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“I’ll let you know.” I nod with a forced smile. I’m not ready to involve Paxton. I’m pretty sure any kind of anti-magic sentiments he might have had have cleared by now, so I doubt he’ll have any negative feelings about this discovery. But I do feel bad about how much I’ve thrown at him already.
I drop my head into my hands and rub at my temples as Poppy leaves. My head is spinning trying to make sense of so many moving parts. What a mess.
After a minute, I hear the door open again and raise my head, expecting Poppy to have returned. Instead, Leah stands wringing her hands just inside the door. She was fine last night. I’m not sure what could have happened between then and now to have caused such a deep crease in her forehead. Paxton had warned me he thought spending so much time around so many other people might weigh heavily on her since she’s used to being alone, but I really thought things were going well.
Now, as she looks at me with a concerned expression, I wish I had been watching more closely.
I stand to greet her at the same time she moves toward me.
She’s wearing a long, purple silk robe that sways around her ankles. Her hair is clipped up messily on top of her head like the first time I met her.
“Poppy mentioned you wanted to be alone. I won’t stay, but I need you to have these.” She reaches into her pockets and withdraws a stack of napkins that she thrusts at me.
I grab them in time to keep them from falling everywhere. I try to hold back my reaction, but I can feel my jaw go slack as I study the intricate sketch on the top of the stack. The details are uncanny.
“Is this my brother?” I ask.
“I’m not sure,” she admits. “Do you have a photo of him?”
I shake my head. Whatever family photos might once have existed are long gone, and I can’t even remember the last time I saw Tevin have his photo taken. The only reason I feel certain it’s him is because she’s drawn the male figure shirtless with a noticeable jagged scar across the left side of his stomach.
I don’t even know how Tevin got the scar. When we were younger and people used to ask about it, he would make outrageous stories up and laugh it off.
This has to be him.
Leah has drawn my brother with a Bellesfield city limits sign beside him and the silhouette of the city rising in the background. I flip to the next napkin and see the drawing again with slight variations. The next one is the same.
I flip through the entire stack, thirteen napkins in all. They’re all the same picture, though half are drawn in pen and half in pencil.
“What is this?” A warning? A clue? I don’t know how to read Leah’s visions when I’ve already proven they can be manipulated and changed.
“I’m sorry, dear. I don’t know. I’ve never felt compelled to sketch like this before, it’s always been paintings with a lot of detail. This medium is more difficult.” She crosses her arms protectively over herself.
I know it took a lot for her to come in and show me these, so I hold them up in acknowledgement. “Thank you for trusting me enough to show me this. Can I hold onto them?”
“Oh, of course. Consider them yours.” She smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach her eyes.
“You’re worried,” I guess.
She reaches out and squeezes my arm briefly. “I like you, Tasha Jarreau. I think you saved Paxton’s life.”
“But?”
“But I think it’s time for me to go home now.”
“What if it isn’t safe?” I hate the idea of her going back there alone. We still aren’t certain that Callie made it to her house unfollowed.
“Then so be it.” Her smile finally reaches her eyes. “I lived a life dictated by evil once before, and I have no interest in doing so again. I want to be in my own home surrounded by my things and the quiet. I know most people don’t understand it, but it’s a life I enjoy.”
“I don’t have to understand it, Leah. It’s your choice. I know your car is here; I can tell Dominic you’re ready to leave at any time. Someone can follow you to the house to help make sure it’s clear. You have to keep in touch though, okay? I want you to check in so we know you’re safe.”
“I will.”
She surprises me by pulling me into a sudden hug. I move my arms to hold the napkins out of the way and use my other arm to hug her back. I can feel love radiating off of her, and it only makes me all the more sad that someone once took advantage of this spirited woman.
I’m glad she killed that man. And as soon as I have the chance, I’m going to do her the favor of laying the issue to rest formally. I’ll put in the records that his death was justified, so that no matter what may happen down the road, no one will ever be able to punish her for freeing herself.
“You have a good heart, Jarreau. Thank you for giving Paxton a family again.” She leaves me with one last warm smile as she walks out, looking much lighter than when she walked in.
