"It isn't vintage. It's just old. And getting her inside isn't so easy." Daphne grabbed at Kiara's swinging legs, almost getting kicked in the head as the 'detective' wiggled out. "Stop the car!"
"No!" Kiara said, plopping herself on the edge of the roof's opening, letting her booted feet dangle inside the car. "We must follow him. Stay on course. I can smell him better from out here."
"Did she say smell him?" Eddie said, his voice rising above accepted masculine levels.
They had been driving for a while, heading into Los Angeles, with Kiara giving directions. She stared at the city as they passed by.
Her body tingled with glorious excitement. So much life happening with shops and restaurants and humans doing dozens of different things. Laughing and talking, eating and drinking. She had seen a most colorful Ferris wheel turning round and round on the pier. There were even people dancing inside a place where music blared and vibrant lights flashed. If she were not tracking an assassin, she would love to stop and experience it all.
People on the street holding umbrellas stopped to point at her, then laughed and waved. Kiara grinned and waved back. This was so much better than watching stuff on movies and television. She might as well enjoy it a little. Who knew when she would get out again?
If she found Oleander, she would be a hero. It just might buy her some freedom.
"Are you kidding?" Butch said, shivering next to her in the cold rain. "They're gonna chain you to the bed once they have you again. Or put you back in a coffin."
"Shut up," Kiara said, still waving and trying not to let him kill her good mood. A few cars honked at her. Feeling like a princess in a parade, she waved at them, too.
"I'm telling you, badge or no badge, something's not right." Eddie wiped his glasses again and squinted through the frantic windshield wipers. "I think she's an alien. Or a superhero. Or both."
"Wow, your nerd is really showing." Daphne took his glasses, wiped them dry with her shirt, and then handed them back to Eddie. "She told you there was a big fallen branch in the road that you ran into. You've been to way too many comic cons."
"How many times do I have to tell you, there is only one Comic Con? The others are just pathetic attempts at imitating an original masterpiece."
"Sure. Nerd," she said with a playful grin. "Hey, I was thinking that maybe she could help you with your, you know, problem. She is a cop."
Eddie stiffened. "A strange cop. And no, don't say anything. I can handle it." He put his hand over hers. "But thanks."
Daphne looked like she wanted to protest, but instead, shielded her eyes from the rain and looked up at Kiara. "Aren't you cold? Why are you wearing a nightgown in the middle of a big murder case?"
"I'm undercover." Kiara smiled at her cleverness.
"In a nightgown?"
"I'm, uh, very undercover."
Butch groaned, "Oh, brother."
"Please, human," Kiara said. "No questions. It is for your own safety."
"Did she just call you human?" Eddie asked, his voice laced with a hint of nerdy excitement.
"You're making it worse," Butch said. "I told you not to engage. And if you won't go back to the mansion, we at least need to call Leontes. Wherever he is, he can send someone to help."
"I meant ma'am, and I don't have a phone," Kiara said quickly. It was difficult having two conversations.
"I have a phone." Daphne pulled one from her purse and held it up. "You need to call for backup, right?"
"Yes!" Butch shouted.
He was probably right. They were getting close to Oleander. But Kiara stared at the piece of equipment.
Butch shook his head. "Don't know how to use it, do you?"
Kiara glared at him, then said, "Excuse me Miss Daf-elbow, could you please-"
"Elbow? What are you talking about? Oh." The girl chuckled. "It's Daphne, not elbow. And no 'Miss' in front. Just Daphne. You are so funny."
"So weird," Eddie said, then quickly whispered, "and not of this world."
"Yes, of course. Miss, I mean, just Daf-knee, would you please call my … superior." Kiara rattled off the number Leontes had given her for emergencies.
A few moments later, Daphne said, "Your lieutenant, or captain or whoever, isn't answering. I can text him. What do you want me to say?"
This could be tricky. "Say that it is Kiara, that I am perfectly fine, that I am out of the mansion-yes, please say mansion-and that I am with friends, and I am fine. Very fine."