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I shot a quizzical glance at Ray, who shook his head. “Why don’t you get your backpack? I’ll bet Claude would like to help you with your homework.”
She looked at the doorway. “What about Grampa?”
“He’ll be there, too,” I assured her. “Put out a pencil and he’ll show you.”
Alicia carried her empty mug to the sink and rinsed it. “Let’s go, Claude. These numbers aren’t going to divide themselves.”
The revenant dropped to the floor and followed her out of the kitchen.
“Cute kid,” Addison remarked. “Must be nice to have so many adults who give a shit.”
“Language,” Nana Pratt snapped, not that Addison could hear her.
Addison leaned her elbows on the table. “So, what’s the master plan for this Vortigern dude?”
Matilda gave her side-eye. “It’s nothing to do with you.”
“As long as I’m camped out in Fairhaven, it has to do with me.”
“I can tell you where to go,” Matilda said.
I interrupted her before the conversation escalated. My kitchen was not the ideal place for a battle between the Night Mallt and the goddess of mischief and ruin.
“Can I please get a glass of water?” Alicia’s muffled voice called through the wall.
I obliged. Ray met me at the parlor room doorway. “Will you warn my grandbaby to avoid the woods this week?”
“She’ll want to know why.”
Alicia’s head popped up from the sofa. “Why what?” The teenager was smart enough to know when she was the topic of discussion.
“Then tell her,” Ray urged. “I’d rather scare her into staying away than risk her getting caught in the crossfire.”
I was more concerned that Alicia’s curiosity would be stronger than her survival instincts. Still, Alicia was his granddaughter. He was in a better position to decide what information she could handle.
“Your grandfather wants me to warn you to avoid Wild Acres this week.”
Her brown eyes squinted. “Why?”
“Because it’ll be more dangerous than usual.”
“What kind of danger are we talking about? Did somebody summon more demons?”
“No. This is a different supernatural problem, but we’re working hard to solve it so that nobody gets hurt.”
“My friend Darren is supposed to go camping with his dad this weekend. What should I tell him?”
Good question. Alicia knew more about the supernatural world than the average Fairhaven resident.
“This is when it would be handy to have the local police involved,” Ray said.
“It’s hard to do that without revealing more than they can handle.”
“I can handle it,” Alicia protested.
“Maybe it’s time to test the waters,” he argued. “Chief Garcia is a smart woman with a solid head on her shoulders. Give her a chance.”
“It isn’t as simple as that.” It wasn’t the kind of revelation that could be taken back if her reaction wasn’t optimal. I’d be labeled a looney tune and any further concerns I voiced would be dismissed. As of now, I had her ear and I needed to keep it that way.
