The other twin continued, “But we won’t lie to you. Plunking heavily armed gangsters into the middle of the precinct was less helpful. But Agent Norwood’s family will be very grateful. You did the right thing there, so we’ll call that one even.”

“Jamal was, um … You know. He wasn’t so bad. He deserved better than to be left—” Mollie cut herself off before she said something incredibly awkward. Something about abandoning people in Talas. In cannibal central. She shook her head, pinched the bridge of her nose until the tears went away.

Oh, screw it. Jamal had been working with SCARE, so maybe …

“Hey. Um. Do you guys happen to know a cop named Franny Black?”

“Are you kidding?” Ray laid a hand over his breast. “He’s like a brother to me.”

“Did he, uh … I was, you know, just wondering if he’s back from Kazakhstan yet.”

“You mean you’re wondering if he made it home after you abandoned him in the middle of nowhere?”

Mollie shrugged. “Look, I’m just asking.”

“Worry not. He got home safe and sound.” Ray paused, then held up a pair of crossed fingers. “He’s like this with your old pal Baba Yaga now.”

“She’s here? In the States?” Mollie tossed her gaze back and forth across the farm, looking for another passenger in the Feds’ car, or for a flash of Baba Yaga’s hair as she bulled into the house, or even ohcrapohcrapohcrap into the—

Mollie set off toward the barn at a fast walk. Moon leapt ahead and blocked her path. Ray said, “Relax, kid. She’s in New York.”

“Oh.” The tension went out of her shoulders like a spring uncoiling. Her teeth actually squeaked when she stopped grinding them. “Okay.”

“But just out of curiosity, what’s in the barn that you don’t want Baba Yaga to see?”

“Nothing. Just cows, cow shit, and hay. What do you expect to find in a barn?”

“Okay. In that case, how about you give us a tour? Because, you know, I’ve never been inside an actual working barn before and I’d just love to see it.”

Mollie said, “I’d just love to see a warrant.”

Ray chuckled. “Uh, you saw my badge, right? You think I couldn’t get one?”

“So what? Even if there was something in the barn we didn’t want you to see, and there isn’t, we all know I could have it long gone by the time you came back with the paper. So you’d be wasting your time. And as taxpayers who pay your salary we’d call serious bullshit on that.”

Oops. Ffodor had warned her that there were certain subjects a professional thief would be wise to avoid. But he was such a jerk, this Fed, he got under her skin.