The Girl in Acid Park Read Free Page B

which twisted immediately into a sneer.
    "I think she's asking the questions here, missy," he said, nodding to Deputy Reid.
    "So why are you working on a whirligig?" Deputy Reid asked. I bit back a smile.
    Bill's Bro jerked his chin at the whirligig. "I made this one. Good long time ago. When I first started workin' for Mr. Weir. The Art Council don't want it, so I figured I might as well fix it up my own self."
    He poked one the shiny blades, the lines in his face growing deeper.
    Deputy Reid nodded, her hand resting on her belt.
    "We're going to have to ask you to vacate the premises until the investigation is complete," she said.
    I held up a hand. "Wait." I narrowed my eyes at the man. "You weren't here during the paranormal activity, were you? Did you experience any chills? Hear any strange noises or-"
    "I was here when everybody went ghost-crazy cause of a breeze. It was fuckin' cold," he said. "And all the crap on the news got everbody ready to shout about ghosts. Can't fart without somebody think it's a spirit."
    I would have laughed if he hadn't stabbed a finger at me. "An' you ain't helpin'. Ain'tchu sick of the spotlight yet, honey?"
    My face warmed, but I kept my smile cool, imagining myself with my handheld recorder and a lariat bearing "PRESS". I was sick of the spotlight. That was precisely why I needed to control it.
    "So there was a chill, and that monster whirligig moved?"
    "Yeah. But it was-"
    "Did the little ones move?"
    He lifted both hands. For a moment, he seemed ready to deny it, but Deputy Reid was watching him closely. Finally, he whipped his safety goggles off his head and tossed them on the gloves. "I didn't see."
    "Thanks," I said, sweet as his grandma's iced tea. "That's all I needed to know."
    Bill's disgruntled bro shoved his way into the workshop, dragging a pack of Winston Salems from his pocket. Next to me, Deputy Reid was showing serious eyebrow game.
    At least this time her eyebrows seemed to be on my team.
    "You going to law school?" she said.
    I smiled at her. "Journalism."
    She gestured at the massive green whirligig blossom. "This is actually the one where we found the blood. DNA samples matched our missing C.I. It wasn't long after that the restoration staff reported strange activity. The big propeller moving, and none of the rest. What we really need to know is whether the paranormal part of the claim is true. If it is, we can use any information the revenant might have to help us locate the body."
    My ribs had decided to shrink around my lungs at the mention of blood and DNA and actual police-type stuff, but I was determined to look like I was up for the job. I nodded. Anyway, Deputy Reid didn't seem to be a skeptic like Sheriff Archibald, just determined to investigate properly. That was kind of awesome.
    "I'm still not following something. How did the blood...you know," I gestured to the whirligig. "...Get here? I mean, was he hurt or killed here?"
    She shrugged. "We've only got speculation at this point. One of the Salvadoran gangs in the area has a habit of warning people. Ramirez was an informant. They take that seriously--probably wanted to teach other would-be informants a lesson by killing him." She gestured to the half-empty field. "This place is usually vacant. Could be the gangs thought all those open holes might make a convenient grave."
    I grimaced. With all the activity, it would be tough for a dog to determine which scent to follow. "You said there was no body."
    "Right. If that's true, they got scared off for some reason. Maybe our friend came home." She smirked. "Maybe they believe in ghosts."
    I suppressed a shudder. "Well, my skill set is different from Hiroki's, so this could take a few minutes."
    Deputy Reid pressed her lips. "You can at least determine whether there's paranormal activity, right? We can't afford to shell out three hundred dollars for an EMF."
    I snorted, waving my hand to dismiss the concern, and pulled out my cell phone. "Nah, there's an app for