Anne nodded. Dr. Shirland’s an independent mind mage. She’d offered to treat Anne a year and a half back but had been turned down. After last spring, Anne had reconsidered.

“Going okay?”

“It’s not easy, but it helps. I’m glad you and Luna pushed me into it.”

“Have you been talking about . . . ?”

“About her?”

I didn’t need to ask who the “her” was, and Anne didn’t need to say it. Anne has her own problems, and there’s a side of her she doesn’t get on well with. “She calls her my shadow,” Anne said. “Other things too, but . . . She thinks I can work something out, but it’ll take a long time.”

“I guess now’s as good a time as any to start.”

Anne smiled slightly. “Let’s hope so.”

My phone rang, and I put it to my ear with an inward sigh. So much for quiet. “Hi, Caldera.”

“Are you at home?” Caldera said.

“Yeah.”

“I’m on my way. Don’t go anywhere.” She hung up.

I lowered the phone. “Well, it was nice while it lasted.”

Anne rose to her feet. “I guess that’s my cue to go.”

I looked at her in surprise. “You don’t have to.”

“I think it might be easier.”

I started to answer, then stopped and looked down. The bell was about to ring. Already?

I went downstairs and opened the door to see Caldera, dressed in her work clothes. “Hey.”

Caldera gave me an up-and-down look. “You all right?”

“I got better.”

Caldera pushed past me. “Then how about you explain,” she said over her shoulder, “how the hell you managed to nearly get yourself killed on the bloody DLR?”

I closed the door and followed Caldera upstairs. “Nice to see you too.”

“One job. You had one job. All you had do was investigate.”

“You were the one who sent me there. Shouldn’t I be the one blaming you?”

“I should have known it was a bad idea to send you on your own. I could—”

Caldera walked into the living room and stopped. I followed her in to see that Caldera had come face to face with Anne. Anne was in the middle of packing up her bag with her medical gear. She looked up at Caldera. There was a pause.

“You could what?” I asked when Caldera didn’t go on.

“In a sec,” Caldera said. She didn’t take her eyes off Anne.

“It’s okay,” Anne said. “I was just going.” She did up the straps on her bag and slung it over her shoulder. “Give me a call if you need anything.”

“You don’t have to,” I said with a frown.

“I should probably be getting back.” Anne walked to the door. Caldera let her pass, moving noticeably farther out of Anne’s way than she really needed to, and I saw her eyes track Anne as she went by. Anne disappeared down the stairs, and a moment later I heard the sound of the front door opening and closing.