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“Honestly, I’m halfway to crazy town already. Everything that has happened to me during this investigation—and even before—along with everything I just found out about my life? I’m tired. I’m tired of fighting. Tired of trying to make sense of it all and fit it into neat little boxes of the things I believe—ordon’t. I’m just gonna go with the flow here for a bit and then sort out what’s left after.” She looked at me.
“Are you sure?” I whispered, worrying a little at how all over the place her emotions seemed. First, she sounded accepting, then defeated, then almost angry. It wasn’t like her, and I wondered if she was feeling beaten down more by the entity’s influence than she was letting on.
She nodded. “Yeah. Let’s just get this over with.” She got up and walked away then, and Dev moved to follow.
“No,” I said. “Let her go.” I looked over to see Larken smiling widely, the look on her face reminiscent of the cat who ate the canary. “What?” I asked.
“Oh . . . nothing,” Lark answered and smiled wider. “Your aura is just nice and pink.”
Dakota peered at me, too, and I started feeling a little self-conscious. “You’re right. And I think it’s more than just his faith.” The two women shared a look and some sort of silent communication.
“Okay, ladies. Stop reading my colors. Is nothing sacred?” I felt both relieved and a little resentful that a bit of what I felt for Sky was out of the bag.
“Oh, plenty’s sacred,” Dev said. “Especially this.” He winked and walked away, taking Hanlen’s hand as he did and gesturing for Myst to follow them, leaving me groaning inside. I had no problem with the team knowing that Sky and I were romantically involved—or at least intimately involved. I wasn’t so sure howshewould feel about that, though. I took a deep breath.
“What did I miss?” Van asked his sister, and Lennie just shrugged.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Aaron chimed in, and James and Turner just shook their heads. Harper only grinned and kept going through her paperwork.
“It’s not important,” I told the group and then ran a hand through my hair. “I need to go and prepare. I’ll be in the garden out back if anybody needs me.”
Everybody nodded or voiced their acknowledgment, so I moved to the double doors at the back of the house and then through them out onto the porch. The garden with its fountain and benches sat directly in front of me, and I moved to it, taking a seat to be amidst nature. I pulled out my rosary and started with my prayers and meditation, preparing myself for the night to come.
Just as I was finishing, Van, Halen, and Turner came outside. “Hey, Padre,” Van said. “We’re headed out. Harper worked her David Copperfield mojo on us, and then Dev and Birdie did their woo-woo. We’re gonna head to Lamour to make sure everything’s set with the equipment for tonight. By the way, the doc told me that if you were done, you should go in. Dev and the rest of them want to view the footage of the attic from the other night if there’s time, too.”
I had forgotten all about the cameras up there. I wondered if they’d caught anything when Sky was dragged up there and assaulted. Just the thought of it had my blood running cold again.
“Got it,” I said. “Drive safe, guys. And be careful. I know it’s still light out, but I don’t like the idea of anybody being there alone right now.”
“We were given strict instructions never to be alone,” Lennie said. “And based on what’s happened so far with no explanation, I’m totally cool with that. I don’t plan to be the final girl anytime soon. I’m too pretty, much too scrappy, and I’ve got way too much to live for.”
Van and Turner laughed. “Yeah, no Jamie Lee Curtis-ing for you,” Turner said, and they all waved and headed through the gate in the side of the yard. I took a couple of deep breaths and then went inside.
I caught a glimpse of Harper in the sitting room with Dakota, Hanlen, Aaron, and James. The doctor’s soothing voice, and the tick of the metronome almost made me yawn. I heard Dev and Birdie talking somewhere on the ground floor, but with the echo, I couldn’t tell where they were, exactly. I looked around some more. I didn’t see Sky anywhere.
Taking care not to be too loud and disrupt Harper’s hypnosis session, I made my way outside and through the inner courtyard to the front yard, thinking I might know where Sky had gone. When I made it outside, I rounded the building and moved past the carriage house to the rear of the property near Bea’s cottage and then to the cemetery beyond.
As expected, I spotted Sky nearly right away, sitting on a bench in the middle of the little plot and looking out over the small pond that someone had created who knew how long ago. Lily pads floated, and the trees around and draping over the surface created interesting, dancing shapes on the water like moving artwork, interrupted by the ripples caused by the slight breeze.
Sky had let her hair down, and it blew gently, floating in the air and caressing her back. I sat down beside her without a word and simply pulled her against me, one arm wrapped around her shoulders. She melted into my side and rested her head on my pectoral. I felt her draw in a deep breath and then slowly let it out.
“How are you holding up?” I asked.
“I honestly don’t know, Pax. On the one hand, I really am okay with the fact that I’m adopted . . . And I’m grateful that your grandfather saved me from being melted down and used for the fuck knows what.Hesaved me, not god.” She smiled a bit, and I returned the expression.
“But finding out who my biological parents were, what kind ofpeoplethey were . . .On topof everything that’s already happened, it’s kind of messing me up. None of it is information I can easily sort or explain, and I haven’t even had a moment to process, let alone come to terms. You know?”
She pulled back a bit to look at me, and I tucked her hair behind an ear. “It seems that everything lately has been falling into the unexplainable category. Not to mention, I haven’t felt like myself in nearly any capacity in weeks. I’m usually pretty comfortable in my skin. I’m unashamed and unapologetic about who I am and how I am. But some of the things I’ve been thinking lately, how I’ve been feeling . . . they don’t really,”—she paused for a beat—“fit,” she finished, and my stomach did a little flip.
“Are you talking about us?” I had to ask.
A look of surprise crossed her face. “Oh, no. No, Pax,” she said and moved closer, grabbing my hand with hers. “If anything, that’s the only thing Ihavebeen good with lately. Being with you makes me feel normal. It makes me feel more vibrant and alive than I have in weeks. Your touch is the only thing that soothes me lately and makes me feel halfway okay.”
I thought on that a minute. I knew what she meant. Even gentle, innocent touches had calmed me lately, as well. And I’d noticed how she relaxed when I made contact, especially during the high-stress moments at Lamour. I had to wonder if there was more to that than just our connection. Did my faith somehow negate the evil trying to gain a foothold in her? Maybe Dev or Birdie would know.
Sky squeezed my hand, bringing me back to the present moment, and we both looked out at the pond for a minute. I leaned over and kissed her on the top of the head. “We should probably get back in the house. Harper was finishing up with Dakota, Hanlen, Aaron, and James, and once Dev and Birdie do their thing with them, I know they’ll want to finish up with us. Are you up for it? Actually, are you up for this period? Not to be overprotective, but I really don’t want you anywhere near this tonight.”
She smiled softly. “I’m not running from this, Pax. It’s personal now. Literally. I need to see this through, whatever that looks like. Does it make me uncomfortable because I can’t keep it all neat and tidy? Hell, yes, it does. I mean, fuck. Whatishalf of this, even?” She chuckled. “But life is sometimes messy. And when I get a moment after this to go over everything that’s happened, I will file it away in the places it needs to be and then get started on the next phases. As for the hypnosis, I mean . . . as long as she doesn’t make me cluck like a chicken, and they don’tmagicme into believing in god or anything, yeah, I’m good.” She flashed me a grin and a wink, and I leaned in.
