I fought the urge to go to the police station and tell them about my Portent, knowing it would do little good. I needed actual proof if I was going to put the blame squarely where it belonged. It also wouldn’t hurt to find out more about Easton and why Darcy killed him.
We made it back to the house in strained silence, which almost never happened with Kitty and Lydia in the car. As soon as I parked, they threw the door open and ran around the porch to the backdoor, which led into the house instead of the bakery.
Mary was slower to leave the safety and warmth of the car. “Will Mom be okay?”
“I’m sure she will be.” I forced a smile for her. “We’ll figure it out.”
Mary said nothing else as she exited the car, leaving Jane and me alone in the front seats. A lonely breeze whistledacross the yard, rustling the branches by the house and catching on Mary’s blouse.
“What do we do, Lizzy?” Jane watched as Mary shuffled inside, still clutching her book like a lifeline.
“I don’t know.” I turned off the engine. “Let’s stay here tonight to keep everyone company and see what happens. They said they only wanted to ask Mom some questions, so at least they weren’t arresting her.” Not yet, anyway.
We crossed the lawn in silence, but I hesitated by the back door, the doorknob cold under my fingers. “I need to tell you something.”
“What is it?”
Instead of going inside where privacy would be limited, I sat on the porch swing. It creaked loudly. “Tonight wasn’t my first time seeing Darcy.”
Jane’s eyes widened, and she claimed the spot next to me. “What do you mean? Charles told me they only got to Austen Heights two days ago.”
Another gust of wind blew across the porch, sending dry leaves scratching across the wooden deck. Jane shuddered and scooted closer.
“I recognized Darcy the moment I saw him.” I blew out a breath and turned to meet her gaze. “He was the fae from my Portent.”
Jane stiffened. “That can’t be right.”
“I’m confident it’s him. Plus, the police even said the victim’s name.” Maybe I’d have an easier time looking Easton up now that I had his last name too.
“Surely there’s some mistake.” Jane shook her head. “Charles could never be friends with a murderer. He’s one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met.”
“Even terrible people can be kind to their friends.”
“Maybe you misunderstood the Portent,” she said. “Sometimes that happens.”
For the first time in my life, I regretted shunning my fae magic. Maybe if I’d trained it more, I’d have more information—or at least more credibility.
I bit my tongue to keep from having the same argument. “In this case, I’d rather not be wrong. We need to prove Darcy’s guilt so the cops leave Mom alone. Plus, if I was wrong about Easton being dead, the police wouldn’t have taken Mom away for murder.”
“We don’tknowthat they suspect Mom.”
“We know they hauled her off to question her about a murder victim she’s never met in her life.”
Jane sighed. “Okay, I’ll admit it looks bad, but I don’t want to make things worse by rushing into anything or making assumptions.”
“Yeah, that’s Darcy’s job.” I exhaled through my nose, trying to push away all my annoyance when I remembered Darcy’s slight—a slight which didn’t even matter.
I wasn’thistype? More like he wasn’tmytype. I didn’t date killers.
Jane raised an eyebrow. “Did something else happen with Darcy?”
I fidgeted with my scarf, then told her about what I’d overheard at the bar. It wasn’t like she wouldn’t hear about it later. We told each other everything, and if I didn’t bring it up, Charlotte might.
“I can’t believe he said that.” Her eyes were wide by the time I finished. “Maybe he’s not good around new people.”
“That’s for sure,” I muttered. “Anyway, I need to clear Mom’s name and prove Darcy’s guilt.” Then I couldavenge Easton’s death and get the scoop I needed for my promotion.
“Are you sure this isn’t about what Darcy said? Because it seems like he hurt your feelings, and maybe now you’re willing to think the worst of him.”
