stinkin' cologne?”

”Listen-”

”Is your brain the size of a pea, too?” The bouncer made a fly swatting motion. ”Get out of here, sideshow.”

At the brain comment, Kiko had reddened, started to stammer; it only increased his embarra.s.sment. Dawn remembered back when she'd first met him, how he'd seemed more defensive about his psychic abilities than his stature.

She stepped next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. ”You're not letting us in then? Even if we paid a cover and waited in this pathetic line?”

Muscles shrugged. ”We're clo-”

Knowing that this guy wasn't worth even bruising her knuckles for, Dawn c.o.c.ked back her right elbow and crashed it into his jaw. Down he went, but not without some difficulty.

The bigger man reached out, dragged her with him to the ground. Behind her, she heard Kiko say”Dawn”with the same exasperation as The Voice.

Drawing back her knee, she drove it upward.

A plasticd.i.n.ktold her that the bully was wearing a cup.

s.h.i.+t.

Out of nowhere, Kiko dove into view, his hand coming down onto the back of Muscles' neck. As the bouncer groaned and slumped over Dawn, the psychic performed what she would have called an amazing sleight-of-hand trick, whizzing his gun out of sight before the Ziggies could even comment on it.

Da-amn.

”That was exceptional,” one of the Goths said in a flat voice. Still, it sounded like he'd been won over. Without further ado, he and his friends barged past Kiko, Dawn, and her steroid luggage, and into the bar.

”Thanks for saving us the cover charge,” one of them said, sticking out his pierced, plaque-ridden tongue and wiggling it at Dawn.

”You know,” she said when they were gone, ”he might have just killed all my s.e.xual urges.”

Kiko was wagging his finger at her. ”Why'd you do that? This guy is gonna to wake up and hunt us down.” Kiko took a second look. ”Actually, he ain't gonna wake up for a while.”

”Then we'll be gone. We needed to get in.” She shrugged. ”Besides, he ticked me off, talking to you like that.”

As they caught their breath, Kiko grinned. She busied herself with levering this Sephora-fragrance-of-the-month-wearin' guy off of her so she wouldn't have to get mushy and grin back.

”I guess you're about ready then,” Kiko said.

She stood, glanced down at Muscles. ”Let's get it on.”

After Dawn peeked inside to see that the entrance room was empty, they dragged the bouncer over the threshold, finding the darkest corner, then propped him up like he was a drunk. No worry-he blended.