Chapter Forty Seven
Two days after Jack’s arrest, Ophelia was home on the North Shore with her entire family.
Even Evangeline flew in from Austin to be with her.
Ophelia sat on the couch in her family’s living room, propped up by numerous pillows.
Eva and Jo snuggled into either side of her while her parents prattled on about their disbelief in the entire situation.
“Hello.”
“Hi. This is Officer Jones with the New Orleans Police Department. Can I speak to Ms. Ophelia Oubre?” asked an authoritative female.
“This is she.” Ophelia hushed her family and put the officer on speakerphone so they could all hear.
“I’m calling to give you an update on Jack Prejean. He’s still in the ICU under police supervision and is in stable condition. Once he’s discharged, he will be detained until his court hearing. That date has yet to be established.”
Ophelia’s family leaned in close to the phone, eyes wide in shock. “Okay,” responded Ophelia.
“He did confess to the murder of your grandmother, Ophelia Bordelon. He denies any involvement in the other cases and provided alibis for each. We’re still confirming the validity of those.”
“Oh my God,” whispered Ophelia. “Do you think he’s lying?”
“I don’t know at this point, but all other cases linked to the Cutthroat Killer are still open and under investigation.
The detective in charge of those cases will interview Prejean to determine if he is a suspect.
However, we are concerned about his mental state.
He continues to insist that magical people exist and are ruining Christian values.
Cuckoo stuff. Anyways, thanks to your tip, we are looking into that alt-right group, The Pure. ”
Each of her family members’ mouths dropped in shock, except for Jolie, who shared a knowing look with Ophelia.
Ophelia decided it was time to tell the entire family the whole story about her knowledge of magic, minus Mateo. Her mother was nonplussed, having grown up with Mawmaw, but her father was utterly bewildered. He looked like he was considering calling Officer Jones back to come pick Ophelia up.
But once Jo chimed in and revealed her magical gift, her father believed them, especially once a magic show-and-tell kicked off in the living room. Ophelia treated each of her family members’ minor ailments, and Jolie turned flowers from her mom’s garden into delicate clay and marble figurines.
Evangeline took the whole spectacle well, but Ophelia worried about her youngest sister. She didn’t want her to feel left out. Fortunately, the magic talk died down as the family sat down for dinner.
Later that evening, the Oubre sisters slept under the roof of their family home. Ophelia hadn’t even realized how much she needed her family. Ophelia, Jolie, and Evangeline curled up in Ophelia’s bed in her childhood room, and her heart felt whole again.
As they attempted to sleep, the sisters shared secrets under the safety of their parents’ roof.
“What’s marriage like?” Ophelia whispered to Eva. Jo appeared to be asleep with her relaxed body and even breaths.
“It’s the same as it was before, really. I mean, we lived together before marriage, so it’s not like a ton changed.”
“Makes sense,” said Ophelia. “Are you happy?”
Silence lingered. Then Eva finally responded with a half-hearted “yeah” that Ophelia did not believe. Eva seemed off, like she was almost resigned to her life.
“Is the magic thing bothering you?”
“I guess,” said Eva. “It’s just a lot to take in and unpack. I’m not sure what it means for the life I’m living. I feel like everything is a lie, and my life is a sham.”
“Eva,” said Ophelia sympathetically. “Your life is not a sham. Why do you say that?”
“Because none of this makes sense with what we’ve been taught. Everyone has lied—school, church, our society, and government. Who am I supposed to believe? Who am I supposed to trust?”
Ophelia smoothed Eva’s glossy brown hair with her hand. “It’s a lot. It felt…life-altering when I found out. Like I had fallen off this plane of earth and landed in a new one.”
“Yeah. I guess I just have a lot to think about.”
The sisters slept peacefully in the comfort of each other’s presence.