Page 58 of Midnight Waters

“No, I… I didn’t fall off a cliff!” I said, struggling to move my arms in Dad’s grip.

He pulled away, red-eyed, with tears streaming down his face.

“Dad…” I chewed my lip. I hadn’t wanted to cause him all this hurt.

“Where have you been, then?” Dad asked. “The last thing I hear is the police have picked you up about that poisoned girl, and then you just disappear!”

“I went back to the office to pick something up, and I guess I lost track of time?” I said.

“Lost track of time?” Sandra pointed at the grandfather clock. “Maeve, it’s three a.m.!”

I followed her finger to the antique clockface. Ten to three. Gods… how long had I been floating around in the sea for? I wasn’t even pruning.

“Sorry,” I said. “I… don’t know… what…”

“Well, if there’s nothing more.” The police officer nodded at Theo. “We’ll call off the search and get out of your way.”

Dad cleared his throat. “Sorry to waste your time, Officers.”

“You folks have a good night, now.” The officers closed the door behind them.

Dad rounded on me, his hands on his hips, and his face apparently trying to decide whether to be angry or sad.

Oh boy, was I going to get it.

“You didn’t fall off a cliff?” Dad’s voice dipped low.

“No, Dad. I’m fine,” I muttered.

I hated lying to him, but to tell him the truth meant revealing what had happened to me. Until I knew what was going on myself, I had to keep him in the dark.

“Who made the call, then?” Keith asked. “An Ev?—?”

“I swear to the gods, Keith, if you finish that sentence, I will shove my foot so far up your—” Sandra began.

“Will you all stop it?” Dad’s voice boomed so loudly that the chandelier shook. “This is no time for this pettiness.”

I stiffened. Catching Dad in a mood this bad was a rarity. But I supposed believing you had lost your daughter at sea might do it.

He turned back to me, his expression dark. “Why didn’t you call?”

“My phone broke.” That part wasn’t a lie, at least.

“Maeve, you’ve just disappeared off the face of the earth for eight hours. You can’t honestly expect us to believe that you just lost track of time?” he said.

The urge to tell the truth bubbled to the surface. But I couldn’t drop a bombshell like that on him after all he had gone through that night. It would have to wait.

“I don’t know what to tell you,” I said. “I’m sorry.”

“You should be, young lady.” Sandra raised her voice as the baby wailed. “Your dad was at his wits’ end.”

“Can we go to bed now?” Keith asked.

Well, not everyone had been that worried, apparently.

The family filed out, patting Dad and me on the backs on their way past. Sandra glowered at me before she disappeared into the hallway, leaving me and Dad alone.

“Maeve.” Dad grasped my shoulders. “I won’t be angry if you were out with someone. I know I can be protective sometimes, but you’re a grown woman and I trust you to make sensible decisions. But please tell me what happened tonight.”

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