Rituals (Cainsville 5)

She bent and rubbed TC's neck as he purred.

"What happened to him?" Ricky asked, taking a coffee.

"It's what happened to me, I think. I grew up. I shouldn't say he was my cat. I didn't live in Cainsville. But he'd come around when I stayed over. Then I wasn't visiting very often, and he stopped coming around. I figured he gave up on me and found a family. A permanent home." She looked up the stairs. "And now he has."

"Well, I wouldn't say he's made it permanent yet, but he's with me for as long as he wants to be. Right, matagot?" I gave him a pat and he rewarded me with a chirp, and then headed into the parlor.

"Do you have time for the tour?" I asked Pamela. "Or just coffee?"

"Both if I can," she said. "Please."

I gave her the tour. She did not fail to notice Gabriel's shirt in my bedroom or Ricky's bag in the spare one. She didn't comment, though. Just assessed and looked around, and even told me a couple of quick stories about my great-great-grandmother.

I noticed Gabriel giving us increasingly concerned glances, falling just short of pointedly checking his watch. He didn't say anything. He knew that would only delay her more. I was keeping an eye on the time, though, and so was she, and finally she said, "I need to go."

"Okay, we'll drive--"

"I have a car."

"Then we'll follow--"

"Better that you don't, Eden. If anything goes wrong, you never saw me."

Gabriel nodded from down the hall, agreeing, and I said, "Okay, but while I'm not exactly happy with Patrick right now, if you do see him at the hospital, take whatever help he offers. He might be a bocan, but this one will be a freebie. He owes me."

"Bocan," she said, and then, "Hobgoblin. Well, that certainly explains--" She cut herself short and it was two long beats before she said, "It explains his troublemaking."

I knew that took effort, directing the barb away from Gabriel, but she made that effort and I murmured, "Thank you," as I walked her to the door.

We stepped outside, and she ran her hand over the brass knocker. "I remember this," she said. "Gran said it was a good..." She trailed off.

"Good marriage omen," I said. "I take it as a less specific omen, for a good household--whatever and whomever that household might include."

I knew that wasn't what she wanted to hear. She went still, her jaw working. Part of me wanted to change the subject. Avoid a conf

rontation. End this impossible visit on the best possible note. But I held my tongue, and after a moment she only nodded and said, "Yes, I suppose it means that, too."

We started down the steps. At the bottom, she said, "I'll walk myself back, Eden. I just..." She looked back at the house. "You know how I feel about you being in Cainsville, but this--the house, the cat--it does make it easier." She glanced at me. "You're happy?"

"Overlooking the absolute chaos of my life right now?" I said. "Yes. I'm happier than I ever thought I could be. There are still things I want settled, obviously. The appeal, for one. But Gabriel's on it, and it looks good. With any luck, Dad will be out by this time next year." I hurriedly added, "Both of you will be out."

"I know your father is your priority, Eden, as he should be. He deserves it far more than I do." She put her arms around my shoulders, an awkward embrace as she gave a wry chuckle and said, "I never was very good at this."

"Neither am I," I said, and hugged her back.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

I walked into the house, where Gabriel and Ricky were waiting in the hall.

"Did that just happen?" I said. "Did this entire night just happen? Or have I moved from visions to full-on hallucinations?"

"It happened," Ricky said. "Your mom broke out of jail to kill Gabriel's mom, and you stopped her, and then Gabriel made her coffee while she toured your new house. I'm still not sure what's the most unbelievable part of that."

"I believe the part where Olivia stopped Pamela from killing Seanna," Gabriel said.

I tensed. "I'm sorry. I know maybe you'd rather--"

"I was attempting to make light of the situation," Gabriel said. "I wasn't secretly hoping she'd do it." He thought for a moment. "No, that's incorrect. I didn't want Pamela to kill Seanna because you didn't want her to kill Seanna. The revelation of Seanna's mark merely makes her a pathetic figure, rather than a nefarious villain. I do not wish to see her dead."