“Nicer than out here, you miserable hag.”

Mrs Galloway’s face went slack, and Virgil winced at her apologetically and raised the window.

“I don’t like being patronised,” said Javier. “You have to deal with that kind of crap often?”

“Sometimes,” said Virgil.

“Naw, I couldn’t handle that,” said Javier. “At least everyone in the retirement home knows the score.”

“Is she still standing there?”

“Yep. Standing right beside your window.”

“Christ’s sake …”

“She’s no longer looking in, though.”

“Well, that’s something.”

“She’s walking away.”

Virgil watched her. A part of him wanted to reprimand Javier for the rudeness, but then he figured he didn’t care.

“Hey,” said Javier in a hushed voice, his eyes widening.

Oscar Moreno came out of his house, wearing a sweater vest and offering a big smile to a passing neighbour.

Javier stared at him. “It’s me. Holy shit, it’s me. You seeing this? That is me.”

“Told you,” said Virgil.

They watched him get in his car.

“But that doesn’t just look like me,” Javier said, “it is me. That’s me travelling in from the past!”

“I know. Duck down.”

They tried ducking but, much like the first time, all they could manage was to lean sideways slightly.

“Quick!” said Javier. “Follow him!”

“Why? It’s Tuesday morning. He’s probably just going to work.”

“Oh yeah.”

They waited until he was gone, and sat up.

“Jesus,” said Javier. “Now what? I mean … okay, I believe you, he’s my exact double. But now what do we do?”

“I have no idea,” said Virgil.

“You don’t know? You’re the one talking about murder mysteries and conspiracies and solving this crime and all that stuff … and you don’t know what to do?”

“This is new to me,” Virgil said defensively. “It’s taking some time to adjust to all of this going on. But I’m getting there.”

“How many cops are on the force? Surely they can’t all be in on it.”

“But how would we know which ones are and which ones aren’t? No, no – the authorities can’t help us. We have to keep an eye on them. Watch them. They’re in on this, so they could lead us to the next clue.”

“Next clue? What? What was the first clue? What are you talking about?”

“I’m just asking myself a question, Javier. A question we should both be asking.” Virgil paused dramatically. “What would the Shroud do?”

Javier closed his eyes. “Oh, Madre de Dios, you’re going to get us both killed.”

Chapter 19

AMBER WAS BACK IN that rest stop in Whitehorse, and she was pinned by a mountain of corpses while Elias Mauk used his hammer to break her fingers. Only this time all the corpses on top of her were Imelda, and it wasn’t Mauk with the hammer, it was Amber herself as a red-skinned, horned demon.