“Something wrong?” Reno asked in a low voice. The sounds of ringing bells and squealing children overlapped, making it difficult to hear him.

“I’d like to talk to you later, if that’s okay.”

He pinched his chin and nodded. “No sweat.”

A balloon string unraveled from the back of April’s chair, sending the shiny object into the rafters overhead.

“Holy smokes, I didn’t mean to do that,” she said. “I’m sorry, Naya.”

I laughed softly. “There are ten more. She won’t miss it.”

“That’s some gift you got her.” April pointed toward the box full of purses, scarves, and beads. They were items I would normally have given to charity, but I’d been saving them over the past year for just this occasion.

“Girls love to play dress-up, and she can always use a few accessories. It was no trouble.” What I didn’t mention to April was that some of the purses were designer.

Wheeler couldn’t take his pale brown eyes off me. “What was the call about?”

“My hairdresser couldn’t fit me in at three, so it’s a crisis.”

He gripped the edge of the table and leaned back, looking his usual snarly self.

I shoved all my anxiety into a mental drawer and closed it tight. There would be plenty of time to think about it later, and worrying would only ruin the party. I squeezed my hands into tight fists beneath the table, then stretched out all the muscles so they’d quit shaking. I’d always had a sweet spot for Skye because of the nice things she’d say about people. She wasn’t catty; that came with years of practice in a job like ours.

An hour later, everyone had eaten enough cake and pizza to sedate an elephant. Maizy was the belle of the ball, her face beaming each time she reappeared to look at her gifts and give her mom a hug. She loved physical affection, and maybe that wasn’t so common among some children her age—especially humans. Shifters adored family, so it was good to see that rubbing off on her.

While Lynn cleaned off the table, William packed up the gifts and hauled them to the car.

I caught sight of Maizy playing an arcade game near the main doors, so I walked over and sat in a red bucket seat facing her. Pizza Zone was a grand room with numerous tables in the center. One area had plastic tunnels for small children to climb through, and all the games were in multiple rows along the outer walls. I glanced at a bright window to my left and thought about Skye.

Reno dragged a tiny red chair in my direction and parked it to my right. “What’s the problem?”

I crossed my legs and my anklet jingled. “A friend of mine is missing. Not just missing, someone saw her taken. A van, but I don’t know the details. Reno, you’re one of the best private investigators, so I was hoping you could help. The higher authority won’t touch it and neither will the club owner. I have money, and I’ll pay whatever you charge.”