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on her head went amiss. “I understand you still have some unresolved issues regarding your last case. Believe it or not, so do I.”
    “ You?” I said. “That’s funny, because I thought you were the only one that got from the case what you wanted.”
    “ And what was that?”
    “ Validation. I know they all laughed at your witchcraft and your witch’s ladder. But you showed them. Didn’t you?”
    “ That witch’s ladder saved your wrinkled old ass.”
    “ I’m not denying that.”
    “ No, you’re not. But since we’re on the subject, let me tell you why I came looking for you.”
    There is something very unsettling about having a witch tell you that she’s been looking for you. I couldn’t imagine it was a good thing. I pitched back in my seat and gestured for her to continue.
    “ As I said, Detective, you have something I want.”
    “ And that is?”
    “ You remember when you rescued Leona Diaz from the basement of the research center?”
    “ Where Doctor Lowell had her tied to the bed, of course.”
    “ Well—”
    “ Detective Rodriquez! Detective Marcella!” Dominic Spinelli came into the diner and spotted us from the front door. He hurried to the booth in a sprint. “There you are. I thought I might find you here.”
    “ Dominic!” Carlos clearly seemed happy to see him. “How did you get here?”
    “ I caught a ride in a black and white.”
    “ Well, good!”
    “ Spinelli,” I said. “Have a seat. Let me introduce you to Lilith.” He took a seat next to me and offered her his hand. She looked at it, at him, and then finally at me. That sour expression revisited her face. I smiled and said, “Humor him. He’s a good kid.”
    She reached out and they shook. “You’re a detective? What are you, like, fifteen?”
    “ I’m twenty-six,” he replied, feeling insulted, but I suspected he got that a lot. “Probably older than you.”
    “ Don’t go there,” I said. “You don’t ever want to ask a witch her age.”
    He looked at her with splayed eyes. “A witch? Right, you’re Lilith Adams! I read about you.”
    She pulled back, and although she seldom showed it, we all saw her smile. “Did you?”
    “ Yes, in the official case reports that Detectives Rodriquez and Marcella filed last year. Of course there were no mentions of you being a witch. But Detective Rodriquez filled me in on all the juicy tidbits. Hey, you know someone should write a book on you.”
    “ You think?”
    “ Absolutely! You’re fascinating.”
    Lilith glanced our way. “Detectives, where did you find this boy? He’s adorable.”
    “ Hey,” said Carlos. “Maybe Dominic should write a book.” He turned to Lilith and offered, “He’s expertly versed on the occult, you know. He would do a great job with it.”
    “ Would he, now?” She leaned her head back and sized Dominic up one side and down the other. “You’ve studied witches?”
    “ Some,” he replied. “Witches, witchcraft, the Wiccan religion and basically all the Neo-Pagan theologies.”
    “ What do you mean all of them?” Carlos joked. “Isn’t one Satan worshiper the same as another?”
    “ Ho, boy, here we go,” said Lilith, rolling her eyes. She turned to Carlos and fed him a—let me tell YOU something—look. She started in, “First of all, Fidel, witches aren’t—”
    “ Please,” said Dominic, reaching across the table and touching Lilith’s arm. “Allow me.” He looked at Carlos, but kept his hand on Lilith’s sleeve. Surprisingly, she didn’t pull away. “Carlos,” he said, “if there’s one thing you should know about Neo-Pagan worshipers, it’s that they don’t worship Satan. And although witches are Neo-Pagans, not all Neo-Pagans are witches. Some Neo-Pagans are Wiccans. And, though witches aren’t Wiccan, some Wiccans practice witchcraft. And most, particularly witches don’t believe in Satan. Like Wiccans, witches believe in deities of nature—natural spirits. A traditional witch’s rede is,