Emily’s Apartment
Saturday, 9:00 p.m.
Sophie was glad of the excuse to go downstairs and be on her own for a moment. She still hadn’t processed everything that had happened, and she suspected that would take a while. Once she’d washed off the blood on her arm, she was surprised to find no trace of the knife wound. It had healed itself—or perhaps she’d healed it unconsciously. She peeled off her bloody clothes and put on a clean dress before heading back upstairs.
“Are you all set?” she asked Michael and Emily.
Emily gave her a mock salute. “Yes, your highness. We have discussed the cover story.”
Her sister’s words were slightly slurred, but at least she was talking and showing signs of life. “You sound like you’re drunk. Are you okay?”
“I’m exhausted. I haven’t had much sleep. Maybe if I act weary, the cops will leave me alone.”
There was a knock on the door, and Emily muttered, “Places, everyone!” Sophie gave her a quick glare before going to open the door.
“Detective Tanaka,” she said, ushering him inside. “Thank you for coming so quickly.”
“Not a problem. I love it when a case resolves itself.” He went to the sofa, bent over Emily and said, “And I take it this is Miss Emily Drake? It’s good to have you back with us. I’m Detective Tanaka, and I need to ask you a few questions.”
Emily grinned up at him with the smile that had audiences eating out of her hands. “Wow, Detective Tanaka was on my case?” She turned to Sophie. “He’s like Michael’s Yoda.”
Tanaka visibly fought a grin, but lost. “I thought I was more of an Obi-Wan.”
He sat in the chair facing the sofa, and Sophie sat next to her sister, with Michael to her other side. The questions were along the lines of what Sophie had expected, but she concentrated on getting into Tanaka’s mind instead of on listening to the conversation. It was a little more difficult than working with Michael. Tanaka was more guarded and didn’t have the residue of painkillers or extreme emotional turmoil, but finally she found the way in. She nudged him to accept all of Emily’s answers and to be satisfied with the outcome. In no time at all, he wrapped up his questions and stood to go.
Sophie walked him to the door, pausing to say, “I appreciate all you’ve done for us.”
“I have to confess, I was mostly worried about Michael.”
“I understand. This has been very difficult for him.”
“It’s too bad that the connection with Jen’s case didn’t pan out. He had such high hopes.”
“Yes, that is a shame,” she agreed. When the door was safely shut behind him, she leaned back against it and let out a long breath.
“Way to go, Soph!” Emily said. “Oh wait, do you do that all the time, to everyone?”
“I don’t think she can help it,” Michael said, but he was smiling a little, almost fondly. Sophie couldn’t hold back her own smile in response.
“Well, I don’t know about you two, but I am dead. I could use an epic nap,” Emily said, stretching and yawning.
“You can use my bedroom,” Michael said.
“That way we can keep an eye on you,” Sophie added.
“Maybe you should also lock the door,” Emily suggested with a grimace.
Acknowledging that she was struggling was a bad sign, and it worried Sophie. “Michael, do you have your handcuffs?” she asked, trying to keep her tone light.
“It’s not that bad,” Emily said.
“Beau, you go with her,” Sophie said to the dog.
Once Emily and Beau were safely on the other side of the bedroom door, Sophie struggled with what to do next. There were too many things to deal with, and no matter how magical she was, she couldn’t be in more than one place at a time. Then she remembered the tiny creatures who’d helped her win the throne and the lesson she’d learned about asking for help. Forcing herself to disregard a lifelong habit, she turned to Michael and said, “Do you think you can keep her from trying to escape for a while?”
“She won’t get past me,” he assured her.
“I need to go take care of a few things, but I’ll be back.” She headed toward the door, stopped, and turned back toward him. “Thank you for everything you’ve done. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to help more.”
“At least I know she’s alive, and she seems to be happy, even if she isn’t quite herself.”
“I’ll do everything I can,” she assured him. She moved to hug him, then thought better of it. She wasn’t sure she’d be able to make herself let go.
She left the apartment, hurried down the stairs, and went back to the park. The information that had come through the crown remained in her brain, granting her the secrets to the Realm. Emily had been right about her being able to commute, but not just between the real world and the Realm. As she stepped onto the grass in the park, she created a gateway, and then once in the Realm again, she opened another one, this one to her backyard in Louisiana.
She eased open the kitchen door and called out, “Mama? I’m home!”
Her mother met her at the doorway between the kitchen and the hall. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back?”
“I caught an earlier flight, but I’ll have to go back to New York again. Emily needed me to bring her some things. Now, how’s Nana?”
“She’s been asking for you all evening.”
Sophie made her way to the parlor that now served as her grandmother’s room. The frail old woman sat huddled in her armchair, singing softly under her breath. Sophie recognized the song and joined in as she sat on the footstool facing her grandmother and took the wizened hands in her own.
Her grandmother looked at her with eyes clearer than they’d been since Sophie was a teenager. “You did it, then,” she said.
“Yes, Nana, I did it. Thanks to you.”
“Now we can stop singing that gosh-darned song. I was beginning to get tired of it. When you pass it on to your daughters, come up with something new. Tell it as a story.”
“A fairy tale,” Sophie said with a smile.
Her grandmother squeezed her hands. “Yes, a fairy tale.”