The Dark Glamour (666 Park Avenue 2)

thought viciously, kicking at a bit of gravel. But although Elodie’s presence couldn’t give her much comfort, it did give her some hope: the life that Jane had lost was still out there, waiting for her.
    I just need to get back to it.

Twenty-four
    ‘M Y NAMW IS Ella,’ Jane began, but Elodie apparently wanted to get all of her questions out before she would even consider listening to answers.
    ‘Where the hell is Jane?’ she demanded, kicking the heel of one of her boots against the stone bench they had commandeered for their talk. ‘She’s supposed to be missing, which is ludicrous. Because she does
not
do drugs, and although I was mad as hell that that Prince Charming playboy dragged her off to the other side of the world, I don’t believe that he does, either. And that leaves me with this absurd “amnesia” story, which I don’t think I even need to dignify with a— I mean, how do two people get amnesia at once and then
both
manage to disappear off the face of the Earth? But then why is that mother-in-law pushing such crazy nonsense? And since when does Jane – my Jane, who shared a tandem desk with me for two years and couldn’t even pick out a first-date dress without me – get married with five hundred people there and I find out about it in
People?’
    Jane started to speak, but Elodie waved her off. ‘Look, I don’t know what kind of “help” you came to me for, but you’re not getting a thing from me until I’m satisfied that Jane actually
wants
me to help you. She’s clearly got mixed up with some shady people, to say the least, and I refuse to go along with
anything
that isn’t in her best interests.’
    ‘You’re a good friend,’ Jane managed to choke out finally, when Elodie had spent a few seconds glaring but not speaking. ‘You’re— I’m— She’s really lucky.’
    ‘She’s
missing,’
Elodie hissed furiously, her dark eyes huge with emphasis. ‘She’s married and missing and apparently suspected of murder. Who the hell are you and why are you here?’
    ‘I’m here because I need your help,’ Jane told her truthfully. ‘I’m here because you’re such a good friend.’ She felt perilously close to crying, but her mind kept doggedly turning possible stories over and over, testing them for holes. It was hard to tell what sort of lie Elodie might find convincing, and she had obviously spent enough time following Jane’s adventures in the tabloids that Jane wouldn’t be able to just make up a whole story from scratch. She probably couldn’t have even if she’d wanted to, she realized, because suddenly she was feeling deeply, draggingly exhausted. There had been so much lying and so much subterfuge, and now that she was sitting with a true friend and gearing her brain up to do more of it, she found that she was just too tired.
    I can be tired, but not stupid,
she decided finally, and pulled in a few slippery shoots of her magic. She felt terrible doing it – invading someone’s mind was unfair and distasteful – but she had to be as careful as humanly possible. She pushed the magic reluctantly towards Elodie, who was tapping her foot impatiently again.
    It was difficult at first to make much headway, because Elodie had a whole lot on her mind, and nearly all of it was about Jane. Nearly every moment when their paths had crossed in Paris spun by in a disorientingly nonsequential cascade, and it was thickened and complicated by all the gossip items Elodie had pored over to try to keep track of her after she had moved to New York and fallen out of contact. Elodie had timelines and suspect lists and all kinds of wild theories, but what she didn’t have, as far as Jane could find, was any contact with the Dorans. Or the Dalcaşcus, or any witchy associate that Jane could recognize, or anyone who seemed to be the slightest bit sinister.
    Jane pulled her magic back in, studying her friend for a moment with her regular vision. When she looked closely, she could see the powdery texture of extra concealer underneath Elodie’s eyes. In spite of it, the skin looked a little puffier than usual, and Jane felt touched. Not only was she not in league with Jane’s enemies, but Elodie had been losing sleep worrying about her.
    ‘I’m Jane,’ Jane blurted out, and then snapped her mouth shut in surprise.
    Elodie looked quite surprised herself. She stayed frozen on the bench for a long moment, then crossed her boots at the ankle and leaned back on her hands. ‘Go