Serpent's Kiss
Page 26

Besides, who did he think he was? Sending the police to get Freddie, not to mention search their house! She needed to shelve some books.
Chapter forty-five
A Mother's Love
Her lovely boy now occupied the empty bedroom in the house that had caused her so much grief as a daily reminder of his absence. She had kept the bedroom orderly and clean - she so wanted it to be pleasant for him - and brought him breakfast in bed every morning so she could watch him wake; it was like seeing the sun rise as he opened his eyes.
Freddie had finally gotten out of that horrendous, torturous Limbo, that land of nothingness, and now he must live and enjoy the pleasures life offered, such as a mother's love. Oh, how he had suffered, the poor child! It was tantamount to being in love, a similar feeling (although the love a mother felt for a child was even more fathomless; it was constant, unwavering). One could throw anything at her now, and it would barely made a dent. She'd forgotten completely about blowing off Harold at Thanksgiving. As for the little matter of the local police, she hadn't been worried for a moment, knowing her boy was innocent and that there was nothing to be found in the attic. These were pesky problems that had been easily solved.
So she did not understand why her girls were acting so histrionic now. The children were gathered in the living room and Ingrid and Freya were practically hysterical.
Joanna sat next to Freddie on the couch, but he subtly inched away. Okay, maybe she was being too clingy? She needed to watch that.
Ingrid stood by the fireplace while Freya faced the glass doors to the deck, staring out toward Gardiners Island, which was presently enshrouded in fog. "Mother, you are acting so ... What's the term, Ingrid?"
"Blinded?"
Freya turned to them. "Yes, and it's like you're drunk or something!"
Joanna did have a permanent smile on her face lately, so one might mistake her for being soused or tipsy - and she herself had caught herself humming once or twice, no real song or tune, just humming. "Drunk?" she said. "No! I'm just happy!"
Ingrid wiped a bit of lint off her skirt. "What Freya is trying to say, Mother, is that this trident business is very important. Whoever destroyed the bridge is extremely powerful and a threat to us, not to mention he or she could be lethal not only to Midgard but the nine worlds of the universe. It's our job to make sure nothing happens. We know you've been ecstatic since Freddie came home, and we need you to stay on course right now."
Joanna rose and threw a log on the fire. She pointed a finger at it, and flames instantly leaped up. She rumpled her hair. The girls were right; there were problems ahead. But couldn't she just enjoy having her son back for now? For just a moment? Besides, she did have something to say about this trident business, but she didn't know if her girls wanted to hear it.
"Freya, if you want my opinion, I'll give it to you."
Freya and Ingrid turned to their mother and stared at her questioningly. Freddie rose and stepped back a bit.
"I think Killian did it," Joanna said plainly.
"Excuse me?"
Joanna ran a hand through her long hair. "Why do you think the pixies couldn't remember him? He put up a wall that night. He seemed so - what? - nonchalant, flippant? He didn't even flinch when the detective held a gun to Freddie's head. I mean, we didn't know that it was Freddie, but still! And you were going to practice black magic on his behalf. Whose influence is that? His!"
"Bu - "
"No. Let me finish. It's all very subtle, Freya. Don't you see? Killian is trying to turn you; meanwhile he's the one who has the pixies under a spell. We've never seen him practice magic, because he doesn't want to show us exactly how powerful he is. Which means he's probably so powerful he doesn't need to wave a wand; he just gives that hypnotic smile of his, and all his little soldiers line up and fight his battle for him." Joanna placed her hands on her hips. "Also, there's the matter of Killian bearing the mark of the trident. How do you explain that? Oh, don't deny it. I heard you whispering at dinner. He's guilty, Freya. The pixies will remember him in time."
Freya's jaw had dropped as she stared at her mother, incensed. "Mother, I can't even begin to address that ..."
Freddie put a hand to his forehead and was shaking his head.
Ingrid held Freya by the shoulders now, steadying her. "Come on, Freya. Don't get into it. Mother doesn't know what she's talking about. It's not Killian."
Freya was huffing, and she let Ingrid guide her away. "Let's get out of here, Ingrid. I need a drive."
"Me, too," said Ingrid. And they moved toward the kitchen as Freddie glared at them pleadingly, but they both looked away from him.
"If that's how you girls want to play it, go ahead! Make camps. Go! But Freya, you know I'm right!" Joanna called to their backs. She headed to her study, where she slammed the door.
Chapter forty-six
Sibling Rivalries
Freya put the Mini in neutral, then turned the key in the ignition when someone began tapping at the passenger window. Ingrid pushed the window button, and Freddie's head popped in.
"Please take me with you!" he pleaded. "Mom's wrong. Killian didn't do it. He's innocent. I know it now. I'm sorry. She's acting crazy and driving me mad. Please take me!" He was hopping from foot to foot, shivering in just a T-shirt and jeans.
Ingrid looked to Freya as if to take her cue.
Freya shrugged. "Get in, but you have a lot of explaining to do! I'm not sure I trust you - whoever you are!"
Ingrid opened her door and stepped out so Freddie could get in.
"Jeez, thanks, girls. I love you! I love you!" He jumped up and down, barefoot, having rushed out of the house after them. He piled into the backseat, but he had to sit crouched sideways because of his height and long legs.
"Maybe we should take Mom's car," Ingrid suggested.
"Let him suffer back there," Freya said. "There are a lot of questions he needs to answer."
Ingrid got back in, moving up her seat to give Freddie more legroom. "Aw, poor kid!"
"Uh! Don't feel sorry for him, Ingrid. Mom has done enough of that," said Freya. "He doesn't need our pity."
"True," said Ingrid. "Can I show you Matt's house? We can drive there."
Freya threw her sister a puzzled look. "You've got to be kidding me! We're not going to stalk him. He acted like a jerk. Leave it for now. Maybe he'll come around." She put the car in first and pulled out of the driveway, heading inland toward the highway to Napeague, where she would go east toward Montauk.
Ingrid kicked at the floor. "I know. I don't know why I said that. It just came out. I don't want to have anything to do with him anymore." She looked down at herself.
"Good!" said Freya, squeezing her sister's knee. She was glad the channels of communication had been flowing between them again. She had longed for that for quite a while. It was so good to have Ingrid back, not to have to hide anything from her, and it was especially good to act as a confidante for her older sister's love troubles. That was a change! Ingrid had always been there for her in that regard, and now Freya could finally return the support, care, and kind words, as well as a little tough love when needed; it had always felt so uneven, always weeping on Ingrid's shoulder, leaning in toward her gentle, reassuring hands. Now she could offer the same.
Shame on Matt - Freya was furious with him. How dare he! No one should ever hurt Ingrid; it was appalling to even imagine. How could he have been so cowardly as to send the other officers to do his dirty work, arresting Freddie and searching the house. The bastard.
"Maybe it was my fault," Ingrid added. "I did kind of put a spell on him, but I hadn't meant to."
"It was just a harmony spell, Ingrid!" said Freya. "No harm in that. It was for the family. Come, come. We'll talk about it later. I promise. Let's take care of this Freddie business for now."
"All right, let's," she said, smiling sadly at Freya.
The sky had tinged pink and orange as the sun set behind them. They needed to leave North Hampton, the pocket. It felt claustrophobic to Freya. Mother had made it so. Her accusation of Killian had been a slap in the face, and she was still smarting from it. She saw Freddie in the rearview mirror looking glum.
The car had already grown warm, and she cracked her window for a little air. Joanna had truly pissed her off. She glimpsed at Freddie in the rearview again. He always looked so innocent; it was hard to have any ill will against her twin. But still, she needed to know if he was truly Freddie and what he had been up to.
"First off," she said, "you lied to me. You said you never left the Ucky Star, but I saw you when I was taking out the trash at the North Inn. I saw you in that back alley. Now we know the pixies saw you outside, too."
"Yeah," sighed Freddie. "That was me. I only left the motel twice and only when it was dark at night. You and the pixies must have seen me on one of those nights. You see, if you'll forgive me for talking about it, I am very much in love with Hilly Liman - "
"I know that," cut in Freya.
"Who's Hilly Liman?" asked Ingrid.
Freddie inhaled a huge breath. "Oh, my god, Ingrid, she's incredible ..."
"Enough!" exclaimed Freya, slapping the driver's wheel. "Get to the point, Freddie! Don't distract him, Ingrid." They had entered a forest, and the trees shadowed the road. Freya flicked on the headlights. A deer was running gracefully along the side of the road, then darted into the trees.
Freddie rearranged himself in the back. "Well, you see, Hilly's dad is ... um ... very protective of his daughter. And I really want to marry the girl!"
Ingrid swung around, leaning over her seat. "That's so great, Freddie!"
"Shh, let him continue. We really need to clear this up," said Freya, reaching over to her sister to give Ingrid a gentle pat. Freddie had a way of distracting everyone from the point sometimes. He was kind of like the pixies.
He continued. "Mr. Liman, Hilly's dad, thinks I'm a slacker ... a playboy ..."
Freya laughed. "He isn't wrong, is he?" She was driving fast, and she took a sharp swerve on the road, and they all knocked about in the little car.
Freddie came back up and leaned forward. "Well, Hilly thought that if I got a good job, her dad would think more highly of me. One night she hooked me up with her dad's partner. It was supposed to be on the down low; her dad didn't even know about it yet. She drove me to the French restaurant, where the partner was having dinner. He met me in the back alley, we talked about the job, a kind of meet and greet, and then Hilly drove me back to the motel. I went back a second time to see the fellow to sort out some loose ends. He seems to like that particular restaurant."
"Okay," said Freya. "But what did you mean when you said to Hilly, 'It won't be long now'?"
"You heard that? Jeez!"
"I was spying!"
"She's pretty, isn't she?" asked Freddie. "Hilly?"
Freya exhaled a sigh of frustration. "Freddie!"
Freddie continued. "What I meant was the guy had offered me the job, and it wouldn't be long till I started working for him and that her dad would approve of me more, and Hilly and I could be together soon - without having to worry."
Ingrid spoke. "What kind of job?"
The little car exited the forest and the left side of the road gave way to a silvery beach. Freya pulled up on the shoulder and abruptly stopped the car, pulling the safety break.
The man was a sea captain, Freddie explained, and the job entailed going on a last tuna run. Freddie had always been enamored of the sea and sailing, so he was quite excited about it. The boat was leaving in a fortnight, but apparently there were still some arrangements to be made, a contract of some sort that required signing before Freddie departed.
The motor of the car clicked as it cooled. Suddenly this little nook felt like a respite to Freya. All right, so Freddie had lied, but only because he was in love and Freya of all people was very familiar with that feeling.
"I have another question," Ingrid piped in. "Who was the lawyer who came to the precinct?"
"Good one!" Freya glanced at her brother in the rearview to find him checking himself out in the mirror. Still vain old Freddie. If anything it just confirmed it was her brother in the car and not Loki.
"Hilly sent that lawyer. Mom gave me her cell when they took me away, and the first chance I got, I called Hilly, and that lawyer helicoptered in from the city - just for me. Cool, right?"
"I guess," said Freya flatly.
They got out of the car. Freya and Ingrid threw on their coats, while Freddie shivered. Freya checked the trunk, found one of Killian's sweaters, and handed it to her brother. The three of them walked toward the beach, Ingrid in the middle, and she reached out for their hands. Once they were all connected, Freya sensed the magic running through them like an electrical current. For a moment, she felt whole and carefree. She tugged at them and ran ahead on the beach, still holding hands. She felt like they were kids again, and all their troubles seemed to suddenly dissipate in the open air. It was going to be all right. Freddie and Killian were both in the clear. The pixies had seen to that. Freddie had been set up, but not by Killian. Even Ingrid began to laugh as they ran.
They all plopped down in the sand, one after the other, laughing, and looked out at the glorious sky, pink bleeding into orange, slate blue above and, below, indigo waves splashing down with an unstoppable force.