“Stay away from me! I know the truth about everything. You tried to hide it from me, but I know what you’ve done.”
“We need to do something!” Cynthia cried, looking frantically between us.
Isabelle stepped back. “She’s confused and doesn’t know what she’s saying. My mother has medication in her room that helps when she gets like this.”
Lila’s breathing became erratic, and she dropped the poker, going down on her knees. She mumbled hysterically.
I flashed back to that first night at dinner when I looked into her eyes and saw an emptiness. My heart twisted in empathy. Now, I wondered if she hid a well of pain just like her son. Andrew’s words echoed in my mind:You’d be a fool to believe anything you see with my family.Their perfect existence was an illusion that wavered when you looked deeper.
“Go, quickly. Take Betsy and Laura with you and stay together.”
The two housemaids whimpered a denial at Cynthia’s instruction, and I snapped the grimoire closed, taking advantage of their hesitation.
“No—I’ll go with Isabelle. My room is just down the hall, and I have something that will help in case her medication doesn’t work.”
Cynthia nodded, wrapping her arms around Lila, who was rocking back and forth on her knees. “Hurry.”
My palms were damp, and my heart pounded in my chest as I followed Isabelle into the hall. I wasn’t coming back until I found Derrick. He needed to know what I’d discovered in the grimoire.
I just hoped I wasn’t too late.
Chapter 15
The manor was silent as we made our way to the third floor. A lingering scent of smoke hung in the air, and the hall was ice-cold. I didn’t hear either search party, which meant they were likely still searching the grounds and the surrounding buildings.
After we retrieved Lila’s medication, it made the most sense for me to remain in the great hall. They’d congregate there before splitting up and searching the house, giving me a chance to warn Derrick. We’d need to come up with an alternative plan—something to flush Richard out of hiding.
Isabelle walked in front of me, her footsteps muffled on the carpet. She was quiet for a long moment before she said, “What did Derrick mean about forged shipping documents? Do you really have evidence my father killed Mae?”
Instead of answering, I asked a question of my own. “Do you think Richard is capable of murdering someone?” I watched her closely for a reaction, but I was surprised when she looked at me, the corner of her mouth kicking up.
“Anyone is capable of murder given the right push, don’t you think? Even you, I’d imagine. Derrick too. We’re all the same when it comes down to it.”
“I don’t believe that. Self-defense maybe, kill or be killed, but not murder. That’s something different.”
“You’re idealistic for a witch.”
“Maybe, but I see things a little differently than others do.”
She frowned and toyed with the sleeve of her gown. The ends were slightly frayed as if she’d torn it with her fingernails. For anyone other than the pristine Isabelle, it would be difficult to notice, but the insecure quirk was usually reserved for someone avoiding the truth. I’d fiddled enough to know.
Isabelle was hiding something.
To test my theory, I wanted to see how much Isabelle knew about her father’s situation. Maybe I could get information from her to help Derrick. She might even know where her father had gone but was too cautious to mention it given her mother’s condition.
We entered the Snows’ shared sitting room, and Isabelle headed for her mother’s vanity to retrieve the medicine.
“You know, it’s strange. When we were up here searching Richard’s belongings earlier, I found Edward’s cigar cutter under the writing desk.” I held up the silver trinket, twisting it so the metal gleamed in the light. “You don’t know how it got there, do you?”
Her back stiffened. “No, of course not. He must have been in here speaking with my father and dropped it.”
“I considered that, but other things have gone missing, and, you know, my mind goes directly to the occult. Hazards of being a witch. It’s one of the reasons I’m good at my job. I pick up on things others miss or might cast off as coincidence. There’s a whole world of supernatural experiences going on around us, and most people don’t even realize. That’s why some creatures can hide so well. Know what I mean, Isabelle?”
Her right foot came down hard, and her leg buckled. She winced, catching herself before she fell. Her next step had a slight limp, and I froze, watching her gait.
My heart raced, and a sick sensation knotted my stomach. It was like witnessing a memory in real time. Isabelle moved in exactly the same way as when Cynthia had dropped the ledgers in the study. I remembered her harsh words and my lame attempt to connect with her over her brooch. I’d felt like a fool, but I felt like an even bigger one now.
My mind stalled as the realization washed over me. I was wrong. It wasn’t Richard who’d shapeshifted.
