The closest match was a Day of the Dead offering to the ancestral spirit Gede that sometimes included bones. Milo looked up the date of the rite. “November first. Months off.” I said, “People improvise.” “Some local whack concocted his own private sacrifice?” “Making it up’s a lot easier and more lucrative than studying theology, Big Guy. Do-it-yourself religion’s the SoCal way.” “Another Charlie Manson. Wonderful.” “To a devout woman like Adriana, black-arts worship would’ve been the worst kind of heresy. But Qeesha could have been attracted to an occult group because it reminded her of her time in New Orleans. If it started to bother her and she wanted out and told Adriana about it, I’m betting Adriana would’ve jumped at helping her.” “It was Qeesha picking her up in that red car.” “Doesn’t sound as if unregistered wheels would be a problem for Qeesha.” “Coupla old friends trying to escape the zombie horde.” I said, “What if Qeesha’s involvement with the horde included getting pregnant?
