The True One

Chapter 8

Alek

I insisted on selecting my meet-up spot with Norvin this time, an upscale café with warm brick walls and booths to provide us with a bit of privacy. Strong coffee and pastries baked in a kitchen adhering to health codes were also major plusses. Back in LA earlier than expected, I had a lot of information to share with him; I could not afford to be distracted with greasy fries and food poisoning. Still, he resisted.

"That place? It used to be part of a distribution warehouse."

"What's wrong with that? It's got provenance."

"Provenance? They shipped toilets."

"It's referred to it as industrial chic."

"Industrial chic." Norvin snorted. "That's the problem right there. It's a daisy trying to be an orchid. Your favorite café is trying way too hard."

I wasn't going to budge. Daisies, orchids—they were all fine with me. "You picked last time, so..."

I arrived before him. Norvin sauntered in a few minutes later, sipping his drip coffee like he expected it to retaliate. He winced as he swallowed. "A bit much for me, but it'll have to do."

Norvin preferred diner swill coffee—hot water with a hint of grounds.

The acrid smell of freshly brewed beans and the steady hum of the grinder settled my nerves. I could deal with his bullshit today. "It won't kill you."

"Maybe not." He set the mug down and pushed it away. "What about the girl? Would she kill me if she had the chance?"

"Verity is a woman, not a girl."

"Oh God, not this." The skin on his neck right above his collar began to turn red. "Not from you."

"Just pointing out a basic fact."

"Save it for your Gen Z blog."

"No one writes blogs anymore. You're out of touch, old man."

"Thank God for that." Ready to give it another try, he tore open a sugar packet and dumped it into his coffee mug. "Just tell me what the status is. Do not leave anything out."

I took a swig of my own drink, a double Americano—no sugar, no cream. Not sure if I intended to leave anything out or not, I let the bitterness settle on my tongue before responding. "Well, you already know why the tour was suspended."

"She went into a trance during a performance, yes. It was only a trance, am I right?"

"That's what I told you." The last few words came out with more force than I intended. I loved Norvin but he could really get on my nerves. "You said that all suspicious. 'Am I right?' Yes, of course, you're right, Norvin. Like, why would I lie to you about that? If something more happened, there would have been thousands of witnesses."

"You moved her offstage."

"I did. Along with her friend, Flora. Who never left Verity's side, by the way."

"And nothing. Just, unseeing eyes, motionless, dead to the world."

"The most significant thing was that I was able to use an odor to bring her back. That's critical, right?"

"I suppose, but..." He thrummed his fingers onto the tabletop. "I almost wish you hadn't."

"Seriously? What if she'd progressed? Think about the damage she could have inflicted."

He waved me off. "The thing is, we would have known!"

"People could have died. The audience..."

"You had her contained backstage. You could have handled it."