Page 34 of Wicked Love
“Sariah Cormier is alive,” I said.
The corner of her mouth twitched, but Talia didn’t reply.
“You exiled her, and allowed everyone, her husband, her daughter—to think she was dead.”
“Nonsense. Why would I do that?”
I watched her. Something was off. She was too calm. She’d been prepared for this. Maybe not from me but she knew, at some point, she would be asked about this.
“You tell me,” I said.
“There is nothing to tell. Sariah Cormier was seen attempting to rob a grave. As you yourself saw,” she tapped my hand for a third time. “After we had several graves that were robbed before you caught her. She was your prize, Jasper. Did you share that with her daughter? I’m assuming you spoke with the Cormier girl. Like mother, like daughter, you know.”
“No, I don’t know,” I said. “That’s why I am asking you. What does this mean?” I tapped the file. “Why is there an address attached to this? In Arkansas? Why were these eyewitness reports dismissed? Why was there no follow-up?”
She didn’t speak.
My horror grew. I knew I was right, even as Talia refused to speak.
“I did my job,” Talia said. “That is what I did.” She shrugged, but it was deliberate. Practiced. “You need to do yours.” She pushed back from the table. “Now, I believe I’m tired, Jasper,” she said. She stood, and moved gracefully through the kitchen, turning to the right toward a room. She walked into the room and shut the door.
I left her house unsure of what I’d heard, other than lies.
Was Melasina’s mother alive?
Had she been unfairly accused?
It felt like I had the tip of a ball of yarn, and it was stuck somewhere that I couldn’t see.
For the next two weeks, in between being frustrated with Melasina, I tried to find someone to verify that the address listed in the file was occupied. Or to get a picture. But the witch I sent wasn’t able to gather any further info.
“There’s someone there,” she said, when she came back to New Orleans after four days. “I see the curtains move, but they don’t come out.”
“Not at all?” I asked.
The witch, named Nadia, shook her head. Red curls bounced as her head moved. “No. And I showed up at all hours.”
“Someone’s being careful,” I said.
“What are you looking for?” she asked.
“I’m not sure,” I said truthfully. “Just following a lead I found in an old file.”
“Does it have anything to do with Thea’s curse?”
“Sadly, no,” I said. “How are you affected?”
“I can only do earth spells.”
“Oh,” I said. “All my magic is backwards.”
Nadia smiled at me. “This sucks. You figure out your fear?”
“No,” I said. “I have some ideas, but I haven’t gotten further than that.”
“She sure did a number on us,” Nadia said.
“Well, it was clever to have the curse affect everyone differently,” I said.
