“You’ve been eavesdropping.”
“A lifetime habit,” she agreed.
I turned toward Luke and introduced her. “Luke, this is Vinta Bayle-sort of.”
Luke raised his right hand, his eyes never leaving her face. “I just want to know one thing,” he began.
“I’ll bet you do;” she replied. “Am I going to kill you or aren’t I? Keep wondering. I haven’t decided yet. Do you remember the time you were low on gas north of San Luis Obispo and you discovered your wallet was missing? You had to borrow money from your date to get back home. She had to ask you twice, too, before you paid her back.”
“How could you know that?” he whispered.
“You got in a fight with three bikers one day,” she went on. “You almost lost an eye when one of them wrapped a chain around your head. Seems to have healed up nicely. Can’t see the scar-“
“And I won,” he added.
“Yes. Not too many people can pick up a Harley and throw it like you did.”
“I have to know,” he said, “how you learned these things.”
“Maybe I’ll tell you that too, sometime,” she said. “I just mentioned them to keep you honest. Now I’m going to ask you some questions, and your life is going to depend on giving me honest answers. Understand-“
“Vinta,” I interrupted, “you told me that you weren’t interested in killing Luke.”
“It’s not at the top of my list,” she replied, “but if he’s in the way of what is, he goes.”
Luke yawned. “I’ll tell you about the blue stones,” he muttered. “I don’t have anybody on a blue-stone detail after Merle now.”
“Might Jasra have someone tracking him that way?”
“Possible. I just don’t know.”
“What about the ones who attacked him in Amber last night?”
“First I’ve heard of it,” he said, and he closed his eyes.
“Look at this,” she ordered, removing the blue button from her pocket.
He opened his eyes and squinted at it.
“Recognize it?”
“Nope,” he said, and closed his eyes again.
“And you don’t mean Merle any harm now?”
“That’s right,” he answered, his voice drifting off.
She opened her mouth again and I said, “Let him sleep. He’s not going anywhere.”
She gave me an almost angry look, then nodded. “You’re right,” she said.
“So what are you going to do now kill him while he’s out?”
“No;” she replied. “He was telling the truth.”
“And does it make a difference?”
“Yes,” she told me, “for now.”