Everything She Saw

The Far Side of Evil

This may seem odd, but I am putting a small trigger warning here due to some creepiness between an older man and an underage girl. It's probably not necessary, but I'm still gonna put one just in case, though.

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"I couldn't find Katie."

It was the day after I had spoken to Sam. Zoey knew all about the conversation Sam and I had shared. She was as surprised as I was when she found out what he had been doing when he was away. But while I had been angry and betrayed, she had seemed sad.

"She wasn't home? Did you check the studio she works at?" I asked. Lucifer crawled into my lap. I patted his head.

"I know when she works, she wouldn't have been there. She usually tells me about any appointments she has. How did you know it was our Katie, anyway? You didn't know her last name," Zoey asked. Shadow was nuzzled up against her thigh.

"Gut feeling. I have yet to meet someone nicknamed Katie who seems to have her hands everywhere in Gotham."

"Katie is actually her name. It's not short for anything. That's what she told me."

"Just Katie? And she doesn't go by Kate," I added. "She snapped at me for that."

"She hates being called Kate. I couldn't tell you why," Zoey said. She picked up Shadow and held onto him. He tried wrestling away until finally settling in her arms. Lucifer purred loudly from where he was sitting on my legs.

"Is VaSeer actually her last name? It's sort of ironic, since she seems to know everything," I asked. It sounded fake.

"Yeah, it is. I've actually known her for three years. It's her mom's last name. Marci was a prostitute, too," Zoey said, unafraid to throw around the word prostitute. She didn't seem to be afraid of anything, honestly. If I asked her to do anything, she did it without much hesitation. Then again, she grew up in Gotham. She had to be tough.

"Was?"

"She died."

"She lives with her dad, then?" I asked.

"No. She lives on her own. You can live on your own in Gotham at 16 if you have a job," Zoey said. I stared at her in disbelief. "It's true, Amber. You can look it up. It's not necessarily a good idea, but it's possible. That should go to show how shit this city is."

It really did.

Zoey and I sat in silence for a while, both of us still holding cats. Despite his name, Lucifer was not at all devilish. He was sweet. Shadow was the temperamental one.

"Sam said Katie was working for some shady people. Do you believe that?" I asked her suddenly.

Zoey stroked Shadow. "I don't know what to think of that, honestly. Katie is such a sweet girl. I can't imagine her working for the mobs. But some of the things I know about her, well, it's either that or she has a great sugar daddy."

I remembered the limo from the studio.

We were quiet again. I picked up Lucifer, stood up, and set him down. Then I got an idea.

"You said you know Katie's schedule? Would she be working now?" I asked her.

"She's seventeen, it's Tuesday, and it is currently 10:46. She's at school," Zoey said, like it should have been the most obvious thing in the world. And really, it should have been. "Aren't you supposed to be working?"

"Just because I'm not in the office doesn't mean I'm not working. Vicki is almost never at the office. I'm working on a case right now."

"Strange hasn't scared you off?"