dagger Calder had pulled from the mud at the base of Copper Falls. Sheshebens’s dagger.
I hadn’t seen the ancient artifact since the day Calder and I had gone looking for Maighdean Mara and found her stony corpse. I could hear the dagger’s faint but familiar hum vibrating off the Formica table. I tried not to react, but I couldn’t take my eyes off it.
“I found it in our boat after Jack went missing,” Gabby said. “Do you know anything about this?”
“What is it?” I asked, feigning ignorance. “It’s beautiful.” I reached for it, and Gabby snatched it back and returned it to her purse.
“Jack’s dead,” Gabby said. “I think someone killed him. With this.”
8
CALDER
D aniel wasn’t in any hurry to leave the Hancocks’ house. In fact, Mrs. H asked me and Jason to add another leaf to the dinner table so there’d be room for Daniel to stay. As it turned out, Mrs. H was more prepared for Adrian’s arrival than any of us. Not only did she have bottles and formula in the kitchen, she directed Jason to get a cardboard box out of the front hall closet, in which there were several plastic shopping bags full of diapers, blankets, and toys.
“Seriously? You got all this stuff for me?” Daniel asked.
“We’ll call it a baby shower,” Mrs. H said, “although it’s not a very good one. It’s a shame your mother can’t be here, but I understand how things are. Feel free to bring Adrian over whenever you want.”
“Don’t take that too literally,” I said, defending Lily’s position in her absence.
“Calder’s kidding,” said Mrs. H.
“No, he’s not,” Sophie said.
“I’m not raising you to be rude,” said Mrs. H.
I glanced at Sophie, who was chewing on the inside of her cheek. She threw me a look that said,
Back me up, please
.
I checked my phone. Somehow I’d got it in my head that Gabby was going to corner Lily, and she’d be desperate for me to feed her one of my long-practiced lies. But so far, not a word.
“Calder’s right,” Jason said. “It’s not good getting too attached.”
I got up and walked to the kitchen window. The sounds of Mrs. H’s cooing adoration drifted past me, through the open window, and out across the yard toward the lake. Daniel came up behind me.
“Do you think she’s out there?” he asked.
“Of course not. She went to meet Gabby.”
“Not Lily. Dude, not everything is about Lily. I’m talking about Pavati. Do you think she’s out there?”
I considered that. Pavati might be listening. She’d probably be anxious and keeping watch until she was confident Daniel was comfortable with the baby. “Yes, she is.”
“Then why doesn’t she come up to the house?”
I turned toward Daniel, furrowing my brow. “She’s. Not. Human.”
Daniel smirked. “She can look pretty human to me.”
“She’s an animal.”
Daniel wiggled his eyebrows at me suggestively, but that wasn’t the kind of “animal” I was talking about.
“It’s a charade,” I said. “She studies how to act. She lives on the periphery. But she’s never going to come up, ring the doorbell, and make a freaking house call.”
“You did,” Daniel said.
“Those were completely different circumstances, and not something I’m proud of. I’m different now. Pavati is the same as she ever was, and she won’t change. You should stay away. Don’t do anything cute.”
“Why’s that?”
“Right now, the way you light up when you even talk about Pavati, you’ll be a greater temptation to her than anyone else she encounters on the lake, and it’s early in the season. Not a lot of boaters or swimmers. You’d be about the only option.”
“She’d never hurt me. She needs me to take care of Adrian.”
I looked over my shoulder at Mrs. H. She was tickling the baby, who lay on the couch, tucked tightly into the corner. I said, “I’m sure there’d be someone to replace you if need be.”
Daniel swallowed hard. He bowed his head and wrung his hands,
I hadn’t seen the ancient artifact since the day Calder and I had gone looking for Maighdean Mara and found her stony corpse. I could hear the dagger’s faint but familiar hum vibrating off the Formica table. I tried not to react, but I couldn’t take my eyes off it.
“I found it in our boat after Jack went missing,” Gabby said. “Do you know anything about this?”
“What is it?” I asked, feigning ignorance. “It’s beautiful.” I reached for it, and Gabby snatched it back and returned it to her purse.
“Jack’s dead,” Gabby said. “I think someone killed him. With this.”
8
CALDER
D aniel wasn’t in any hurry to leave the Hancocks’ house. In fact, Mrs. H asked me and Jason to add another leaf to the dinner table so there’d be room for Daniel to stay. As it turned out, Mrs. H was more prepared for Adrian’s arrival than any of us. Not only did she have bottles and formula in the kitchen, she directed Jason to get a cardboard box out of the front hall closet, in which there were several plastic shopping bags full of diapers, blankets, and toys.
“Seriously? You got all this stuff for me?” Daniel asked.
“We’ll call it a baby shower,” Mrs. H said, “although it’s not a very good one. It’s a shame your mother can’t be here, but I understand how things are. Feel free to bring Adrian over whenever you want.”
“Don’t take that too literally,” I said, defending Lily’s position in her absence.
“Calder’s kidding,” said Mrs. H.
“No, he’s not,” Sophie said.
“I’m not raising you to be rude,” said Mrs. H.
I glanced at Sophie, who was chewing on the inside of her cheek. She threw me a look that said,
Back me up, please
.
I checked my phone. Somehow I’d got it in my head that Gabby was going to corner Lily, and she’d be desperate for me to feed her one of my long-practiced lies. But so far, not a word.
“Calder’s right,” Jason said. “It’s not good getting too attached.”
I got up and walked to the kitchen window. The sounds of Mrs. H’s cooing adoration drifted past me, through the open window, and out across the yard toward the lake. Daniel came up behind me.
“Do you think she’s out there?” he asked.
“Of course not. She went to meet Gabby.”
“Not Lily. Dude, not everything is about Lily. I’m talking about Pavati. Do you think she’s out there?”
I considered that. Pavati might be listening. She’d probably be anxious and keeping watch until she was confident Daniel was comfortable with the baby. “Yes, she is.”
“Then why doesn’t she come up to the house?”
I turned toward Daniel, furrowing my brow. “She’s. Not. Human.”
Daniel smirked. “She can look pretty human to me.”
“She’s an animal.”
Daniel wiggled his eyebrows at me suggestively, but that wasn’t the kind of “animal” I was talking about.
“It’s a charade,” I said. “She studies how to act. She lives on the periphery. But she’s never going to come up, ring the doorbell, and make a freaking house call.”
“You did,” Daniel said.
“Those were completely different circumstances, and not something I’m proud of. I’m different now. Pavati is the same as she ever was, and she won’t change. You should stay away. Don’t do anything cute.”
“Why’s that?”
“Right now, the way you light up when you even talk about Pavati, you’ll be a greater temptation to her than anyone else she encounters on the lake, and it’s early in the season. Not a lot of boaters or swimmers. You’d be about the only option.”
“She’d never hurt me. She needs me to take care of Adrian.”
I looked over my shoulder at Mrs. H. She was tickling the baby, who lay on the couch, tucked tightly into the corner. I said, “I’m sure there’d be someone to replace you if need be.”
Daniel swallowed hard. He bowed his head and wrung his hands,
Similar Books
