Two barks.

Un-friggin’-believable. He’d gotten every question correct.

Marina pinched her arm in case she was still asleep or had died. But it hurt just as it should have and she released the skin. Things were so incredibly weird. Her life was the very definition of chaos and now, she was convinced the dog was communicating. It was definitely time to call Alexios. He’d given her his cell number to get in touch.

She grabbed her cell phone off the counter and sent him a text. A couple seconds later, a gust of wind hit the back of her house and Alexios strolled inside. He must have listened to her on the whole purple pants thing because today, he wore plain blue jeans and a polo shirt. The shirt was bright fuchsia, but it was still progress.

Snooze walked over and sniffed his tennis shoe, then plopped down on the rug and promptly went to sleep. A good sign.

“Did you spend the night on my porch?” she asked.

“Of course not. My bosses aren’t that cruel.”

“Then how did you get here so fast?”

“When I’m not on earth, I reside in between worlds. Think of it as an invisible, moving condo.”

“That’s convenient.”

“Very. Nothing is more comfortable than your own bed. Centuries of travel can be hell on the back.” He took a step closer and scrutinized her. “I see all the gray is gone.”

She nodded. “And I don’t have pores. I mean, I have pores, but they’re so small now my skin looks fifteen years younger. Plus, I think I can talk to the dog. I mean, I’ve always been able to talk to the dog, but I think he understands what I’m saying. Is that possible?”

“I suppose it could be. Aphrodite is crazy about dogs. She always has one.”

“And she can communicate with her dogs?”

“Of course. She’s a goddess.”

“Interesting. Okay, so I was thinking and after a discussion with Snooze, I’ve made a decision. I’m going to try to find your ring, like I said last night, but it’s going to cost you. And not after I do all the work. I want a down payment. Something that proves to me that you are on the up-and-up. I can’t do good work if I’m worried about money. And since I’m pretty sure I’m going to be fired when I go into work today, that’s a viable concern.”

“Perfectly reasonable. I’m authorized to advance you ten thousand as long as you promise to legitimately launch a search for the ring.”

“I take it by your tone and the use of the word ‘legitimately’ that someone before me took the money and ran?”

“A particularly long and expensive vacation, in which she was eaten by sharks, thus starting our wait for a Seeker all over again.”

“Did your boss have anything to do with that shark thing?”

“He says no.”

“Hmmmm. Okay, well, since I have no intention of hopping on a plane to film a sequel to Jaws, I think I’m good.”