“I’ll park illegally around the next corner and wait for you there,” he said, and zoomed off the minute I slammed the door shut.

I hastily did up my coat then shoved my hands into my pockets in a vague attempt to keep them warm. Though it wasn’t raining anymore, the night was absolutely bitter. I hobbled more than ran down the street, then darted through the at-a-crawl traffic. Nati’s place was a small one-up, one-down red-brick house, but its unimpressive looks were deceiving. Like most of the places along this side of the street, they’d been able to extend at the rear without compromising the size of the backyard, thanks to the fact it ran down all the way down to an old canal.

I rang the doorbell, heard it chime deep inside, and shifted impatiently from one foot to the other until I heard footsteps approaching. They were too heavy to be Nati’s.

A light came on, then the door opened, revealing a hulking figure of a man with a thick red beard and bald head. He stared down at me for a heartbeat before recognition stirred.

“Bethany? This is a surp—” The rest cut off as his gaze centered on my cheek. “What the hell happened?”

“Tripped and fell—is Nati home?”

“No, she’s out on a job.” He glanced at his watch. “Should be home in ten or fifteen, if you’d like to come in and wait.”

“I can’t.” I fished the glove out of my pocket. “Can you give this to her and ask if she can ID the dust inside for me?”

“Sure thing. I take it your phone number hasn’t changed?”

“No. Can you please tell her it’s urgent?”

“I will. You sure you won’t come in? She’ll be disappointed to have missed you.”

“I’ll catch her later. Need to get over to the hospital for this.” I lightly tapped my cheek, and he nodded.

“I’ll get her to call you, then.”

“Thanks.”

I darted back through the traffic and made my way back to Mathi. Once inside the car, I switched up the heat and held my hands out to the vents. My fingers were like blocks of ice.

“Success?” Mathi said as he reversed out of the lane.

“She was out on a job, but Jessup was home. I gave him the glove and said we needed it evaluated urgently.”

Mathi gave me a long look, something I felt more than saw. “I don’t suppose she could be the pixie we’re hunting?”

“Nati? No way.”

“You’re sure?”

“Nati’s a tracer—”

“And knowing dust and their spells inside out is a necessary part of their job. It wouldn’t be the first time a legitimate tracer has had a sideline business.”

“I know, but Nati wouldn’t do something like that.”

He hesitated, then nodded. “I’ll trust your judgment.”

“Thanks.”

My fingers had thawed out by the time we reached Lugh’s, but the shivers assailing the rest of me hadn’t eased. I doubted it was the cold, because it was damnably warm inside the car right now. I suspected it had something to do with second sight and the certainty that more trouble loomed on the horizon.