“Pick your jaw up, Olivia, before someone trips over it.” She smoothed her cashmere coat absently and removed her leather driving gloves, tucking them inside her purse.
“You didn’t have to come all the way out here,” Olivia said, uncomfortably aware of the word murderer scrawled untidily across the door right next to her.
“I wouldn’t have had to if you’d answered your phone.”
Olivia cursed silently. She’d meant to call Mags the day before but got sidetracked when they’d discovered the seal, then she’d completely forgotten.
Beau scrambled and wriggled in her grasp at the thought of a new person to play with. Mags’ gaze passed over the enthusiastic dog to rest on the glaringly obvious letters on the door.
“I can explain…” Olivia started as she tried to control the wriggling puppy.
“There’s no need,” Mags answered seriously. “I know about the murders. We need to talk.”
“Oh,” she replied, taken aback. “Well, come in.”
She stepped back and allowed Mags to pass by and hang her coat on the rack by the door. Leading her into the library where Theo was handing Jake a beer, she passed the dog over to him.
“Theo, Jake, this is Mags,” she introduced them. “Mags, Theo and Jake.”
Jake swallowed his mouthful of beer, and his gaze landed on Mags, taking in her impeccable suit and low, practical heels. “I know you.” His eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “Margaret Hale, isn’t it?”
Her mouth tightened into a thin line. “You’re good with names.”
“I’m good with faces too,” he replied. “You were at Evelyn’s funeral.”
“What is he talking about, Mags?” Olivia asked in confusion. “Why would he think you were at Aunt Evie’s funeral? You never knew her.”
“That’s one of the things I wanted to talk to you about,” Mags answered quietly. “The truth is, I knew your aunt very well. We were together for over twenty-five years.”
“What?” she replied in confusion. “What do you mean, together?”
“I mean we were a couple.” She sighed. “We loved each other, but very few people actually knew about us, which was the way we wanted it.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I have so much to tell you,” Mags added.
Olivia’s expression hardened as she folded her arms across her chest tightly. “Then I think you’d better start talking.” The older woman glanced across at Theo and Jake. “Whatever you have to say to me, you can say in front of them.”
“Very well. You’ve always believed that Evie didn’t want you, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The night your mother and grandmother died, Evie was also attacked.”
“What?”
“Your aunt was the first victim. She was stabbed and left for dead in this very house. Her injuries occurred before the attack on your mother and grandmother. She was discovered when the police came to inform her of what had happened. It’s a miracle she survived given how much blood she’d lost. She was in hospital for months. When she was finally able to return home, she was asked if she would take custody of you.”
“She said no.” Olivia frowned.
“She didn’t want to,” Mags told her sympathetically. “She loved you and wanted you desperately, but she also knew it wasn’t safe for you here so close to the demon.”
Olivia’s eyes widened.
“You know about the demon?”
“I do.” She nodded. “Evie still wasn’t strong enough, and it took years for her to fully recover from her injuries. She was never the same. Something changed that night, and she became more secretive. There were things she wouldn’t even tell me. I asked her why she wouldn’t have you and her answer was always the same. She said it wasn’t safe for you here in Mercy, you were too young. She sent me to find you and take guardianship of you.”
“Why didn’t you then?” Olivia asked. “I was nearly nineteen by the time I met you.”
“We lost you in the system for a while. We simply couldn’t find you. In the months after your father’s arrest, Evie was still in hospital recovering. You bounced between foster families, and one of them changed your name to protect you from the media.”
