BACK AT MY bike, I called Jesse to see if he had a maiden name for Tiffany. He did. Baker. Not exactly as uncommon as I hoped. I asked him to dig a little deeper and see where she was from, maybe get some family details.

“So you’ve got one witch,” he said when I explained. “Presumably married to another supernatural if she’s been showing him rituals. You’ve also got Santeria. Sounds like there’s more to this town than it seems.

My next call was to Paige. I still wasn’t telling her about the case, of course, but she’d be my best source of background on Tiffany.

“I have a local witch,” I said. “But she’s using outdated magic.”

“Which suggests she’s from a family that has slipped outside the network. Well, whatever network still exists for witches.”

I could hear the regret in her voice. Paige works hard to get that network running again, but after the witch-hunts, most witches took a “never again” attitude and disassociated themselves from their magic.

“Maybe,” I said. “But if it’s nearly useless magic, that screams Coven.”

Paige sighed. She’d grown up a Coven witch herself. She didn’t argue, though. The Coven was the worst offender when it came to keeping witches in the Dark Ages of magic, only allowing its members to use old and simplistic spells, like the light ball.

“Her name was Baker,” I said. “Tiffany Baker. She’s a few years older than you, so even if her family left the Coven, you should remember her.”

“I don’t. I’ll check the records, though.”

If Paige didn’t recognize the name, the Bakers hadn’t been part of the Coven, so I told her not to bother. I could handle this one.

I ARRIVED AT the McDonald’s twenty minutes late for my appointment. Cutting through the parking lot, I saw Cody Radu stalking out of the restaurant, another man hurrying along at his side, trying to talk to him.

Cody’s SUV was nearby, so I cast a blur spell, zipped around it, then cast a cover one.

“Every shred of evidence was supposed to be concealed,” Cody was saying as they approached. “That’s your job, Tommy.”

“Yes, and I’ve covered it. If this PI has dug up something, then we’ve got a leak. But that’s why I’m here—to throw her off the trail.”

“Then you’d better work fast. I can handle the bitch. She’s going after Tiff, though, and I won’t take that.”

Had Tiffany told him I’d confronted her? I remembered what Cody had said about me being in town a few days. Only hours later, Tiffany had accused me of coming to her house. Was somebody stalking them? Or had Cody and Tiffany just been under Bruyn’s magnifying glass too long?