“You admit it?” Her eyes widened in astonishment.

“Good heavens,” Mawmaw said. “I never thought I’d say this, but I don’t believe I can wish you a Merry Christmas anymore. You…you deserve coal in your stocking.”

Was that bad? From the look on her face, Jaspar suspected it was bad.

“We do not lie, and I did not sabotage the weather machine or your planet. I am a warrior, not a saboteur. I am simply agreeing that you are correct – if I could lie at all, then I would be able to lie about everything. Now I must go do some investigating.”

“Take your time,” Liza said, glaring. “A century or two would be fine with me.”

“And to think that I invited him to decorate a tree with us,” her grandmother said as he turned and left their house. “Why, he’s a regular…Scrooge!” There were tears in her eyes. “There. I said it.”

Jaspar had a feeling that the woman had just said the worst curse that could possibly pass her lips. He actually felt terrible, even though he had not done anything wrong. The fact that Liza and her grandmother believed it had him deeply rattled.