Chapter 34
It was over two miles from Starland Yard to Monterey Square, and she ran the whole way. By the time she knocked at the Loefflers’ door, her T-shirt was damp, her hair plastered to her neck. Mrs. Leimberger, in her ever-present gray suit, answered.
“Hi, Mrs. Leimberger. Is Sailor around?” Ingrid asked, panting.
“Hello, Miss White.” Mrs. Leimberger stared at her, no expression on her face. “It’s been a busy day here.”
Ingrid hesitated. “I know. I heard. I just wanted to see how Sailor was doing.”
“She’s not feeling well. You should go home.” Mrs. Leimberger started to shut the door, but Ingrid put out a hand to block it. Mrs. Leimberger pursed her lips. “Excuse me, Miss White. I’m not going to ask you again—”
“Please,” Ingrid said. “Please, Mrs. Leimberger. You have to tell her I’m here. Just ask her to come talk to me for a minute. Just one minute. I’ll stay out here on the porch.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Leimberger. I’ll handle this,” came a soft voice from behind the house manager.
Sailor appeared in the doorway. She had been crying, it was obvious. Her eyes were red, her face, puffy. She glanced at Mrs. Leimberger, dismissing her with a nod. When the woman was gone, Sailor turned her gaze to Ingrid.
“What do you want?” Sailor’s flat voice matched the look in her eyes.
“I just heard what happened, and I wanted to come check on you. To see how you were doing.”
“I’m terrible; that’s how I’m doing.” Sailor’s swollen face remained stony. She hooked her hair behind an ear and sniffed.
“I’m so sorry, Sailor. It’s terrible.”
“You’re right,” Sailor said. “It is terrible. And not what I asked you to do.”
“Wait. No. I mean … I don’t understand.”
Sailor threw a look over her shoulder and squeezed the door closer to her body. “You did this, didn’t you?” Her voice was a harsh whisper.
Ingrid’s mouth opened, but no words came out.
Sailor’s eyes were watery slits. “How can you just stand there, on my doorstep, acting like you’re so innocent?”
“You asked me—” Ingrid began.
“That wasn’t what I meant, Ingrid!” she snapped, then glanced around apprehensively.
She lowered her voice. “This is not what I wanted. For her to drive drunk. To hit someone. To almost kill them. My mother never drives drunk. She has a chauffeur, for God’s sake.
” Her eyes scrunched up and her mouth opened into an ugly gash.
“How could you do this to her, Ingrid? To all of us?”
“I didn’t do this. I didn’t want it to happen. Sailor, I swear. I would never.”
But something had settled over Sailor, an expression that was both somehow upset and at the same time detached. “You did do it. You did it, Ingrid. Don’t lie to me. You took her picture from this house, and you did a spell.”
A chill coursed through Ingrid. “You gave me the picture. You asked me to do the spell.”
Sailor’s red eyes drifted past her. She was quiet for a long moment, then said in a steady voice, “No, I didn’t.”
Ingrid flinched like she’d been hit in the face.
“You stole the picture,” Sailor said in an odd, detached voice. “You stole it and did a spell and put some kind of curse on my mother. I don’t even know what to say. Our family is devastated.”
Ingrid could only search her friend’s face, looking for a shred of something she recognized.
Looking for a glimmer of her love and loyalty.
But she saw only a wall holding back her pain.
Her pain and her clear hatred. Ingrid couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
Was this really how it was going to end?
she thought desperately. With such a simple and obvious lie?
“I don’t want you coming here anymore, Ingrid,” Sailor said stiffly. “I don’t want to see you or talk to you.” She lifted herself up, drew in a deep breath. “Neither does my brother.”
Ingrid’s face must’ve registered her shock, because Sailor started nodding her head quickly, her chin bobbing up and down almost maniacally.
“That’s right. I know you’ve got a thing for him.” She sucked in her cheeks.
Ingrid swallowed.
“You know it’s his thing. The sexting. He’s done it with girls in our crowd, but also girls he’d never date, much less marry. It gets him off in some disgusting way. He’s also done it to a few of my friends, but they always told me immediately.”
Not Finley, Ingrid thought.
“Unlike you, who didn’t see fit to mention it. But Dad did. He told me he’s pretty sure Cas has been up to his old tricks with you.”
Ingrid’s face was on fire now. She wanted to disappear. Just wanted to be done with this nightmare and be back at home, holding Litha and watching TV with Miles. But Sailor wasn’t through twisting the knife.
“Don’t worry about it, Ingrid,” she said in a low, cruel voice. “It’s meaningless. Just a compulsion he has. The nasty compulsion of a dumb boy.”
Ingrid started to cry, but this only seemed to strengthen Sailor’s resolve.
“I’m getting married in one month,” she went on. “I have to concentrate on my wedding. My fiancé. My mother getting well. I won’t be needing your services any longer.”
Ingrid let out a soft, breathy huff. Sailor smiled. And then she swung the door closed.
It was a full minute before Ingrid could force herself to turn around. Force her feet to go back down the steps and head back in the direction of her home. She felt like she wasn’t in her body. That her soul had shrunk down to something hard and small and dry.
She heard the voices. Childish chants echoing in her ears.
Renounce Satan, renounce Satan, renounce Satan …
She was a kid all over again. Friendless, a mockery, floating along the shady streets of Savannah like a ghost. Edie was dead. Her mother was, too. All she had left was Miles.
Miles, who remained loyal, fiercely and doggedly loyal. Even throughout misunderstandings and fights. Miles was her only true friend. He waited for her at home right now.
She suddenly realized she’d been gone for almost two hours. There was no telling how many possible walk-ins she’d missed. How much money she’d lost.
She could never do that again.
Everything had changed and nothing at all. Once again, she was on her own.