Robbie’s hand cupped the back of my head. ‘My ogres are outside. My crows are in the air. I am by your side, and so is your dad. You’re safe, Stacy. Come to bed, my love. I’ll be by your side.’
Something inside me caved, and I closed my eyes.
‘Okay,’ I whispered hoarsely, standing. ‘Okay. I’ll come to bed. But …’ I looked towards the table, towards the fruit bowl, towards the chair that had shifted twice now, and I couldn’t find the words.
Robbie seemed to understand, and he said it for me. ‘Goodnight, Mr Wise.’
The kitchen light flickered once in its own gentle goodnight.
I walked unaided into my bedroom, and that felt like a victory. I brushed my teeth by rote and slid into jammies like a zombie.
In my bedroom, Robbie had pulled back the duvet and I crawled in like I was older than Mrs Abernathy.
Robbie tucked the covers in around me. It made me feel safe, cocooned, and … like an utter idiot. Me. An Inspector. Tucked in tight for bedtime.
‘Don’t tell anyone.’ I mumbled into my pillow.
‘I won’t,’ he vowed. ‘Your reputation is safe with me, Inspector.’
He flicked the lamp off, leaving only the glow of the streetlight through the curtains. His fingers stroked my hair, the movement soothing and repetitive.
‘Sleep, Stacy. I will guard your dreams.’
Oddly, I believed him.
I let myself drift away.
Chapter Twenty-Four
I woke up feeling refreshed and ready to take on Jude fucking Jingo. He’d been fucking with me and mine for far longer than I had ever known, and I was going to take him down. I just wasn’t sure how. All the same, I wasready.
I was also incredibly late.
‘Why did you let me sleep so long?’ I demanded of Robbie as I strode out into the living room. The smell of coffee percolating was strong and the Ouija board was open on the dining room table, next to Robbie.
‘Have you been speaking to Dad?’
‘Yes,’ he said.
‘About what?’ I asked.
‘You. What else?’ he replied evasively but smiled to soften it.
‘I’m late! I overslept.’ I looked with regret at the board. ‘Sorry, Dad. We’ll have to practise our spelling later on tonight, okay?’
The planchette moved to the top left corner: yes.
I cleared my throat. ‘Okay, great. Speak later then.’
God, what was I going to tell Mum? Rupert, Julian? Nothing. Nothing for now. Nothing until I knew what the hell was going on. Mum would be upset. And what if the ghostwasn’tmy father? My gut said he was – hell, every instinct I had said he was – but I’d need to do some tests all the same. Ask him some questions only he’d know the answers to.
Robbie came up to me, Amber’s two small vials in his large hand. ‘Make sure you hide those vials.’
‘What do you mean, hide them?’ I had been planning to sling them into my briefcase.
‘Poison is a close-range method of killing. Used to sneakily incapacitate. If Amber’s Goddess wants you to have poisons, we need to make sure they’re accessible but not easily discovered upon your person.’ His eyes warmed with amusement.
‘You better not be thinking about suggesting I hide the potions where I think you are.’
