He believed it, so I merely nodded. I glanced at the clock on the wall. “I should get going. Cormack issued an edict that we’re all supposed to be at Grimlock Manor in thirty minutes to prepare for the arrival of the grandparents. They’re all freaking out about this. I don’t get it.”
“That’s because you have a grandfather you love, one who raised you without judging,” Paris noted. “I had a grandmother like that on my mother’s side. My father’s mother was a different story. She was a religious fanatic who hated witches. That didn’t go over well in my family. She was always nitpicking whenever she saw me. I understand why the Grimlocks are so worked up.”
“If these grandparents are so terrible, why even entertain them?” I was adamant. “I would just cut them out of my life and never see them again.”
“It’s not always that easy with family,” Oliver countered. “Not everyone can be as pragmatic as you suggest.”
“If you say so.” I shook my head. “Keep researching the cult. See if you can find anything on them, Paris. I need to get going. We’ll touch base tomorrow.”
She absently nodded, her attention back on the computer monitor. “Will do.”
“As for you ... .” I focused on Oliver, unsure of what to say. “Keep your ear to the ground,” I said finally. “You live on this island, the same as me. If these people start causing problems after dark I want to know about it.”
He absently nodded, his attention on the intake sheet that was coming through. “Absolutely. Just because I think they’re harmless doesn’t mean I’ll overlook potential problems. I’m not an idiot.”
“No, you’re definitely not.” I smiled at him and then impulsively leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek.
“What was that for?” he asked, surprised.
“I don’t know. I just felt like doing it. Why? Is it a problem?”
“No. It’s just you used to do that when you were a child. In fact, there were times Brett and I would hold you between us and you would go back and forth kissing us on the cheek. It was rather charming.”
That was news to me. I couldn’t remember my time with them. Everything before my parents died was a blur. “Then I guess I come by it naturally.”
“I guess so.”
“Hold down the fort while I’m gone.”
“Don’t I always?”
“Pretty much.” I started toward the door.
“Be careful of the Grimlock grandparents,” he called to my back. “I very much doubt they’re as harmless as you think.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
A FAIR-HAIRED TEENAGER SAT ON THE PATIO wall when I exited the aquarium. It was after hours, so I took special care to make sure the door was locked. I didn’t want anyone accidentally wandering inside. I was so focused on my task that I didn’t notice the girl until I was almost directly on top of her.
“Hello.” Her grin was shy.
I was taken aback and took a moment to collect myself. “Hello.” I flashed a smile that I didn’t really feel. “Um ... can I help you?”
“My feet hurt.” She gestured toward her Converse-clad extremities. “I was just taking a few minutes to rest. If it’s a problem that I’m sitting here, I can go someplace else.”
“It’s not a problem,” I reassured her, my gaze automatically going to the lot. The crowd looked to have grown, which I wouldn’t have thought possible, and yet there were more people walking in circles. “Why do they do that?”
“What?” The girl’s eyes were curious as she looked toward the throng. “Oh, you mean the circle thing? Titus says that it’s a way to build power. Supposedly, if we walk in a group long enough, we’ll be able to open the death door and allow those who were forced to the other side to cross back over.”
The notion was absurd. “And why would you want that?” I was genuinely curious. “The world is crowded enough without additional souls taking up space.”
The girl shrugged. “I’m only here because my parents have fallen for Titus’s crap and they forced me to come.”
That was enough to elicit my sympathy. “I’m sorry. What’s your name?”
“Andrea Porter. What’s yours?”
“Izzy Sage.”
“Do you work here?”
“I manage the aquarium.” On paper, that’s what I did, so it wasn’t a lie. As far as I could tell, though, the aquarium ran itself. I rarely had to make decisions about the day-to-day operations of the facility. “How long have your parents been involved with Titus?”
“A few months.” Andrea’s eyes were back on the pacing crowd. “I’m not even sure how it happened. One day my mother came home and said she’d met a guy who had an interesting theory. My father argued that it was nonsense, but she managed to convince him to go to a few meetings.
“The next thing I know, they’re both attending regular meetings and they can’t talk about anything else,” she continued. “My father, who I swear never believed in anything, is obsessed with this death door thing. He says he wants to talk to my grandfather, who died a few years ago.
“At first I didn’t think it was anything to worry about. I thought they would get over it ... right up until they took me out of school for the week and said we had to come here. I still don’t know why they insisted I come with them, but they insisted it was necessary.”
I wanted to tell her to run, to get away from the group, but I had no reason to believe they were dangerous. So far, all they’d done was walk in a circle and express interest in talking to their dead loved ones. That was hardly the stuff of evil regimes.
“Well ... I’m sorry for all this,” I offered her lamely. “It can’t be fun for a girl your age.”
She shrugged. “The whole thing is messed up.” Her expression was rueful as she turned back to me. “It must be annoying for you too. It’s not as if you want us clogging up the parking lot of your aquarium.”
“It’s not ideal,” I admitted. “Right now you guys aren’t hurting anything. If they start infringing on guests, we might have a problem. Until then, it is what it is.”
“Still, I’m sorry. It’s so ... embarrassing.” She made a face. “I wish they would go back to being normal parents.”
“My grandfather once told me there is no such thing as a ‘normal’ guardian.” I made the appropriate air quotes. “He raised me after my parents died and was talking about himself, of course. I was complaining because I wanted him to be more ‘normal.’ My childhood was ... colorful. I guess that’s the word you would use.
“As I got older, I realized he was right,” I continued. “There’s nothing more boring than ‘normal’ parents. You should embrace the odd, even if it takes you places you never thought you would visit.”
Andrea didn’t look convinced. “I guess I’ll have to take your word for it.” She sighed and slowly climbed to her feet. “I have to get back to the circle. We’re only allowed a fifteen-minute break every hour.”