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“Yes. Sort of. All of that, yes. Except when you ask if I’ve been seeing things, it sounds like I’m crazy. ”

“Aren’t you, though?” He said it with a smile; I could hear it over the line.

“Sure. But not like this. Not sick. Lately, it’s making me sick. It’s getting me hurt, only the hurt is fixing itself too fast. Jesus. ” I rubbed at my eyes for a second, then pulled the phone back up to my mouth. I lowered my volume. “I can’t keep hiding this forever. I thought maybe I could, before. But one of these days, someone’s going to find me out. ”

“Find out what?” I glanced around the room, but he spoke again before I could answer. “It’s hard to articulate, isn’t it? It’s hard to say what it is, and what it’s like. I’m not sure there’s any precedent for it, or if there is—”

“That’s what I wanted to ask you about. The only one I can think of to ask is Eliza. I was wondering if you could put me in touch with her. Is she still at that house in Macon?”

“Eden—”

“Harry, she’s the only one who ever drank that stuff of Avery’s. Except for him, I mean, and . . . ” I looked around again. “And I happen to know for a pretty good fact that he’s dead. There’s nobody else. I need to know if this is normal, what’s going on with me. Or at least if it’s to be expected. ”

He didn’t answer for a few seconds, and he sounded very tired when he did. “She’ll lie to you. ”

“Probably,” I agreed. “But it’s better than nothing. ”

“Maybe, maybe not. She’ll see it as a victory—you’ll be giving her control over something, and she’ll devour you alive for it. Look, instead . . . instead, why don’t you come down here for a while? Before school starts for you, I mean? Even a week or two would be something. We could run some experiments. Do you remember Marcus? He’d love to sit you down and pick your brain. We could—”

“No. I don’t think so. No. ”

“It’d be safe here,” he argued.

“It’s safe here,” I returned. “And ‘safe’ is relative, everywhere. ”

He thought on this for a few seconds before changing tactics on me. “There’s something you should know, though. Your cantankerous old aunt is 103 now—and not in the greatest health since her ‘herbal remedy’ supply was cut off. In addition to her usual cryptic, malicious runaround, you might also have dementia to contend with. I honestly don’t think there’s anything she can tell you, or give you. ”

“You might be wrong. She might know something, or she might be willing to talk. We’ve got something more than blood in common now. It might mean something to her. ”

“You give her more credit than she deserves. ”

“Oh, for God’s sake, Harry. Is she at the old Macon house or not? Did she wind up in a home or do I already have her address?”

I could almost hear him rubbing at his temples and running one hand through his graying hair. He was probably mouthing something inappropriate, too. I don’t know exactly what all he did before joining the clergy, but whatever it was, it taught him some colorful language. I remembered the downright astonishing garland of words he’d strung together when I called him to tell him I’d found Malachi roaming Moccasin Bend last year.

But he wouldn’t aim it at me. He’d swear to the stars or the ceiling, same as he prayed. “She’s still at the Macon house. Two in-home-care workers basically live there, keeping an eye on her. ”

“Bless their hearts. ” I wondered how much she was paying them. Whatever it was, it couldn’t possibly be enough.

“You said it. I don’t know them, and I don’t know how protective of her they are—but I’m betting you could negotiate with them. They’d probably be thrilled silly to have a few minutes away from the old battle-ax. Give it a shot, if you’re so determined to do so. ”

“Thanks, I will. ”

“It’s your free time, and it’s your sanity. Put whatever you want on the line. God knows you won’t listen to me. ”

“Damn straight. ”

I thought the conversation was winding down to a close, but he cut me off before I could hang up. “Just one thing—will you think about it? Between now and when I see you? Just think about coming down here for a little while. It wouldn’t be so bad. Nice weather. Sun. Sand. Surf. ”

“Nosey priests,” I added. But when it sounded like he was going to keep pushing, I gave him what he wanted. “Okay. I’ll think about it, and we’ll talk about it when you get here. Would that make you happy?”

“Yes. That’s all I’m asking for. Then, when I get up there, I can badger you further. ”

“Great. I’ll look forward to it. ”

“Liar,” he said, but I could hear him smiling.

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