Talking to the Cullravens had been extremely unhelpful and even though she hadn’t spoken to Corrine or Nathaniel yet, Cal had made it sound like they weren’t really around toseemuch, and wouldn’t be receptive to questioning even if they had.
Unless he’s lying.
He’d tried very hard to get her to stay at Ravensgate, after all. Would he really do that if he thought his parents would be as against her presence there as he claimed? But then she remembered Nathaniel’s leering drunkenness and the strange way he had looked at her when he saw her hand on Cal’s arm, and decided she wasn’t in a hurry to talk to them, either. Corrine hadn’t been much better, with her constant snobbish remarks and the rather strange fixation she had on the house, and all of its history. A history lesson wasn’t going to give her the answers she needed.
No, what she really needed to do was talk to Ben, or, failing that, someone who knew the town well and wouldn’t play her for a sucker while lying through their teeth.
Her eyes went to the pamphlets Helena had given her, where they were spilling out of their bag. She could go to the silver mine. Jessica had said that it was run by the mayor’s wife, who probably knew the town well. She wasn’t sure how helpful that would be, if the Cullravens kept to themselves anyway, but since she’d told everyone she’d spoken to that she had come to see the mines, it would be weird if she didn’t actually go see them at some point.
“Oh, you’re up! Good.”
Nadine turned. Jessica was hovering in the doorway, wearing white cut-off shorts and a tight cherry red t-shirt that said KETCHUP WITH JESUS AT THE ARGENTUM BIBLE STUDY GROUP. The shirt had been designed to look like a condiment bottle with a picture of Jesus superimposed over a beefsteak tomato, and was the ugliest thing Nadine had ever seen.
When Nadine didn’t respond, she said quickly, “I heard you come in late last night. I was going to check up on you but you had already gone to sleep.”
She tore her eyes away from the shirt with effort. “Yeah. It was a long drive. I was wiped.”
“I thought I saw Caledon Cullraven’s Aston Martin parked out in front.”
“It was,” Nadine said reluctantly, though she hadn’t known what type of car it was. “I went up to the house like everyone kept telling me, but they weren’t doing any tours. I guess they felt bad because they, um, drove me home.”
“He drove you home?” Jessica repeated in the same stunned tones someone might use to say, “He slapped your ass?”
Bad metaphor, Nadine thought, flushing, when Jessica said, “You should stay away from that man, Nadine. He’s a disgrace—on and off the road.”
Nadine found herself feeling curiously annoyed on Cal’s behalf. He was arrogant, yes, and had a rather mean-spirited sense of teasing, but she didn’t think he was adisgrace.
“He seemed fine,” she said, a little defensively. “Both on and off the road.”
Jessica huffed. “As soon as a girl comes of age in Argentum, she knows not to go off alone with a Cullraven, or go anywhere near Passer Woods.”
“Why?”
“I’m sorry?”
“Why do people avoid them? What do theydoto people?”
Jessica looked around before lowering her voice and saying, “Sexthings.”
Nadine nearly laughed—out of shock, rather than any genuine humor at the situation. She tried to suppress it, but Jessica had caught the look and scowled.
“Now look,” she said. “I know you’re thinking I’m just some redneck, but this isn’t just about carnal knowledge or marital relations. I’ve seen the girls the boys took with them into those woods. They didn’t always look right when they came back out again, eyes all glazed, stumbling around like they were dead drunk. That family has desires that run as deep and dark as these old mines, and it runs deepest and darkest in their menfolk. Do you understand? You’re either a wife or a trophy to them, and I don’t see a ring on you. Not that it’d save you.”
It didn’t save Noelle, either.
Nadine turned her back on her host, pretending to gather up the pamphlets so she could hide how clumsy her hands had gotten. “Where are the mines, anyway?” she asked, working to keep the sudden flood of emotion from her voice. “I didn’t see any on the drive in.”
“No, you wouldn’t. They’re part of Old Town Argentum, and it’s not super accessible to the public. You know those old storefronts across the street? There’s a trail that goes from there, between the old bar and the general store. If you follow it for about a quarter mile, you’ll see a kiosk and an old mine shaft. That’s where the tours are.”
“Are they open now?”
Jessica seemed to realize she was being dismissed because she settled back on her heels with a displeased frown. “Yes, they’re open. Are you going?”
“I think so. I mean, I might as well.”
The other woman shrugged. “Make sure you take the spare key. I’ll be going over to the Walmart in the next county, so if you forget, nobody will be here to let you in.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
