Page 14 of Race With The Devil

“Oh good,” said Wolf. “We’ll find out what she did last.”

Inside her little apartment, Lavinia rushed right to a chair with wheels in front of an open laptop, logging into Facebook.

“She’s a mechanic?” I asked. “Like Bellamy?”

“Yes, but Bellamy only repairs bikes inside the hangar for the club. Lavinia goes to sideshows, like a pit mechanic. Repairs stuff right on the spot.”

Lavinia’s profile showed a sunny yet tough gal. A little on the plain and dumpy side, I was tempted to approve of Tutti for taking such a one under his illustrious, rich wing. But Lavinia was pregnant. Maybe there wasn’t much choice in the matter.

“You said Lavinia’s religious. She’d never entertain the idea of an abortion.”

Unity’s certainty removed all doubt. “Oh, noooo. Like me. If by some miracle I ever got pregnant, the last thing I’d do is abort. There’s a Jose in her Friends. He’s got a tricked-out ’71 Chevelle but it definitely has Arizona plates.” She whipped out her phone and voice-texted, I assumed to Bellamy. “Look at Lavinia’s FB friends. Find that one José. Do you know him?”

Putting her phone down, Unity leaned back in her chair and swiveled to face me. She wore a long-sleeved black Nirvana shirt that was cropped so high there was considerable under-boob. They looked to be all real, all hers. “Our only clue.”

I took a step closer to her, still not looking her in the eye. “I’m not leaving Pure and Easy until we find your friend. We discuss everything like partners, and we get together whenever there’s a new clue. If you have the urge to cut, call me first. I’ll give you twenty times more reasons why not to cut.” Touch, massage therapy with lots of physical contact released the urge to cut, but I wasn’t about to do that. I had to be mindful of this skittish doe.

Unity grinned, dimples, diamond studs and all. “All right, partner. Shake on it.”

Cornily, I did. A Bible phrase from my prison reading years even popped into my head. Be not forgetful of hospitality. Some have entertained angels unawares.

Unity stood. “That’s good, ‘cause I was going to recommend going downstairs to eat dinner first.”