Page 93 of A Seer and Present Danger

Jean sat in front of a half-eaten slice of cake and had arranged one of each of the items Hogan was offering fresh today on the table for me.

I laughed at all the treats and started with a drink of coffee.

“I can see,” Yancy said. “Sight fully restored. Thank you for that. I’m afraid I wasn’t really in my right mind. Being blind, even for a short while, really shook my foundations.”

“Big life changes do that.” I picked a random pastry and took a bite. “Oh, my sweet stars. You both better help me eat all this.”

“Hogan can bring you a box,” Jean said. “You can take it home. Or share it with someone later.”

“Good idea. I’m meeting up with Dusi and Jules.”

She pointed her fork at me. “So. It was Aggie after all?”

“Yes. She confessed. She was also blocking the futures, making sure none of us could see them clearly so we wouldn’t catch on to what she was doing.”

“How did you get around that?” Yancy asked. “If you couldn’t see the future, how did you figure out it was her?”

“Well, her pointing a gun at me was my first big clue.” I laughed at his startled expression. “No, I don’t mean it like that. I had wondered if it was her, but there were other people who seemed more likely to hate Hugo and Kenny. I didn’t put two and two together until it was almost too late.”

“Did you use your sight to figure it out in the end?” Jean leaned back, sipping her chai.

“Yes. But not to see the future.”

They both stilled, waiting.

“I looked into the past. I picked one I thought would help and leaned on it with everything I had to make sure it became true.”

Jean tipped her head back and laughed. “That is brilliant! I’ve never heard of that. All this seer stuff is always about the future. No one looks at the past.”

“Nicely done.” Yancy lifted his cup. “To seeing the truth, no matter when it may be!”

“I’ll drink to that,” Jean tapped her cup to his.

I raised mine too. “To friends. We’ve been through bad times, let’s continue in the good times.”

“To friends,” they repeated.

We clinked again, then I got down to the business of telling them every detail they wanted to hear.

* * *

“It was the bear,” Jules said. “Well, I’ll be.”

“Have you seen it?” Dusi asked. “Pandora’s box?”

We were sitting on the back deck of the Rookery. The view of the ocean was stunning, afternoon sun taking its time to meander toward the edge of the world.

“No. Delaney pulled it out of the bear somewhere safe. She told me it was definitely Pandora’s box, though. She wouldn’t tell me what she was going to do with it, but I don’t want to know. I’m sure she’ll put it somewhere safer than buried under a publicly rented storage unit.”

“Hear, hear,” Jules agreed.

“Good,” Dusi said. “I hope it is locked away forever.”

I nodded. “Also, fun news. Buzz agreed to let me become co-owner of the Blue Owl!”

“What?” Jules laughed. “That’s wonderful. If I can help in any way let me know. I’ve waited tables a few times in my life.”

“I could cover your yarn shop when you need it,” Dusi said. “I have time.”