D is for Drunk (18 page)

She whistled again.

“Maybe you should come up with a whole song,” Aidan said. “Those two notes are giving me a headache.”

Bowie didn’t say anything. He wasn’t much of a talker. Every so often he would shake the dust off a pant leg and sigh. He was going to need to take those fancy pants to the dry cleaner when this was all over. She bet he missed the part of his job that involved sitting in an air-conditioned room writing reports.

She’d first had them walk in a big circle, but now she was heading in the direction of Pankhurst’s property. It seemed a good bet Annabelle had taken Percy riding over there or stabled her in the worn-out barn. Or it was as good a guess as any.

After a few minutes of silence, she whistled, and a neigh answered her. Sofia’s heart jumped. She wanted to cheer, but didn’t want to scare the horse away again.

“Stay back,” she told Aidan and Bowie. “In case you spook her.”

They retreated down the row until she could barely see them, and Sofia whistled again.

A dark shape trotted up the row from the opposite direction. It was Percy! She’d found her.

That was when Sofia remembered she didn’t know anything about horses and she’d only met Percy once. Percy seemed to realize it, too. The horse stopped and snorted air.

Sofia whistled once more, but Percy didn’t budge.

“I know I’m not Annabelle,” she said. “But I’ll take good care of you.”

Percy back stepped and switched her tail from side to side. She was nervous. She’d been through a lot.

Sofia started singing the only French song she knew:
Frere Jacques
. She only knew one verse, so she sang it over again.

Percy’s tail stopped switching, and the horse lowered her head. That had to be a good sign. Sofia kept on singing, trying to make her voice sound French and elegant like Annabelle’s. It didn’t, not enough to fool the horse, but maybe Percy would recognize her good intentions.

She knew not to look into the horse’s eyes, so she studied the rest of her. Percy looked nothing like a glossy Black Beauty today. She was barely even black. Muddy streaks ran down her dusty sides. Her once-pristine mane was tangled, and her hooves were caked with mud. But worst of all, she was limping.

Sofia kept singing, and Percy slowly advanced a cautious length.

The horse favored her front right leg. Sofia hoped it wasn’t serious. Didn’t they shoot horses with broken legs? Her voice wavered, and she made herself concentrate again. She was Annabelle, and Percy needed to trust her. Percy took another dainty step toward her.

When Percy was close enough to touch, Sofia fought the urge to grab her mane and lead her home. She could never control the animal unless Percy wanted to be controlled, so this was going to take some finesse. Aidan and Bowie stood still as statues.

Gently, Sofia stroked Percy’s neck, and the horse nuzzled her shoulder.

“
Molto bene
,” said Sofia, and realized too late that was Italian. Percy didn’t seem to mind. Maybe she was a multilingual horse.

Sofia waited for a long time, muttering reassuring syllables that sounded French but weren’t, and petting the horse’s neck. Percy relaxed and leaned against her, her velvet nose rubbing against Sofia’s cheek.

Without breaking her French nonsense monologue, she pulled the halter down from her shoulder, and slowly placed it over Percy’s head.

“Come on,
mon frer
,” she said.

Percy pulled back a little, so Sofia started in with
Frere Jacques
again, and the two of them headed slowly back to the house. Aidan and Bowie fell in way behind, either to keep from spooking the horse or because they couldn’t stand to listen to Sofia sing that damn song one more time. She didn’t blame them.

Eventually, they reached the house. Annabelle must have been watching through a window, because she came tearing out. She’d taken off her shoes, and she ran like a deer, something Sofia hadn’t expected.

Annabelle whistled. The horse pulled free of Sofia and trotted to her mistress.

Annabelle threw her arms around the horse’s neck and a flood of French flowed out. Unlike Sofia’s, her words sounded genuine. Annabelle buried her face in the horse’s mane. Her shoulders heaved up and down. After all that had happened to her, Annabelle could finally let go and cry. She’d needed Percy for that.

Sofia wiped away a tear that had jumped into her eye at the sight of the reunion of the horse and her master.

“Nice work, Sofes,” Aidan said gruffly. “Maybe you should make a record called
Famous French Songs
.”

“Maybe I will,” Sofia answered.

“It’d have to be a single,” Bowie said.

CHAPTER 30

S
ofia waited until Brendan dropped them off at the office and left them alone before she asked Aidan about the bug.

“I got it,” he said. “But I still don’t know where my drone went.”

“Can we listen to the audio?”

“If we don’t tell Brendan.” Aidan smiled and the worried shadow left his blue eyes. “And if we speak French. I already tried. All it caught that I can understand is a discussion between Marcel and Bambi because he couldn’t get it up. But there were a couple of other conversations, too. Phone conversations, and he put his phone on speaker, so we have both sides. Or we would if we spoke French.”

“I know someone who speaks French,” Sofia said.

“Is she a bikini model?” Aidan asked. “A porn star?”

“She’s a rock star,” Sofia said. “Brandi Basher.”

Aidan’s jaw dropped open. “Brandi speaks French?”

“She was raised in Quebec.” Sofia was suddenly sorry she’d brought up Brandi.

“Where is she?” Aidan was already looking on his phone.

“Flowing Waves Meditation Center,” Sofia said. “But—”

“Let’s go! Where is it?”

“There’s a problem.”

“Fine,” he said. “We can take your car.”

“It’s on Catalina Island,” she said.

“Really?” Aidan groaned.

“And she’s taken a vow of silence for a week.”

“Why did you even bring her up?” Aidan glared at her.

“I didn’t remember about the vow of silence.”

“How could you not remember that one of your friends took a vow of silence?” Aidan was already back on his computer, probably searching for a translation service.

“Lots of my friends take vows of silence.” Maybe not lots, but at least a couple every year. It was a new thing—cut yourself off from technology and from speaking at all.

“Maybe you ought to try it,” Aidan said.

Glad that Brendan wasn’t in the room, Sofia flipped Aidan off, and texted Brandi.
Can you hear me now?

Her phone buzzed less than a second later. Apparently Brandi didn’t follow Aidan’s texting rules either.
I had to chew a stick of bamboo into a lockpick to get my phone. Pick me up before I kill an entire pack of vegans to get some meat for grilling.

Sofia grinned. That was Brandi. She texted back:
Vow of silence not working out?

The answer was swift:
If I have to eat one more blade of grass, I’m shoving someone up a cow’s ass.

“I might have to take a long lunch,” Sofia said.
What can I do?

Brandi typed in:
Meet me at the helipad at Avalon Airport. Bring a helicopter. And a burger. Or four.

That wasn’t going to be cheap, but Brandi would pay her back. Brandi was an international rock superstar, and she was loaded. But was Brandi joking? Sofia texted back:
Seriously?

Contact Madeline Mrozek for the cash.

Madeline was Brandi’s manager. She was tougher even than Brandi, and no one would pull a practical joke on her and live to tell the tale.

An hour later, Sofia was inside a noisy red and blue helicopter piloted by a woman named ‘Captain Tricia.’ They were skimming over the waves toward Catalina Island. Next to her on the floor was a red and white cooler with burgers, two orders of fries, and two large chocolate milkshakes. It felt as if she was on a medical team flying a kidney out to the island to save someone’s life.

A long shadow moved through the dark green water below her. A whale, gray and sleek with a strong dark tail. She plastered her face to the window and gaped. Even from up here the animal looked huge. Imagine that life—swimming around, eating krill, looking at all the craziness that humans created, then diving down into a dark, peaceful silence.

Sofia turned her head to watch it pass under them. The thick headphones she’d put on at the beginning of the flight bonked against the window frame. She was the only passenger, and she wiggled across to the other side to see the whale from there. Wow.

Captain Tricia seemed to agree, because they did another pass over the whale before continuing on their journey.

They’d barely been in the air for ten minutes, and already the island hove into view. It looked like a giant Loch Ness monster—with a pointy nose, a long neck, and a round back.

As they got closer to the island, Tricia dropped them down even lower and flew along the side so that Sofia could see rocks covered with California sea lions, brown and fat and plush-looking. Two jostled for position on a nearby rock, but all the others basked peacefully in the sun. One opened its giant dark eyes and followed their flight. None of the other sea lions seemed impressed. They probably saw lots of helicopters. Sofia waved anyway, and felt six years old. She ought to bring Violet and Van out here sometime, although she wouldn’t be able to charter a helicopter.

“We’ll be landing at the Airport in the Sky in a few minutes.” Captain Tricia’s voice boomed from her headphones. She sounded as if she came from Minnesota, with rounded words and a peppy inflection. “Where will we meet your friend?”

“She’ll find us.” Sofia hoped so anyway. Brandi had gone offline after issuing her orders.

The airport had one runway marked with a 22. But they didn’t head for that. Instead they touched down next to a white hangar with the words “Welcome to Catalina Island Airport in the Sky” painted on it in blue and red. It was like being in the sky. They were on a plateau and ocean stretched out ahead. It looked close, but it was actually far below.

A three-story white building with a terracotta-tiled roof stood in the middle of a sprawling Spanish-style compound. That must be the airport.

That seemed like the most logical place to hunt for Brandi.

Sofia started to undo her seatbelt when a small figure with spiky orange hair loped across the pavement. A long leather coat flapped atop a flowing lavender tunic and bare legs.

She yanked open Sofia’s door and jumped inside as if she were being chased by a pack of wolves, but Sofia didn’t see anyone.

Brandi grinned at her, then leaned forward and touched Captain Tricia on the shoulder. When she turned around, Brandi spun her finger in a circle in the air, which must have been pilot for ‘take off’ because the engine started to wind up and they lifted off.

Now that they were over the airport, Sofia saw a white golf cart stop in front of the white buildings. Four people wearing tunics identical to Brandi’s piled out and started running toward the helipad waving their lavender arms. For people from a Zen retreat, they sure looked angry. In an Indiana Jones movie, they would have been throwing spears.

Brandi snatched up a pair of headphones and plunked them on her head. “You promised me burgers.”

Sofia handed her the cooler. “Still warm.”

Brandi moaned. “I’ve been living on wheatgrass and air.”

She wolfed down the first burger so quickly Sofia didn’t even see her chew.

Sofia waited until after Brandi polished off two burgers and a shake before daring to speak.

“Why were those people chasing you? I thought that place voluntary.” Some rehab centers locked you in, but Brandi had been at a Zen retreat where she could have theoretically come and gone as she pleased. She didn’t need an elaborate escape, and the personnel shouldn’t have come after her. But, Brandi was Brandi.

Brandi wiped her hand on a napkin, reached inside her jacket, and pulled out a statue. It was intricately carved, gilded, and looked antique. Sofia recognized the figure at once.

“You stole their Buddha?” Sofia asked.

“They weren’t using him,” Brandi said. “I figured he’d be happier with me.”

Sofia closed her eyes. Brandi’s life really was an Indiana Jones movie.

“How’s the PI life?” Brandi picked up the third burger. “Did you want one of these?”

“I ate before I loaded up the cooler,” Sofia said. “I figured if I tried to get one after you got to it, I might end up missing a hand.”

Brandi grinned and kept chewing.

Sofia explained about the recording. Aidan had separated it into two files and downloaded it to her phone. The most interesting part seemed to be a shouting match between Marcel and someone he was talking to on the phone. Sofia couldn’t understand what he was saying, but he sounded pretty angry.

“You want me to translate a juicy conversation that was probably taped illegally? Invade someone’s privacy?” Brandi asked.

“Pretty much.” Sofia paused. “And maybe catch a murderer.”

“Hell, I was in at juicy conversation,” Brandi said.

She handed Brandi her phone, Brandi plugged in her headphones, and started to listen.

Sofia watched the waves. She hadn’t even set a single foot on Catalina Island. It had still been a fantastic flight. She’d seen a whale. A real, live whale.

Los Angeles in all its smoggy glory blotted out the horizon. Buddha was on the helicopter seat. He was looking out the window, too. Was she an accessory in Buddha theft? What would Buddha think of that?

The pilot angled the chopper and they headed north toward the Malibu Hughes Heliport where Sofia had left her car at the beginning of this adventure.

Brandi had leaned back in the seat with her eyes closed. Sofia tried not to laugh. Brandi had crossed her legs and let the back of her hands rest on her knees. She was in lotus position. Running away from a Zen yoga retreat center while meditating.