“You’re guilty by association.”
“That’s up to a jury to decide. And thanks to Miss Delia’s Semi-Invisibility Charm, it’s not going to come to that.” Tipping the bowl to his mouth, he gulps the last of his milk and then scrapes the last remaining flakes with his spoon.
“I hope so. From what Beau said last night, he’s taking things personally. Which is kind of weird since he’s only a donor. I mean, why would he care if the museum lost the mortar and pirate’s dagger? It’s not like they’re valuable to anyone besides us.”
Belching, Jack shrugs. “You know Beau. His family’s been here so long he thinks he owns everything. Even a museum about the Gullah. But it doesn’t matter what he thinks if he doesn’t have any evidence. Pinning the necklace on the burglars is better than him finding out what really happened.” Shoving his hand in his pocket, he pulls out his third of the broken ruby and rolls it onto the kitchen table. Even though its cuts are jagged and uneven, the stone fragment is dazzling in the morning sunlight.
My thigh heats, just like last night, except now it’s way hotter. Reaching into my pocket, I pull out my own ruby, which strangely feels icy cold to the touch. Once again, I’m totally confused by what my spirit guide is trying to tell me. How the heck am I supposed to interpret hot skin and a cold rock? I’ve already messed up once. With Cooper’s birthday just over three weeks away, I don’t have time to screw up again or he’ll lose his soul.
My fingers freeze and I drop the stone. It bounces, then rolls across the table as if drawn toward Jack’s piece, stopping only when the two pieces click against each other. Like two jigsaw pieces, the fragments are perfectly aligned along the fault line where they split, though the crack is still super obvious.
Jack taps his piece to nudge them apart, but the two fragments remain stuck together. “What the—”
Déjà vu kicks in as I reach over and tug on my piece. It doesn’t budge. Pulling a bit harder, I manage to break apart the bond between the two pieces. I think I understand what’s happening. It’s got nothing to do with the Protective Shield. “Cool. It’s like a lodestone.”
“A what?” Jack asks.
“Lodestone. They’re like natural magnets. Miss Delia has a ton of them. She uses them in all kinds of spells. I think they’re some kind of iron ore or something.”
“But how can a ruby have the same properties as a magnet?”
“I’m not sure but I’m guessing the magic in the ancestors’ mortar seeped into the stone when it exploded. There’s no telling what kind of power it picked up.” And after everything we’ve seen this summer, I’m not about to question it.
The front door creaks opens. Jack and I scoop up our rubies and slip them into our pockets. Dad’s work boots clunk onto the plastic tray by the door and his footsteps pound through the living room.
Moments later, Dad enters the kitchen in his socks. A neat freak, I think he’d rather have a coronary than wear shoes in the house. His face is chiseled with wrinkles and his temples look grayer than normal. I bet he’s been working since dawn.
His eyes brighten when he sees us. “Hey, kids. I’m surprised you’re still around. Figured you’d be out causing trouble with Cooper by now.”
Jack rubs his eyes. “Late night. We’ll probably head out soon. Unless…you need me to stay around and help you some more.” He looks apprehensive, as if he’s only asking to be nice.
Dad laughs, but it’s tinged with weariness. He lifts the coffeepot from the machine on the counter and pours a fresh mug. “Nah. I appreciated your help with the storm cleanup, but now that we’ve repaired the last of the broken shutters, I’ve just got to run to the hardware store for some paint. I might even get to take the afternoon off.”
Jack smiles. “Awesome. ’Cause I didn’t want to deal with any more fallen trees.”
Dad smirks. “I know. It must be tiring watching me chop all that wood.” He takes a swig of coffee. “I’m hungry. You want some pancakes? You haven’t touched that cereal of yours, Emma. And I know you can always eat again, Jack.”
“Heck yeah.” Jack rubs his unfairly flat midsection.
Although my talk with Jack didn’t fix our problems, it has calmed my stomach, at least a little bit. Plus Dad’s homemade pancakes are about the best in the world. “Yeah, that would be great.” I dump the untouched cereal back in the box.
Dad opens the cupboard and pulls a bag of flour, some sugar, and a box of baking powder from the shelf.
The phone rings. Jack jumps to answer, knowing better than to ignore it. No one ever calls on that line except Beau or Missy, and it’s usually to demand something ridiculous. Personally, I don’t get why my father takes their crap, but it’s his job, one he takes very seriously, so we don’t give him too much trouble about it.
“Hello?” Jack’s eyes stretch wide. “Hang on, this isn’t Jed. Let me get my dad.” Covering the mouthpiece, Jack shakes his head. “She’s totally freaking out. Like more than normal. Says it’s an emergency.” He hands over the receiver.
No matter what it is, whether it’s hanging a drape or changing a lightbulb, in Missy’s world, it’s always an emergency. Though considering the argument we witnessed between her and Beau last night, maybe there’s a reason for it.
Dad takes a deep breath before he lifts the phone to his ear. “Yes, Missy, what can I do for you?” I can’t make out her specific words, but from the muffled sounds I can hear, I’m fairly sure she’s crying. Dad’s brow creases. “Slow down. I don’t understand. What’s going on? Is it Beau?” He exhales. “All right. Is it the plumbing? Do you smell gas? Then what’s the problem?” Moments pass before he pinches the bridge of his nose and asks, “What do you mean broken?” More indiscriminate whelps emerge. He sighs. “Okay. I’ve got to run to the hardware store first. I promised Beau I’d finish the shutters today.” Her shrieks pierce through the speaker, causing Dad to yank the phone from his ear.
“It can’t wait.” Missy’s voice screams from the earpiece, nearly as loud as if she was standing right next to us. “Now get over here and do your job. Unless you want to lose it!” She wails then breaks into uncontrollable sobs.
“Okay. Don’t cry. I’ll be right there.” He cuts off the call then stands frozen as if he doesn’t know what to do next.
“What the heck was that about?” Jack brows are quirked.
Dad yanks himself out of his daze and turns to us, a blank look on his face. “I’m going to need to a rain check on that breakfast.”
…
Cooper, Jack, and I exit the hardware store, our arms laden with supplies for my dad. My stomach grumbles. Again.
“Excuse me.” I shift my bags to rub my still-empty and grouchy stomach. After Dad’s freaky call from Missy, I forgot all about breakfast. Instead, Jack and I waited for Cooper to pick us up and then drive into Beaufort to get the paint and other stuff Dad called about after he got to the Big House. I’m not sure why he needs drywall tape and joint compound but there’s never any rhyme or reason to Missy’s demands, so it’s not worth contemplating. It might even be related to the Great Burglar Menace, which means there’s no worry at all.
Jack’s head snaps toward me when my stomach growls again. “Come on, Em. That’s the fourth time in an hour. Can we please get you something to eat? You’re making me hungry. Let’s load this stuff in the car and get a burger or something.” He points across the street to Daisy’s Diner, one of our favorite spots.
Now that he’s mentioned food, the pit in my belly seems to have grown deeper. But we didn’t come out for lunch and, unlike Jack, I can hold out if I have to. “What about Dad?”
“We won’t be long. Heck, we can even take it to go. But if I have to listen to your stomach again, I might go crazy,” Jack says.