The bus slowed and pulled to a stop on the side of the road.
“This is our stop,” Rosa said. “Unless you two have too much going on to join me.”
Neither Ian nor Phoebe said anything about Rosa’s jab. They simply followed her as she got to her feet and stepped off the bus. Moments later, the bus pulled away and left them standing on the pier. In the cold November air, the streets were empty. Food stands lined the street, but most were closed up and locked.
Rosa started down the street with a clear path in her mind. Ian gave Phoebe a sideways glance before he moved to follow her. He suspected he would receive more of a cold shoulder before the day was done. But for Stomp’s sake, he would take it. Stomp helped him against all common sense. Ian knew he owed the man a modicum of justice in return.
The walk was a short one. In the cold air, Ian was thankful. In just a matter of days, River City had cooled sharply. Winter was near and though the city rarely saw massive snowfall, it still offered real winters. Within a few weeks, Ian suspected they would see a white Christmas.
The remains of the building were little more than some burnt out walls and a few heaps of melted plastic. He didn’t see how they could find anything here.
Rosa didn’t wait for him to question her choice. She stepped up into the burnt frame and started to walk through the mounds of remains.
“Are you sure that is safe?”
She turned and glared at Ian, but said nothing to him in response.
Leaving Rosa to her own dangerous choices, Ian turned to Phoebe. “Are there any impressions? Anything at all that can tell us who did this?”
Phoebe said nothing as she slowly circled the burnt out shell of the building. She moved around it for nearly a minute, Ian just a few feet behind, before he realized her eyes weren’t open. Her movements were clean and crisp, even without her sight.
She stopped short after another minute of uninterrupted concentration. Slowly, Phoebe raised her head and opened her eyes. She looked at Ian.
“We should not be here. It is too dangerous for us. It is too exposed.”
“I don’t understand,” Ian said. “There’s no one here.”
“You told me before people seek you, is that correct?”
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