"It's not water.And it's got nothing to do with the falls," Murphy shoved his hands in his pocket and stared at the sky.“It’s a loophole.”
"Fine.Just a suggestion," Sean shrugged, looking as stumped as the rest of them.
“It could be another prank?”Miles said weakly.
"Damn it.”Sean rubbed his hand through this hair.“As much as I hate to admit it, I think it’s a loophole.”
“Thank you.So, what now?"Murphy demanded.
“Now, I figure out how to seal this properly and hope my boss doesn't freak out," Sean said grimly, pulling out his spray bottle."Because if the Goddess of Death shows up asking why a loophole opened on my watch..."
"Your boss is the Goddess of Death?"Colin squeaked.
"Through several layers of management, mind you," Sean said."Never met her personally, and Goddess willing, I never will.Because if she shows up at one of my assignments, it means all hell's broken loose, and I've made a right mess of things."
That's when the sound of approaching female voices carried across the cemetery.
"What are you all doing?"Uma's voice called out as she approached with Honey, Maisie, and Evangelina floating behind them.
"Investigating," Roam replied with as much dignity as he could muster.
"Investigating what?"Honey asked, looking at the gathered men with barely concealed amusement.The sight of six grown men standing in a circle, staring at the ground with intense concentration, struck her as endearingly helpless.
"This," Murphy said, gesturing importantly at the mark.
The four women looked down at the mark, then up at the men, then back at the mark.Their expressions suggested they were witnessing a particularly elaborate form of male confusion.
"And what have you concluded?"Uma asked, though her tone suggested she already knew the answer.
"That it's nothing to do with the falls," Roam said with professional authority.
"And it’s mysterious," Miles added helpfully.
"Don't forget circular," Colin chimed in.
Evangelina drifted closer to the mark, her expression growing serious as she examined the crystalline residue and the precise edges.
"Oh," she said quietly."Oh my."
"What?"all six men asked at once.
Evangelina's form shimmered with what appeared to be a mixture of recognition and concern."This is, or rather was, a loophole.The kind left behind when the veil between worlds has been temporarily opened."
“Damn it, again.”Sean blinked."And how do you know that?"
"When you mentioned loopholes yesterday, I inquired with some of our older guests in the greatest of confidence," Evangelina explained."And while no one had ever really seen or experienced one, they indeed knew the legends and could describe it in great detail.As the story goes," she pointed down at the spot in the earth, "it looks exactly like this."
"See, I told you no one has really ever seen one," Sean smiled smugly.
Murphy threw up his hands in exasperation."So ye did know what it was, but ye needed her to confirm it?"
"I identified it correctly," Sean said defensively."But having confirmation from spirits who've heard the legends is valuable intelligence."
"Fair point," Roam conceded.
"The question is," Sean continued, "how did this happen when I applied fresh protectant yesterday?"
Uma studied Sean's obvious distress."What exactly does this mean for us?"
