Rituals (Cainsville 5)

"Can I ask...?" I couldn't finish.

He lifted his gaze to mine and said, "Anything, Olivia. You've seen the worst. You can ask me anything."

"Did you talk to Pamela after that? Did she go to that meeting instead of you? Or did you go and then talk to her?"

He shook his head. "I didn't go. I never told her. She found out, somehow. They must have approached her. She once asked me..."

"What would you do to cure me," I said. "Whether you'd kill someone who deserved to die. I saw it in a vision. That's how I knew it was her, not you."

"Which should have told me that she knew about the deal. I never even considered that. I thought..." He shook his head. "I thought maybe I was talking in my sleep or...I don't even know. I didn't want to think about it. I missed that meeting, but I was still considering doing it, working up the nerve. Before I did, you started getting better, and I breathed a huge sigh of relief. It wasn't until we were arrested that I realized Pam had done it in my place. It never occurred to me that the Cwn Annwn would approach her."

I snuck a look at the Huntsman guard, who shook his head.

"They didn't," I said. "Pamela went to them. She took that meeting in your place."

The guard nodded, confirming.

"I had another vision," I said. "Me, as a baby. She was meeting with them at the house. The Cwn Annwn thought you knew about the deal and that she was handling the details in your place."

Todd glanced at the guard. "Is that true, Keating?" When the Huntsman blinked, Todd gave a wry smile. "I'm not that clueless. I know what you are. Otherwise, I'd hardly talk about this in front of you. Is Liv right?"

Keating nodded. "Pamela came to the meeting. She said you two had decided it was better if she handled all contact. You'd taken care of Kirkman, and you had a connection to him, so it was safer to remove you from the conversations. Also, if anything went wrong, the police would be less likely to suspect a woman. We dealt with her on the understanding you were involved. It wasn't until Olivia uncovered the truth that we realized we'd been tricked."

"But how..." Todd looked from me to the guard. "I never said a word to her."

"You heard someone in the woods that night," I said. "Several times. You thought you were being paranoid. You weren't. Pamela followed you. She was worried you were cheating on her, so she followed."

We lapsed into silence. Then Keating said, "Pamela needs to tell the truth. To let you out of here." He turned to Gabriel. "That will set him free, won't it? A confession from her?"

"It would add to the grounds for appeal, but..."

"It's not a get-out-of-jail-free card," Todd said. "Which is why we're avoiding that option until we've exhausted the others. After what Liv saw, I think everyone can understand why I'm refusing. I did kill someone. I'm no better than Pam. No less guilty."

"The crime is not the deaths," Keating said. "The crime was sacrificing your freedom. She took you from your daughter. She took you from your life. One word from her--"

"Pamela and I agreed never to turn on one another."

"The only honorable one here is you, Todd, for not condemning her. It was her duty to tell the truth--for you and for your daughter."

Todd shook his head.

Keating grumbled under his breath and said to us, "Pointless. Always pointless. He has too much of our blood, and he will do the right thing, even when it is the wrong thing."

Todd's lips twitched. "You realize that makes no sense."

"Yes, it does. Come on, then. Back to that cell you so obviously love."

--

I was quiet on the way out. When I looked over at Gabriel, he walked purposefully, his face set in that way that sent anyone in his path scurrying.

I wanted to say something, but I couldn'

t until we were in the parking lot, and then it was only, "We have things to do."

"Yes." The word came clipped, as if annoyed by the reminder of the obvious.

"I don't want to do them."