“Their parents have been notified and are on their way. They should be here in the next thirty minutes or so. They’re all locals who go to the school during the day and return home at night.”
That didn’t give me much time to operate. “Well, that’s good.” I focused on Cormack. I needed him to keep Meeks busy for a few minutes so I could question Granger. Unfortunately, I couldn’t convey my needs in front of a witness. “How is Aisling?” I asked, making up my mind on the spot. Cormack enjoyed talking about his youngest child and only daughter. Meeks knew Griffin, so I hoped they would take a conversational detour and allow me to slip away.
“She’s well.” Cormack offered up a genuine smile. “Tired. The baby isn’t much for sleeping, so that’s been an adjustment. She was at the house with us for a few nights and then returned home, although I’m not sure how well that’s going. She’s a cute little thing.”
“I’ve seen her,” Meeks volunteered, causing me to inwardly smile. They were both falling into my trap. “She’s adorable.”
“She looks like her mother.” Cormack’s smile widened. “Aisling looked exactly the same as a baby.”
“Griffin is over the moon,” Meeks enthused. “I mean ... he’s tired. He brought the baby in for us to see the other day and he had huge circles under his eyes, but he’s thrilled with her. She was wearing a shirt that said, ‘Melting grandpa’s heart is my super power.’ I think she charmed the entire squad.”
Cormack beamed. “She’s my baby girl. She charms everybody.”
Once I was certain they were lost in their own conversation, I slipped away to talk to Granger. Oliver followed. Once I hit the gift shop, I ignored the two officers watching the kids and headed immediately to the boy in question.
I knelt in front of him, forced a smile that I didn’t feel, and searched the kid’s eyes. There was nothing there. He looked dead inside. “Hey, Granger.”
He didn’t respond.
“Um ... do you remember talking to me?”
Nothing. The boy didn’t as much as lift a shoulder or meet my gaze.
“You know he can’t hear you, right?” Oliver challenged. “He goes to a school for the deaf. That means he’s deaf.”
I wanted to strangle him. “He talked to me right before it happened.”
Oliver was taken aback. “He did?”
I nodded. “He kept saying, ‘They’re here’ over and over. I don’t think that was a coincidence.”
Oliver’s gaze was thoughtful as it washed over Granger. “Well ... did you sense anything when the lights went out?”
I glanced around to make sure the police officers weren’t eavesdropping and then nodded. “I did.”
“Well, don’t keep me in suspense.”
“I felt ... evil.”
“That’s it?”
“Yeah. I felt a sense of evil. It was quick. It washed over the room and was gone by the time you turned on the lights.”
“Did you see anything?”
“No.”
“Hear anything?”
“No.”
“You just felt ... evil.”
“That’s what I said.”
“Well, that sounds peachy.”
I ignored his tone and focused on Granger, staring hard until the boy’s eyes finally locked with mine. “Do you remember what you said?”
The boy’s stare was blank.
“Do you remember talking?”
He didn’t open his mouth or move his hands to respond.
“Do you know what sort of creature was here?”
Still nothing. Finally, I straightened. I was getting nowhere with the kid and I sensed that would continue. “I don’t know what to do,” I admitted after a beat. “I have no idea what was in that room ... but whatever it was, a woman is dead because of it.”
“Because of what?” Cormack asked, sliding into the spot behind me and causing me to jolt.
I slid a sidelong look to Oliver. “Couldn’t you have warned me he was coming?”
“And miss all the fun?” Oliver smirked. “Mr. Grimlock, it’s good to see you. I wish it was under different circumstances, of course.”
“We both wish that.” Cormack was contained. “Tell me the part you didn’t tell Meeks. Don’t bother denying you’re holding something back. I know better than that.”
I sighed, resigned, and then told him the story as quickly as possible. I trusted him. He was a good boss. I wasn’t particularly thrilled about being drawn into the Grimlock net again, especially so soon after the previous catastrophe, but I didn’t really have a choice. When I was finished, he looked more curious than concerned.
“And this is the boy?” he asked.
I nodded.
Cormack bent at the waist and regarded the child with kind eyes. “Hi, buddy.” I was surprised when I realized he was signing as he spoke. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”
The child watched his hands for a bit but didn’t respond. If anything, he appeared to grow more disinterested the harder Cormack tried to engage him in conversation.
“Well, if he can talk, he’s decided to stop for the time being,” Cormack said as he straightened. “I don’t think it was a coincidence that he began babbling right before it happened.”
“You don’t think he did it, do you?”
“I don’t see how.” Cormack was thoughtful as he studied Granger. “He’s far too small. It’s more likely that he heard something or channeled something. My guess is some sort of creature or malevolent force was in the aquarium with you and it disappeared with the light.”
“How did it get in?”
“I have no idea.” Cormack mimed stretching so he could look in Meeks’ direction without drawing attention. “He’s going to be a problem. He obviously suspects we’re hiding something. I’ll ask Griffin about him, but we’re not going to have the usual amount of cover we do with Griffin on leave.”
“We’ll figure something out,” I supplied. “If there’s some sort of evil presence hunting on this island, it’s only a matter of time before it shows itself again.”
“That’s why you need to be careful.”
“I can take care of myself.”
“You still need to be careful.” Cormack was grave as he lifted his eyes to Oliver. “That goes for you, too. Watch out for each other ... and start putting some effort into replacing Renee. Having additional backup out here couldn’t possibly hurt.”
“I’ll get right on that. Although ... where do I look?”
“I’ll send you files and you can start searching there. We’ve had several people from inside the organization apply for the position. If you like someone, tell me.”
“Okay, I ... okay.” I had no idea what else to say to him and felt awkward.
Oliver, perhaps sensing my discomfort, decided to take control of the conversation. “You guys were late with a delivery last night. We still haven’t received it.”
“It’s probably Braden,” Cormack said, scowling. “He just got back from Florida and went to bed early. I’ll bet he forgot to transfer his souls.”