The girl stepped forward before they could speak.
“You shouldn’t have opened it,” she said.
Ruiz blinked. “Who are you?”
She ignored him and looked at Kane. “How were the hot dogs?”
Kane frowned. “What?”
“Were they warm?”
“…Yeah,” he said slowly.
She nodded like that mattered.
“Then she didn’t poison you,” the girl said.
Ruiz stepped forward. “Listen, kid—”
“No,” she cut in sharply. “You listen.”
The officers exchanged a look.
Kane softened slightly. “Okay. Talk.”
The girl pointed at the empty cart.
“That’s not a food cart,” she said. “It’s a cover.”
Ruiz crossed his arms. “A cover for what?”
Her voice dropped.
“For people.”
Silence hit the street like a weight.
Kane narrowed his eyes. “What kind of people?”
The girl hesitated.
Then said it anyway.
“The kind she used to be.”