Page 20 of Magic Blooms
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As much as I wanted to continue our investigation, Joshua insisted there was nothing we could do until later that evening. Despite my protests, he dropped me back off with Lorraine at Fox’s End. Frankly, I had no doubt he’d be pursuing leads without me; that rankled.
What if I’d been put in Peach Plains for this very reason? To catch the killer before he or she could kill again? It was as good an explanation as any.
Trudging up the steps, I resolved to solve this thing no matter who or what tried to stop me, even if it meant a slight delay in figuring out how to get myself back home. A solution would come in time. Also, whatever damage was to be caused by my sudden disappearance had likely already happened.
Whether or not I was meant to show up in Elyria, Georgia, I’d felt more important in these last two days than I ever had in my entire life to that point. Finally, the things I did mattered. I’d saved the piglets, saved Joshua, and I could save countless more if I kept my focus.
Now inside the large, once-cheerful kitchen of Fox’s End, I felt that gentle tug of being needed again. Lorraine sat alone at the wooden-knot table, her hands folded in front of her as she stared at the weathered surface that had hosted so many intimate meals for her and her staff—and most recently me.
The police had gone, and so had everyone else.
“I gave the cleaners the day off. No point in them staying after all the guests checked out,” she mumbled softly without looking up.
My head spun as I took in this new version of my kind hostess. Gone was the confident spitfire who was proud to make trouble for herself and others, and in her place was a wilted husk.
“I’m so sorry,” I said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. “About everything.”
Lorraine shifted her gaze to an empty cup that sat on the table before her; I doubted she actually saw it though. How long had she been sitting here on her own? How long ago had the drink in that cup turned cold?
For the first time I was truly happy that Jasmine didn’t have the materials needed to send me home. No, I couldn’t imagine leaving Lorraine like this.
All alone. Not even guests to keep her busy.
She needed a purpose. Needed me.
I choked back a sob of bittersweet bliss.
So this is what it felt like.
How different my life could have been had I been born to a different family.
How much richer without all the trappings of luxury to fill my days with meaningless fluff.
This was real. Lorraine. Me. This place.
“Where did you go?” she asked me now, her voice sounding hollow and empty.
I debated hiding my true actions, but I didn’t think Lorraine needed lies at the moment. “Joshua was worried about you. He and I went to Pinecrest Inn to see if Gerry had anything to do with… well, with what happened this morning.”
Lorraine huffed and glanced over at me, finally breaking her concentration on the empty cup. “The fool thought Gerry had something to do with this? Ridiculous. He’s too much of a showboat to slink around in secret. If he wanted someone dead, he’d darn well make sure he got the credit for doing it. Too cocky, that one. Too stupid, too.”
I thought back to the man I’d met. He hadn’t seemed all that stupid to me, but I supposed Lorraine knew him better than I did. “We don't know for a fact she was murdered. Maybe Joshua is just trying to cover all the bases, just in case.”
The corner of her mouth hooked up, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. “You’re right about that. That boy’s as paranoid as they come. But his instincts are usually right on the money.”
Hmmm… That’s what Joshua had said too. “Is it because of his magic? The fact he knows things before ever really finding them out?”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “You know I can’t tell you that.”
“I know you don’t want to be the one to tell me. But I think if I’m going to be spending so much time with him then I have a right to know.”
“Why are you suddenly planning to spend so much time with him? You don’t have a crush, do you?” Lorraine’s laugh was mirthless, but the fact she’d gotten a jab in encouraged me.
I was about to ask what a crush was when I saw the look on her face and immediately understood. “Oh. A crush. Of course not. In fact, I already have an intended back home. His name is Dante, and he’s one of the most respected water elementals around. Our families have been planning the match for ages.”
“Just because you’re intended for someone else doesn’t mean you can’t admire others. And Joshua is very admirable. Isn’t he?” She grabbed the cup and wrapped both hands around it. Her shoulders slumped with a sigh—as if she was finally letting some of the tensions she’d held there go.
