Page 14 of Dead Evil (Cold Case Psychic #37)

Ronan sat at the food court in the convention center with Everly and Wolf while Ten was in the bathroom.

Jude and Cope were on their way back to the table with dinner.

Chicken fingers and fries all around. It was easier than trying to order from three different booths, although Ronan could really go for Chinese food.

Pork fried rice and crab Rangoon were calling to him with a Siren’s song.

Maybe he’d grab some to go after the Dallas Demonologists demonstration.

“Here we go, kiddos!” Jude set the tray on the table and started passing out the food. “Barbeque sauce for Wonder Wolf and honey mustard for my favorite honey, Everly.”

“Man, I’m starving!” Wolf dug in with gusto. “I can’t wait to meet Agatha Louise after we eat!”

“Whose meeting the doll after we eat?” Ten asked, taking a seat at the table.

“Dad said we could go meet her if I eat all my dinner, right, Dad?” Wolf asked, narrowing his eyes on Jude.

“That’s right, but remember what I said about the line waiting to see her. If it’s too long, we’re not going to be able to meet her tonight because we have tickets to the demonologist demonstration.” Jude grabbed a chicken finger and dunked it in ketchup.

“I want to meet her, Daddy.” Everly’s eyes were on Ronan. “Maybe I’ll be able to figure out who number nine is if I can talk to her.”

Ten’s eyes widened as Everly spoke. Ronan knew that was the reason Everly had asked his permission rather than Tennyson’s.

“What is number nine?” Jude asked.

“Agatha Louise is going to hurt someone. It will be the ninth person, who-” Everly stopped speaking and tilted her head toward Wolf, obviously not wanting him to know the doll was going to take another victim.

“No! Absolutely not!” Ten half-shouted. “I refuse to serve my daughter up on a silver platter to this doll.”

Everly reached for Ten’s hand. “I’m not gonna get hurt, Dad. Agatha Louise needs me.”

“Did you sense anything with the doll when we met her this morning?” Ronan asked, wondering if this was what would tip Ten over the edge to divorce him.

“I didn’t then , but that doesn’t mean there won’t be something going wrong with her now ,” Ten said, fisting his hands on the table.

“What if I can help?” Everly asked. “I know everyone thinks she’s evil or possessed by a demon, but what if she just needs someone to talk to? Someone who can listen. Someone who cares about what happens to her.”

“I absolutely agree with you,” Ten said. “The doll probably does need someone with your skills who can help her, but the someone doesn’t need to be you!”

“I don’t want to jump into the middle of this,” Jude began, his eyes on Tennyson, “but there have been no other incidents with the doll since she was put in the bulletproof glass box. What if we go into the private room where Agatha Louise is being displayed, we’ll stand in the back and see what Everly can read.

With the strength of her gifts I don’t think she’ll need to get up close and personal. ”

“Five minutes, Dad. Let’s work together to help her.” Everly offered a smile. “All we need are five minutes.”

Ronan couldn’t argue with a single thing Everly said.

He and Jude would be right there to hustle her out of the room if things started to go wrong, not that he was going to point that out at this particular moment.

He turned to his husband and could tell from the look on his face that Ten was going to give in.

He wanted to laugh, but also didn’t want to end up sleeping in the backyard.

“What do you think?” Ten asked Ronan, never taking his eyes off Everly.

Ronan took a deep breath. For the first time, he felt like he was stuck in the middle between his husband and his daughter.

He hoped what he was about to say would unite three of them instead of drawing up battle lines.

“No one wants to protect Everly more than we do, Ten. She has these incredible gifts and wants to use them to help people. We’ve set the example of helping people for a living and she’s following in our footsteps.

If Everly thinks she can help, I think we should let her. ”

“And if things go wrong?” Ten asked.

“She’s going to have two cops and two psychics by her side. I trust the people at this table with my life and with Everly’s,” Ronan said.

Ten sighed. “Five minutes and you’re out. Got it? If things start to go wrong and I grab you to pull you out of the room, no complaining.”

“Five minutes, Dad,” Everly agreed.

Ten turned to Ronan. “I swear to God if one hair on her head is harmed-”

“We aren’t going to let that happen, but if it does, you can kick me out of the house, divorce me, cover me in honey and stick me on a fire ant hill, make me watch Frozen on a twenty-four hour loop.” Ronan offered Ten a small smile.

“Everyone eat your nugs and then we’ll go.” Ten sighed and popped a fry into his mouth.

“Already ate mine!” Wolf said, reaching for another one from Cope’s plate.

Fifteen minutes later, after the food was eaten and the table cleaned off, Ten took Everly’s hand and walked with her to the ballroom where Agatha Louise was being displayed. Ronan could feel his heartbeat in his toes. “Are you getting anything, Cope?” he whispered.

“Only that Devin is going to want to bring Everly front and center to see the doll. Even if Ten allows that to happen, she’s going to be fine. We all are.”

Reaching the ballroom, there were two security guards standing in front of the door. “This exhibit closes in five minutes,” One of the guards said.

“Perfect. All we need are five minutes.” Jude opened the door and ushered everyone inside.

Agatha Louise and Devin were at the front of the room with the doll’s box on a table draped in a black cloth patterned with pentacles. A series of stanchion belt dividers zigzagged from the door to the display. There were only three people waiting in line.

Ronan led Ten and Everly toward the back corner of the room. He pulled out his phone and set a five minute timer. “We leave when the alarm goes off. Are you ready?”

Everly nodded. “Ready.”

Ronan started the timer. “Do your thing, chicken wing.”

Everly pulled Tennyson toward the front of the room. “I need to see her.”

Ten shot Ronan an angry look, but followed his daughter into the belt maze, holding her hand tightly.

When the last group of people left the display, Devin Forrest spotted them instantly. “Tennyson! Ronan! You’re finally here!” He hurried toward them. “And you brought your darling, Everly!”

“Devin, these are our friends, Jude, Cope, and Wolf,” Ronan said.

“It’s nice to meet you all.” Devin turned his attention to Everly. “Would you like a closer look?”

Nodding, Everly and Wolf followed Devin to the table where Agatha Louise sat.

There were signs warning of the doll’s power and of the people who’d found themselves on the wrong side of the doll’s temper.

“She’s beautiful,” Everly said, with awe in her voice.

“Hi, Agatha Louise, my name is Everly. If you want to talk to me, I can hear you.”

The doll’s head swiveled toward Everly. Both of her arms came up, as if Agatha Louise wanted to be picked up. Wolf’s eyes bugged out. He backed away from the table and stumbled backward into Jude, who picked him up.

“I wish I could give you a hug,” Everly said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I can feel how much pain you’re in.” She reached out toward the box and set her fingers against the glass.

Ronan wanted to scoop Everly up and get her away from the doll, but stood his ground. When he looked at Tennyson, his husband had his hands out, looking ready to grab her.

“We have the same color hair,” Everly said, holding out strands of her own. “Your hair is better with those curls. I always wanted curls, but they never stay in my hair for long.”

Agatha Louise bent forward, as if she wanted to touch Everly’s hair.

“Has anything like this ever happened before?” Ronan asked Devin, whose mouth hung open in obvious shock.

“Never. The only people Agatha Louise has ever interacted with were those who tried to hurt her. She’s never moved like this for me and I love her to heaven and back. There’s something special about your daughter,” Devin paused. “Do you think she can help my precious girl?”

“If anyone can, it’s Everly,” Ronan said softly.

“I would love to be your friend!” Everly said with a little squeal, just as Ronan’s timer went off.

Agatha Louise’s arms dropped back to her side. Her head swiveled back to its original position.

Everly sniffled. “I’ve gotta go now, but I’ll come see you again. I promise.” She crossed her heart and held out her pinkie.

Silencing the alarm, Ronan set a hand on Everly’s shoulder. “Thanks for letting the kids visit with Agatha Louise.”

“Thank you, Everly, for being Agatha Louise’s friend. I can’t tell you how much that means to me.” Devin dabbed at his damp eyes.

“You’re welcome.” Everly smiled at Devin. “See ya later, alligator!” She waved at the doll and reached for her father.

Ronan took Everly’s hand and led her out of the ballroom toward a niche with couches and a coffee table. He took a seat and pulled his daughter onto his lap. Tennyson sat beside them. “Are you okay?”

Everly nodded. “Agatha Louise is in so much pain. She feels the burns on her face. All she wants is a friend. She said so many people come to see her, but they don’t see her. I don’t understand what that means.”

Ronan nodded. “You know the doll’s history of hurting people, right?”

“Yeah.” Everly nodded.

“People come to see her wanting to see her hurt someone else. They want to see the monster.” Saying those words to his daughter chilled Ronan to the bone. He was crushed to be the one to destroy one more piece of Everly’s innocence.

Tears streaked down Everly’s cheeks. “She’s not a monster. She’s just hurting and doesn’t know how to make it stop.”

“Do you know how to make it stop?” Ronan asked, afraid of the answer.

“Not yet. I need some time to think about it. I’ll let you know if I figure it out.” Everly wrapped her arms around Ronan and hugged him.

“Attention, ladies and gentlemen,” the voice on the public address system said. “The Dallas Demonologist demonstration begins in ten minutes. Tickets are still available at the box office.”

“Let’s go find our seats.” Ronan set Everly down and she hugged Tennyson.

“You really are okay,” Ten said.

“Just a little sad. Agatha Louise doesn’t like living in the museum and having people visit her like she’s a lion in the zoo. She wants a friend.” Everly sniffled. “Everyone deserves friends.”

“You’re absolutely right,” Ten agreed. “Let’s go to the show and we can talk about this more when we go home, okay?”

“Okay, Dad.” Everly walked toward Ronan who was holding his hand out to her. “Can I visit Agatha Louise tomorrow before she goes back to Florida?”

Ten nodded. “I’ll call Devin in the morning and see if there’s a time when you can go visit her in private like we did today.”

“Thank you, Dad. I know it was hard letting me go visit her. I could feel how scared you were, but she needed me to see her. I’ve never felt pain like that before. There were a lot of bad feelings and so much sadness. When we left, I could tell she felt a little bit lighter.”

“That’s what you do best,” Ten said. “You make everyone around you feel better.”

“I know you’re a little mad at Daddy and Uncle Jude for wanting to let me see the doll, but will you think about letting that go?” Everly giggled. “Be Elsa, Dad!”

Ten laughed with his daughter. “I’ll do my best.”

Ronan watched Ten and Everly with a smile on his face. His husband might be angry at him for the moment, but the look on Everly’s face was worth it. She’d done a good thing by offering to be Agatha Louise’s friend.

Ronan hoped that friendship wouldn’t come back to bite all of them in the ass.