Tensions were high in the days after the article was published. The analysis of the ring had caused quite a stir in the nation. Initially, some people were blowing it off as some sort of strange fraud, but the ring kept changing hands, being evaluated by different groups.

They all concluded it was definitely diamond, and no one had any idea how it could possibly have been crafted. The ring was then passed on to the US Military for safekeeping and further evaluation. With the continuing assurance of authenticity, it became a favorite topic for newspapers and radio shows to discuss.

I even had the displeasure of hearing Professor Rhine have several interviews on the radio, talking about his “expertise” and the specific events leading to the ring’s acquisition.

For my part, it seemed hiding in a corner and profusely apologizing at every opportunity was the best I could manage.

Lou and Slick were frustrated with me. Alice didn’t know what to do, and she didn’t exactly thrive with the stress.

Alice lost her patience with Slick and exploded at him. Though that actually proved beneficial. The fool had believed that she’d separated from him because of his band doing poorly, and it was only in her raw anger that he was able to face the real issue - his drinking, and giving up on life. She wanted the real Slick back.

Love for her gave him the drive, now that what was obvious had finally gotten through to him. He had the major advantage of having a will of steel, and unbreakable determination. It was a relief for us all. It would be challenging for him, but none of us had any doubt that he’d succeed, now that he’d finally set his sights on something again.

The economy wasn’t in great shape, yet, and so he got the fastest job he could find - back at the docks that he used to work at. An old friend of his was the boss, now.

He found it depressing to be working there again, but the pay was profoundly better. There was a minimum wage, now, and a labor union. They couldn’t hire underage workers, which massively cut into their work force. Between that and the union, they had to treat their workers with some modicum of respect.

At the same time, he made a commitment to stop drinking as much. Along with that, Alice tried to get me to forcibly remove the alcohol from his blood at any time I noticed he was intoxicated. Slick objected, so we compromised on forcibly removing it every time he was a drunken ass. For some reason, he refused to allow me to treat any of his withdrawal symptoms.

Which was fine, really. Withdrawal symptoms usually originate in the brain, and aside from fixing small bits of damage, there wasn’t much I could have done.

They also all generally disapproved of me leaving the house, except to make things at the pawn shop. I made an especially large amount of goods, so that I’d need to make fewer trips.

They wanted to keep me safe, they said, and in so doing, they kept me caged.

Each day was a torment. There were things I needed to do, that I wanted to do, and I felt I wasn’t able to do anything at all.

I needed to contact the mob that had attacked me. They knew where I lived, they could reveal me. And why wouldn’t they? Lou and Slick insisted that I do nothing, absolutely convinced I’d only make it worse.

I didn’t know what to expect. A letter of blackmail seemed the most reasonable. Or perhaps someone would just show up. Maybe one of my companions would disappear, and a letter would follow.

Fear had paralyzed me. Fear of making the wrong choice. So I just did… nothing. I kept the house clean. I worked on enchantments. The fact that I had to control my emotions to do magic made these things a natural escape. In the moment of casting, I can feel nothing, be nothing but the moment, the reality I will to exist.

Useless, senseless escapism. But what else was I supposed to do?

-----------------

Dorothy was tidying up behind the counter when she heard the door open. She glanced up, expecting to see more customers, but her smile stilled when she saw the man standing there.

Military uniform, confidence, sharp focus. An officer.

“Attention, everyone,” the officer said in a thick Russian accent, “I need to speak with the proprietor of this shop in private. Please take your shopping elsewhere for the time being.”

Dorothy’s smile tightened a little. This was a man who didn’t know his place. Alice looked concerned.

“Head upstairs, dear,” Dorothy said to Alice. “I can handle this.”

Alice nodded and went up into the workshop.

The officer walked up to her, his greying hair almost seeming to emphasize his serious expression. She gave him a perfect grandmotherly expression.

“Are you Mrs. Hill?” he asked.

“Mrs. Hill?” she asked, letting her voice shake a little, as though with age. “Hmm. I believe so, yes. It’s so hard to remember sometimes, what with having been married so many times. My friends call me Dorothy.”

“Very well, Dorothy,” he said.

“Ms. Hill,” she said, smiling.

He hesitated.

“Ms. Hill,” he began.

“Not Missus,” she said, pretending not to notice he’d said it correctly. “All my husbands died.”

“Ah… yes,” he said, unsettled. “I was hoping to ask you a few questions.”

“Oh, I’m aware,” she said, letting a faint hint of threat enter her tone. “You made it quite clear, with how you entered my property and threw out my customers. You wouldn’t happen to remember what law it was that lets you do that, would you? My, I’m getting so forgetful.”

His eyes tightened in response. She smiled beatifically at him.

“Mrs. Hill, I don’t intend to take up too much of your time,” he said. “There is no reason to get caught up in technicalities. I am here to inquire about a few matters.”

“No need to be hasty,” she said. “You know my name, and it’s only polite to tell me yours, as well.”

“My apologies, Mrs. Hill,” he said, dipping his head politely. “My name is Lieutenant Pash.”

“Very good, Lieutenant. Now, what was it you were hoping that I might be able to help you with?” she asked.

“First, I would like to know the means by which you produce your goods,” he said.

“As all of our customers know, we get some goods in by buying them from our customers. The rest we acquire from the junkyard, and have repaired,” she said.

“This process of repairing,” he said. “I would like to examine your shop and your means of doing so.”

“Why, most certainly,” she said, giving him another charming smile. “As soon as you have a warrant.”

“While I do not have a warrant at the moment, allow me to reassure you that this matter is of interest to the US military,” he said. “There is reason to believe that the repair work done in your shop may be irregular. None of the speculations that we have are illegal in nature, and neither you nor any of your fellows are at any risk in this investigation. As such, I ask again if I may see your shop.”

“So very hasty,” she said with a forlorn expression, before looking cheery again. “I’ll tell you how this is going to go. We can try this again on another day. You can make an arrangement to come in when the shop isn’t open, when there are no customers to send out, and I’ll show you all around upstairs. We can sit and have some tea. I make excellent cookies. Do you like cookies?”

“That sounds very good, Mrs. Hill,” he said, clearly holding back a sigh. “Perhaps this evening, after the shop closes?”

“I’ll be quite tired then, I’m afraid,” she said. “I am getting so very old, after all. Don’t get old, Lieutenant, it’s really quite uncomfortable.”

His expression tightened.

“What time would be best for you?” he asked.

“Let me see,” she said, humming to herself. “Before we get to that, what was the other thing you wanted to ask me about?”

He suppressed an annoyed look.

“I’d rather ask my questions and have them answered immediately, Mrs. Hill,” he said. “If you intend to delay our discussion, we will simply discuss the matter later.”

“I don’t much like surprises, Lieutenant,” she said, leaning on the table. “My third husband was a Colonel, did you know? Good man. Sometimes. Always talked about his work. The military is such a strict place, I hear.”

He suppressed another sigh.

“May I have your assurance that you will discuss what you know with me when we meet?” he asked.

“That rather depends on what you’re asking, isn’t it?” she asked. “I wouldn’t hesitate to tell you things that are mine to tell, but I can’t help but think you’re after a bit of gossip.”

“This investigation is about significant matters, Mrs. Hill,” he said.

“Then you’ll tell me what it is you want to know,” she said.

“...very well,” he said, frowning. “There is a young woman with whom you are frequently said to keep company. The information I have on her is limited, but I understand her name is Aera Koryn. I wish to learn more about her.”

“She’s a charming young lady, isn’t she?” Dorothy said with an absent smile. “Rather young for you, of course. And I don’t think you’re her type. But I suppose I can answer a question or two, not that it’ll do you any good.”

His smile was strained.

“That is appreciated, Mrs. Hill. Now, as for the time we should meet?”

“Oh, you military folks are always in a rush, aren’t you?” she said. “Wednesday morning, Alice helps me to set up in the shop. With her help, there’s ever so much less to do. It’s nice to have good help. First thing in the morning, at six, would be a lovely time to have tea.”

“Very well, then, Mrs. Hill,” he said. “I look forward to discussing with you in two days.”

“I’m sure the conversation will be as charming as you are,” she said sweetly. “Careful with the door on your way out. It’s been known to thump into asses.”

He just smiled and quickly made his way out the door. As soon as the door closed behind him, Dorothy went to the phone. That poor girl had a problem heading her way.

----------------

“It’s coming down on us, just as we thought it would,” Lou said, after she got off the phone.

“What’s happening?” I asked.

“Slick’s at work,” she said, musing. “I’ll call him and let him know what’s up. And Alice already knows… let me think. I don’t think there’s anyone else we need to worry about.”

“Let him know what?” I asked.

She shook her head.

“Dorothy called from the shop. The military was there, asking questions about you. We need to cover our tracks right away.”

“The military? They’re asking about me, in particular?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Lou said, rubbing at her forehead. “You in particular, Aera.”

“I see,” I said. “And covering our tracks? What do you mean?”

Of all the things I’d been trained on, hiding was not on the list.

“Dorothy’s got a collection of tools for making things in the pawn shop,” Lou said. “A good bunch of it is her own, though she’s picked up a few extra things over the last few months, what with everything going on. As far as us, if an investigator comes to our house, they might look around, and it’s important they don’t find anything.”

“My lab,” I said. “My garden. I’ll need to hide them.”

Lou nodded and had a pained look on her face.

“My lab can be hidden, by sealing the entryway,” I said slowly. “But my garden…”

“I’m sorry, Aera,” she said.

We were silent for a long moment

“You’re sure this is necessary, Lou?” I asked, a note of pleading in my voice. “You’re sure, absolutely sure, that I must continue to hide, even now? You’re certain there is no other way…?”

“I’m sure,” she said. “We’ve got to keep you safe.”

My gaze fell to the floor and my heart ached.

That night, moonlight shone on my face as I proceeded with the wretched labor. The thorny, enchanted wall of rosebushes retreated, and within lay the circle of my sacred haven. I couldn’t bear to hurt the flowers themselves, yet, so I focused my initial efforts on the various enchantments.

An eternally flowing stream and waterfall stilled into a deep puddle, then began to seep into the dirt. Dust covered the stone walkway, no longer kept unendingly clean. Flickering lights, like fireflies, no longer illuminated the shadows. My various protections and supports, invisible to the mundane eye in all ways but effect, faded into nothingness.

Slowly, achingly, I turned my attention onto my creations. Colors dimmed into plain hues. Petals withdrew, and shapes shifted into what I could remember from various flower shops I’d seen.

I left the roses of fire and ice, that had marked my most precious and painful moments with Benjamin, to the last. I saved one of each, merging their stems, to hide away. The rest of the roses faded until that spot was magical only in memory.

As I walked back to the house, I turned to face it one last time. The only place that mattered to me in all the world… the only piece of this Earth with any real connection to my own person, to my world…

It was gone.

Cold bitterness touched my soul as I turned back to the house. I couldn’t accept this.

“I cannot keep hiding,” I told them, the next evening, at dinner. “In a sense, I’ve known this all along, but with my garden… I just cannot continue.”

“That’s it, then?” Slick asked. “You’re just going to come out, and be done with us?”

“I don’t mean that,” I said, looking away.

“Then what do you mean?” Lou asked.

“You saw what happened with the club. With the mob,” I said. “When the moment comes… I had to act. I must act. I will act. This is unchangeable. This is who I am.”

“Okay,” Slick said. “Which means what?”

“We have to come up with a plan,” I said. “I don’t have to come forward immediately - I do fully understand that plans take time. But we must have a way forward.”

“We have a plan,” Lou said. “After the war, when things aren’t so screwed up, we can find a safe way for you to come forward.”

“After the war,” I said, giving her a look. “And how long will that be? Wars can take many years.”

“So maybe it’ll take years,” Lou said. “You need to be patient, Aera.”

“I’m tired of being patient,” I said. “Yes, I understand that I’ve only decided that I’m committing to this world a mere few months ago. But that doesn’t mean that these last four years haven’t weighed on me. I accepted being trapped in this situation because I viewed myself as being trapped in this world -”

“Trapped?” Lou said. “These last few years? Aera, you’ve had a crazy good job, getting paid good money for just a few hours a week. You’ve been going out on the town doing whatever you want, by yourself, or with Alice, or with Benjamin, for years. You’ve had your garden. You’ve been living damned well.”

“But I have had very little in the way of choice,” I said.

“What do you mean, Aera?” Alice said. “These years, you’ve done all sorts of things, all your own choice.”

“The kind of life most people would give just about anything to live, it’s not good enough for you?” Lou asked.

“I don’t mean to be ungrateful,” I said. “And it’s not been miserable or anything, but…”

“But what?” Slick asked.

I didn’t know how to say what the problem was. Or maybe… maybe they were right? Maybe I was being unreasonable, feeling trapped like this?

Still, I couldn’t help but feel that almost every decision I’d made in these last years had been only on trivial, superficial things. Meaningful decisions weren’t mine to make. I couldn’t go anywhere, I couldn’t plan my future. I didn’t know how to put any of these feelings into words.

“I don’t know how to describe it,” I said. “It has been pleasant, yes, but it has been confining.”

“Back to the point, though,” Lou said. “You’ve decided that you want to have a different life, as of two months ago. I get that. You happen to decide this right as a massive war gets underway. Lots of people don’t get to live the lives they want, especially now, with the war screwing up plans. Maybe it feels long, Aera, but the world’s going to be changing over the next few years. And you’ve said that you can extend your life to hundreds of years. This shouldn’t be a big deal.”

“And if I can’t do this?” I said. “If I find myself in a situation like the club fire, or with the mob again, and I must act?”

“Sometimes life messes up plans,” Lou said. “If it happens, it happens, but it’s not something to aim for.”

“I guess,” I said, feeling deflated.

“Cheer up, Aera,” Alice said. “We can go catch a movie tomorrow. How does that sound?”

Incredibly trivial and pointless, I thought.

“It sounds nice, Alice,” I said. “We can do that.”

I was silent for the rest of the evening.

Seven o’clock on Wednesday morning, October 25th, there was another knock on the door. It was becoming a bit of an ominous sound.

As planned, Lou answered it.

Though I couldn’t help but peek out the front window, from the sitting area.

In the morning fog was a black car, and it looked like someone was still in the driver’s seat, though I couldn’t make out the details. He was wearing a uniform.

A thick accent came from the front door.

“Greetings, Ms. Williams,” the voice said.

“What can I do for you?” Lou asked.

“My name is Lieutenant Pash,” he said. “I would like to speak to the members of your household about a few matters, if I may.”

“Might be a bit tough,” she said. “Slick Williams, head of the house, is off to work soon.”

“If he calls his work, he will find that he has the day off, paid,” Pash replied coolly.

“Is that so?” Lou said. “I guess we’ll have to call.”

“In the meantime, may I come inside for our discussion?” he asked.

Immediately, I decided that I liked him more than Buddy.

“Sure,” Lou said, sounding uneasy.

I darted out of the sitting room, and instead listened in from the kitchen.

Their footsteps moved from the door, and I heard the cushions shift as someone sat down.

“Would you be so kind as to gather the other members of this household?” Pash asked.

“Fine,” Lou said, and a moment later, she walked past me, through the kitchen.

I raised an eyebrow at her, but she shook her head.

She went upstairs and got Slick. I heard murmured voices upstairs, and then they came down. Slick made a quick phone call from right next to me, and he looked a little paler at the confirmation that he was off work.

“Welcome, Oscar Williams,” Pash said, as Slick moved into the room. “Please, have a seat. Is that the entire household?”

“Everyone on the mortgage,” Lou said.

I suppressed a smile. We didn’t even have a mortgage.

“I see,” Pash said.

I couldn’t resist the temptation. I peeked from around the corner.

The confidence on his face was the first thing I noticed. Not the self-assured haughtiness of Rhine, nor the grinning arrogance of Buddy, Pash’s confidence looked calm, and somehow absolute.

He was middle aged, perhaps in his mid forties. Or whenever grey started appearing in men’s hair, at any rate. Despite what I’d grown accustomed to, he looked remarkably healthy and clean. Not to the degree of magic use, but still quite sharp. His hair and shave were clean cut, and there wasn’t a speck of dust on him. I couldn’t see details of his body beneath the tailored lines of his uniform, but his posture and body language gave an impression of strength and fitness.

I couldn’t see his eyes, as they were focused on Lou.

“Louise and Oscar Williams,” Pash said, his expression both serious and relaxed. “You’ve had an interesting few years, it would seem.”

“Life’s busy. What are your questions?” Lou asked.

“There’s no reason to be so concerned with time,” Pash said. “I spoke to Ms. Hill this morning, and she is quite able to run the shop with Ms. Walker’s assistance. There are a few matters for us to discuss.”

It had been a while since I’d heard Alice’s last name.

“Maybe, uh, I’ll go get a drink then,” Slick said. “Would you like anything while I’m up?”

“Some vodka would be excellent,” Pash said.

“Yeah, can do,” Slick said.

Slick looked very nervous as he walked past me into the kitchen. It was silent in the sitting room, and it looked like Lou was losing the staring contest. Pash didn’t even look like he was having a staring contest. Lou’s expression was tight.

When Slick sat down, Pash spoke again.

“Thank you for the drink,” he said. “Now, let’s see. From the information I have gathered, it would appear that you two had a typical, challenging time of life until September of 1935.”

“That so,” Lou said.

“Indeed. According to a few individuals, including Slick’s coworkers, Slick found a beautiful woman in the river and rescued her. A refugee, apparently, though no one has mentioned from where she has fled.”

“Don’t hear any questions yet,” Lou said.

“Be patient, Ms. Williams, it will be clear soon enough,” he said. “There are no official records of her in any capacity - she has no driver’s license, no social security number, has no reported income or taxes, and no listed phone number. One might assume she doesn’t exist at all, though I have been led to understand that she resides at this very address.”

“Right,” Lou said. “She’s not officially a resident here, but I can get her, if you like.”

“That would be most excellent, Louise Williams,” he said.

As soon as she moved, I stood up and adjusted my appearance a little. I wanted to look more put together and clean cut, to match him. Lou seemed to ignore me and went straight to the coffee. I heated up the water for her, and for once, she didn’t seem to even notice the use of magic.

A few minutes later, we both went out to the sitting room.

“Ah, Ms. Aera Koryn,” Pash said, giving me a small smile. “You are just as lovely as all the reports say.”

“Thank you, Lieutenant,” I said, smiling in return, but the look in his eyes had chilled me to the bone.

He was a predator.

“Now that the most involved members have gathered, I thought I would share with you all a few of my findings,” he said, sitting back a little, as though entirely at ease.

I sat down across from him, and tried not to shiver every time he met my eyes.

“No doubt you all are quite familiar with the recent national discussion on ‘the Impossible,’ as shared by Professor Rhine,” he said.

“Yeah,” Lou said. “We spoke to Rhine. He’s an idiot.”

“He has come to some rather questionable conclusions,” Pash said. “Though the evidence is truly compelling.”

With that, he pulled out the ring, and I felt myself sinking into my seat. Slick took a deep swig of his whiskey.

“Would you care to look at it?” Pash asked, handing it to me.

I took it and smiled awkwardly. After looking at it for what I thought was the correct amount of time, I handed it to Lou.

“Fancy,” she said, and held it up for Slick to see, if he wanted. He shook his head, so she idly tossed it back to Pash. “What’s it got to do with us?”

“Patience, Ms. Williams,” he said. “I am the officer tasked with the investigation into Rhine’s claims. To that end, my inquiries have extended to looking for other oddities in Boston which might relate. The fire at the Cocoanut Grove was a rather interesting series of reports to look over.”

“That’s been investigated already,” Lou said.

“Correct, though you are no doubt aware that occasionally people miss details when they don’t know what they’re looking for,” Pash said. “Professor Rhine’s investigation has been useful to that end, but his investigation had a certain limitation that mine does not.”

His eyes met mine again, and everyone was silent. He was waiting.

“What would that be?” I asked, uneasily.

“He makes many assumptions, Ms. Koryn,” he said, with another slight smile. “For instance, among many other points, I do not believe ‘The Impossible’ must be male.”

“Ah,” I said, helpfully.

“How progressive of you,” Lou said curtly, while Slick took another nervous swig.

Pash’s eyes condemned Lou for a moment before returning to me. I couldn’t meet his gaze, and instead watched my thumbs intently.

“Rhine’s investigation led me to Mr. Williams as a prime suspect, as you are aware,” he said, scrutinizing each of us in turn. “I took his investigation further, and looked into Mr. Williams’s history and associations, leading to examining his family, and a rather curious acquaintance. That proved a more difficult lead to follow, but in examining Ms. Williams’ known connections, I discovered a rather interesting character named Kito Bello.”

Lou’s expression hardened, but she didn’t flinch.

“He was remarkably loathe to discuss with me,” Pash said, with a sip of vodka. “In my profession, I am accustomed to seeing people afraid of the military, but Mr. Bello only seemed to show signs of fear when Ms. Koryn was brought up. He refused to share any but the most basic of details, no matter what protections were offered.

“After discussing with him, I looked into the matter of his leg. The case was dropped as unsolved. When I looked at the details of the case, I noticed that the bullet was 0.357 inches wide. That matched a detail elsewhere on my desk - a gun which had originally been registered to Ms. Hill, and subsequently registered to Ms. Louise Williams, shortly after her 18th birthday. An interesting… coincidence, I’m sure.”

Slick looked terrified, but Lou hadn’t changed her expression. Pash shared a slight smile again.

“I wonder, Ms. Williams, what I might find, were I inclined to investigate that matter in particular,” he said.

“Get to the point,” she said.

“All in good time,” he said. “Between Mr. Kito Bello and Mr. Domiano Bianchi, the only things they were willing to share about your beautiful companion was her name, that she was a refugee, and had been here since September of 1935. Given the fear evidenced by both parties, it seemed worthwhile to find if there were any connections with local gang activity.”

Slick made a strange noise, and Lou broke her staring contest with Pash in order to glare at him for it. I just bit my lip.

“Imagine my surprise to discover that even the infamous Buddy McCarthy, in charge of the entire local Irish Mob, showed signs of fear.”

“He is in charge?” I asked, stunned out of my silence. “Surely you jest! He was an idiot! I’d thought him only some presumptuous fool in charge of a small band of thugs.”

Pash laughed, while Lou glared at me.

“What?” I said. “How could anyone find him impressive?”

“Some people find guns intimidating,” Pash said wryly. “In any case, money is the favorite language of the Mob, and they were willing to share some rather curious details with me. Even then, they were hesitant to say more than that this house had been marked as the residence of the ‘Jewish Witch.’”

“Excuse me?” I said, stunned again. “I am not Jewish!”

“Aera,” Lou said, almost a growl.

“... and I’m not a witch,” I added, crossing my arms irritably.

“With your pale skin and dark hair, the mixup is understandable,” Pash said. “Though those are the only traits I can see that you share with that lineage. Further, I’ve traveled most of the world, and I have never heard an accent quite like yours. If you are not Jewish, Ms. Koryn, where do you come from?”

“Er… far away,” I said, awkwardly. “You wouldn’t have heard of it.”

“My knowledge of geography is quite extensive,” he said, and his eyes compelled me.

But I couldn’t speak. I swallowed uneasily and looked down. We were all silent for a moment. Pash seemed to take that as an answer.

“A few of the interesting claims that the Mob made were that the Jewish Witch could throw bullets with her mind, was immune to bullets herself, and was able to heal others,” Pash said. “It sounds like a rather interesting encounter.”

“They showed up, looked for an old companion of ours, were assholes, and then left,” Lou said. “No one was hurt. Not all that interesting. Are we done here?”

Pash smiled at her, and I felt a threat in that smile. I wanted to speak, to do something, but…

“Your home is beautiful,” Pash said, his attention on the others, to my relief. “It has been a point of curiosity for your neighbors, considering that the home was unlivable when it was purchased, and over the course of a few months, became pristine. None of them ever heard or saw any construction. I’m rather curious, who did you contract?”

“Friends and family,” Lou said. “And that’s none of your business, besides.”

“It seems your ‘friends and family’ made a small error,” he said. “Perhaps you were not aware that you are to file any significant changes with a revised blueprint for the city?”

“Didn’t know that,” Lou said, smiling and trying not to grit her teeth, with limited success. “Thanks for the tip. We’ll get on that straight away.”

“Very good,” he said. “It would be a shame for you to face legal complications from so trivial an issue. Truly, though, this house is quite charming. Might you be willing to show it to me?”

“Fine,” Lou said, and stood up.

Slick got up too quickly and staggered a little. He’d been better about not drinking, but he was still quick to fall to it when stressed, and he’d had far too much.

Pash walked right beside me as Lou gave him a curt tour of the house. He asked to see outside, and my heart twisted.

We stepped out into the sunshine, where all the fog had burned away, and I forlornly looked at the wreckage of my garden. The plain, mundane flowers were a mockery of the magnificence that had been here days before. A dozen varieties grew, marking the outline of the arrangement of my haven.

But at least it was ordinary.

“Most interesting,” Pash said, stepping forward to examine one particular flower. He plucked it, making my hand clench, to examine it closer.

“My daughter’s favorite flowers are marigolds,” he said, turning the flower around to examine it carefully. “And I’ve given my wife roses many times over the years. It’s rather unusual to see what appears to be a marigold with the stem and leaves of a rose.”

“... oh,” I said.

My face fell and I looked at the ground. I’d not really tried to mimic normal plants perfectly. Had I destroyed my garden for nothing…?

“I’m sure you won’t mind if I keep this,” he said, putting the flower in his pocket. “If you would be so kind as to show me the basement?”

“Look, inspector, you’re really overstaying your welcome,” Lou said, crossing her arms. “You’ve shown off, you’ve seen the house, you’ve seen all the work on it. The basement is just storage. We’ll file the blueprints. Are you done?”

Instead of answering, Pash looked at me. I looked down again, still unable to meet his gaze. After a long moment, he spoke.

“I see. Very well, then, that will be all for today. I thank you for your time,” he said, inclining his head at each of us in turn. “I am working with Professor Rhine at the moment. I will be returning soon, to ensure the blueprints are up to date. If you have anything you need to discuss, you know how to reach me.”

With that, he gave me that predatory smile again, and set off. Lou tried to say something to me, but I needed to watch him leave.

Through the sitting room window, I watched a uniformed young man salute him as he got into the car. The young man started the car and began to drive.

I curled into a ball on the sofa. I watched in silence as the fox was driven out of sight.