“This is the part that’s hard to believe.” He was surprised she didn’t stop him in the middle of his lengthy explanation. When he asked her if she knew what an OBE was, she nodded confidently. She also knew about traveling in the night world, and informed him that the Ambrogio traveled in sleep as well, but took to their beds during the day.

“You mean that thing could be at large in Westwend right now? Invisible?”

“He could be right in this room, listening to us,” she said. “That’s why it was so goddamn stupid of you to come here.”

Owen was stunned. He turned around as if he might see the old man materializing in the corner. “Can he hurt me when in his ethereal form?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Can you kill him?”

“I have special bullets that explode in the body and release phosphorous. All I have to do is get one in him anywhere from head to toes.”

“What are we gonna do?”

She took out her cell phone and whispered, “Give me your number.”

He whispered it back, even though he knew, if Crenshaw was in the room with them, he’d have it.

“I need someone to watch my son while I’m out hunting,” said Kiara.

“I might have someone for you,” he said. “I’ll text you later. Are you going after him by yourself?”

“No, you’re going to help me.”

12

OWEN WAS SWEATING BY the time he left Kiara’s apartment. He couldn’t get it out of his mind that the spirit presence of the old man could be trailing him, bounding along behind his car, seeing everything, peering into their preliminary plans. He stopped at the market on the way home in order to buy something easy to make for dinner. His scheme was to invite Mrs. Hultz over to eat and, in the process, try to talk her into babysitting William and lending him her husband’s gun. It was amazing to him that with so much on his mind, he could still be so devious. When he got out of the car and walked across the market parking lot, the feel of the persistent wind against his face made him think of a wispy Crenshaw swirling around him.