The sky was deep purple when Pike pulled up in front of Cole’s A-frame and let himself into the kitchen. Pike liked Cole’s home, and had helped Cole maintain it over the years whenever Cole needed a hand painting, roofing, or staining the deck. Perched high in the canyons where it was surrounded by trees, Cole’s rustic A-frame felt removed from the city. Pike took a bottle of water from Cole’s fridge. A dish of cat food sat on the floor beside a small bowl of water. The house smelled of eucalyptus, wild fennel, and the flora that grew on the canyon’s steep slopes.

Cole, Rina, and Yanni were in the living room, watching the news. Rina’s bag was on the floor at her feet, along with a bag that probably belonged to Yanni. They glanced over when Pike entered, and Cole muted the sound. Yanni’s face was purple where Pike hit him.

Rina squinted at Pike as if she were sizing him up for target practice, then waved toward Cole.

“We are not going to stay here. It smells like cats.”

Cole arched his eyebrows, the arch saying, You see what it’s like?

Pike motioned Cole over.

“See you a minute?”

When Cole joined him, Pike lowered his voice.

“You were going to check out her story. What do you think?”

Cole glanced at Rina and Yanni to make sure they couldn’t hear, then shrugged.

“I located one of Ana’s friends, and have a call into another. Everything checked. Rina spent the 90210 years protecting her sister. Kept Ana completely away from this stuff, just like she said.”

Rina stood, then raised her voice.

“I don’t like this whispering. I told you already once. Yanni and I, we are going to go.”

Pike said, “Yanni’s building is being watched by the police. You shouldn’t go back.”

Yanni mumbled something in Serbian, and Rina chattered something back.

She said, “The police don’t care about Yanni. Why would they watch?”

“They followed me earlier today. They know I’m trying to find Darko, so now they believe someone in Yanni’s complex has information about him. They will look for that person.”

Rina and Yanni launched into more Serbian, and Yanni didn’t look happy. Cole turned away as if he had heard enough foreign-language conversations to last a lifetime.

“You want something to eat?”

“Not yet. Did you find anything running the check on Darko’s condominiums?”

“Yeah. They’re not his condos—not in his name or any name I’ve been able to connect to him. This guy is hidden, man—he does not exist, so he’s almost certainly here illegally.”

Cole ticked off the points.