by Jodi McIsaac
“It’s Jane; I’m downstairs, let me up.”
Jane. Eden. Everything flooded back in one agonizing blow to the pit of her stomach. She jumped off the bed, dislodging Watson from where he had settled for the night, and ran down the hall to Eden’s room, buzzing Jane in on the way. It was empty. She stared wildly around the apartment, looking for any sign that Eden might have come home. Then Jane knocked on the door. Cedar flung it open and dragged her inside.
“Tell me what happened,” she demanded.
Jane looked terrified, and close to tears. She backed away from Cedar with a pleading look, her hands in the air. Her purple bangs hung limp on her forehead, and she had gray circles under her eyes. “I swear to God, it’s just like I said on the phone. I don’t know. I told you everything I can remember.”
Cedar breathed deeply, trying to fight the impulse to rage at her. How could she not remember? From the look on her face, Jane could tell what Cedar was thinking. “Damn it, Ceeds, I am so sorry. I would never let anything happen to Eden. I’ll do whatever I can; I’ll tell the police everything I told you, and maybe something will help.”
Cedar sat down at the table and put her face into her hands. “The police aren’t involved—yet,” she mumbled through her fingers.
“What?” Jane said. “You haven’t called the police? Why the hell not?”
“It sounds insane, I know. I can’t even explain it to myself without sounding like a lunatic,” Cedar said.
Jane crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows at Cedar. “Ceeds. I just found myself in New-bloody-York with no memory of the last several hours. And you’re worried that you’re the one who sounds like a lunatic?”
Cedar took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. She watched Jane closely as she said, “Remember how I was asking you about magic, if it was real?” Jane nodded. “Well, Eden seems to have this, um, magical ability. If she thinks of a place, and then opens a door, any door, that place appears on the other side. And you can walk right into it, no matter how far away it is.”
Jane’s mouth was slightly open, and her eyes were wide. “For real?”
“Yeah, I know how it sounds. But it’s true; I’ve gone through those doors myself. And I’m assuming that’s how you got to New York.”
Jane’s eyes were still wide, but she had closed her mouth and was nodding slowly. “Okay. So, let’s pretend for a moment that you and I are both still sane. Why can’t I remember what happened? Do these doorways or whatever make you lose your memory?”
“No. At least, that never happened to me when I went through them.”
Jane sat down beside Cedar. There was a long silence. Finally, she asked in a small voice, “How is this possible?”
Cedar glanced over at her best friend. “You’re the one who believes in magic.”
Jane’s response was cut off by the buzz of the door downstairs. Cedar ran to the speaker and shouted into it, “Hello!”
“It’s Rohan,” came the deep voice against the backdrop of morning traffic. Cedar hit the buzzer to let him in. She opened the door, and Watson ran out and around the corner. Soon she heard the elevator door open. Rohan stomped into the apartment, followed by several others. Some she vaguely recognized from the pub, others she had never seen before. Riona brought up the rear of the group.
“Well?” Cedar asked Rohan.
Rohan looked frustrated. “Nothing yet. I want to talk to your friend. You’ve told her about Eden.” It wasn’t a question.
“How do you know that? And who are all these people?” Cedar asked.
It was Riona who spoke. “I’m so sorry, here we are bringing strangers into your home and we haven’t even introduced them to you. These are some friends of ours who have been helping us look for Eden.” She waved her hand at the platinum blonde who had been at the Fox and Fey the previous evening. “This is Nevan Blakney. Over there is Anya Kelly.” She pointed at a tall middle-aged woman by the door. “And you met her son Oscar yesterday.” Oscar grinned and waved. “Then there’s Felix Dockendorff in the back.” Cedar recognized him as the barkeeper from the night before. “And beside him is Oscar’s father, Murdoch, and Murdoch and Anya’s other son, Sam. He’s with Nevan. And this here is our other son, Dermot, and our daughter, Molly.”
Cedar sort of wished she hadn’t asked. Her gaze lingered on Dermot. He had the same mouth as Finn, the same gentle curls. She forced herself to look somewhere else. “Thanks,” she told Riona. “This is my friend Jane.”
Rohan had crossed the room and was now glowering at Jane, who glowered back in return. “Cedar?” she asked. “What the hell is going on?”
Cedar rushed over. “This is Rohan Donnelly, Finn’s father. And this is Riona, his mother.”
“Hey,” Jane said, skepticism written large across her face.
“Let’s sit down,” Cedar said. “This isn’t an inquisition, Jane, but why don’t you tell them what you told me. Maybe they can make some sense of it.”
“This is what you’re doing instead of calling the police?” Jane asked.
“The police will never believe us,” Cedar said. “And these people are like Eden. They want to help. I think we should let them. They’re our best chance of finding her.” Cedar led Riona and Rohan to the table where Jane was sitting. Everyone else remained standing or found seats on the sofa or floor.
“Tell us again what you remember,” Cedar said.
When Jane had finished, Rohan was staring hard at her. She bristled under his steady gaze. “Listen, I know what you’re thinking, but I’m telling the truth. I don’t know what happened. I’m not making this up. And who are you, anyway, to come barging in here? You didn’t even know Eden existed before yesterday. And why are all these other people here?” She made an angry gesture at the crowded room.
Rohan looked at his wife. “You may be right,” he said to her, ignoring Jane.
“It’s the only thing that makes sense,” Riona said, her face earnest. “I just can’t believe I didn’t see it before.”
“What makes sense?” Cedar interjected, her gaze swiveling between them. Rohan’s face darkened.
“There is only one way to know for sure,” he said. “Jane, I believe I can help you remember what happened last night. But you must be completely honest with me.”
Jane glanced at Cedar and then said, “Um, okay.”
“Do you like children, Jane?” Rohan asked.
Jane looked confused. “What?”
“Do you like children? In general. Do you enjoy spending time with them; do you want to have children of your own?”
“Sorry, but what the hell does that have to do with anything?”
Rohan glared at her, and then turned to Cedar. “Tell her to answer the question.”
Cedar was indignant. “How about you tell us what you’re getting at? What do you mean, you can help her remember? How?”
“If it works, you’ll understand. But if she doesn’t answer my questions, we’ll never know what happened,” he said with more than a hint of impatience.
“Fine, jeez,” Jane said, with a sideways look at Cedar that clearly said she thought Rohan was crazy. “No, I don’t want to have kids. There, does that answer your question? ’Cause I still don’t remember anything.”
“Do you like them?” he asked.
“What are you trying to get at? That I hate kids and I kidnapped Eden or something? This is bullshit.” Jane stood up, and so did Rohan, towering over her. Jane shot a look at Cedar. “I’m sorry I helped you find this guy. I didn’t do anything to Eden, I swear.”
“Jane, I believe you! Please, sit down. I don’t think he’s accusing you of anything. Are you?” Cedar asked, looking up at Rohan.
Jane sat down again and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Rohan sat down as well, but it was Riona who spoke. “I’m sorry, Jane,” she said. “We, well, I have a theory about what happened, but we need to be sure. If you could just give us the benefit of the doubt. Even if his questions don’t make sen
se right now, they will soon, I assure you.”
Jane looked mutinous, but nodded. “Fine,” she said. “I don’t really like kids, no.”
“Did you want to come over and look after Eden last night?” Rohan asked.
“I wanted to help my friend, yes. But if you’re asking me if babysitting on a Friday night is my idea of a good time, then the answer is no.”
Murdoch called out from the sofa, “Rohan, where is this going?” He was a short, burly man with red cheeks and gray hair that looked like bristles. His sons, on the other hand, were tall and lean, and they were both watching the proceedings with keen interest.
Rohan didn’t look at him, but Cedar could see the muscles in his face tighten. “Wait,” he said to Murdoch. Then he spoke to Jane. “I’m going to touch your head,” he said.
Jane recoiled in her chair. “Like hell you are.”
“Do you want your memories back or not?” he snarled. Then his tone softened slightly. “Please. If you would. It won’t hurt.”
Jane gave Cedar a panicked look. “What kind of a crazy cult did you get yourself into?”
Cedar took her friend’s hand. “I don’t understand it either, but please, just try. I’m right here.”
Jane glared at Rohan, but then stiffly nodded her assent. His hands could cover almost her entire head, and Cedar had a fleeting, horrible thought that he might crush her skull. In the background she could hear someone mutter, “This is bullshit,” but it wasn’t Jane this time.
“Look into my eyes, Jane,” Rohan said, “and tell me if you start to remember anything.” Jane nodded as much as she could with her head in his grasp. “When Cedar called you, did you want to come watch Eden?”
“No,” Jane whispered. “No. I did come, of course, because she said she was in a real bind. But I had, um, other plans for the night.”
“What plans?” Rohan asked.
Jane’s cheeks turned crimson. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I had a date. Sort of. Online. I was supposed to chat with this guy.” She frowned. “Wait. I did talk to him. I remember being here, and texting him on my phone.”
“You were sexting while you were looking after Eden?” Cedar asked, incredulous.
“This is good, Jane. You’re starting to remember!” Riona said, patting her knee.
“How did you feel when you were talking to this person?” Rohan asked.
“Well, um, I felt kind of guilty because, obviously, I’m the world’s worst babysitter. Oh, my God, I think I’m starting to remember. Eden wanted me to play with her. I hate playing with kids, and I was, you know, busy. So I told her to leave me alone. But then I felt bad because she looked so sad, and I was worried she would tell Cedar how much I sucked. But that’s all I can remember.”
The room was so quiet Cedar almost forgot it was full of strangers. Riona interrupted the silence. “There’s your hook,” she said to Rohan.
Rohan looked at Cedar. “I need you to do something.” Cedar nodded.
“Forgive her.”
“What?”
“It should release her memories,” Rohan said.
“Okay,” Cedar began. “Jane, I forgive you.” Then she looked at Rohan. “Like that? Did it work?”
“No,” Rohan said. “It only works if you mean it.”
“I did mean it!” Cedar protested.
“Just…try again,” Rohan said.
Cedar looked at Jane, hunched miserably at the table with her head still sandwiched between Rohan’s massive hands. She felt tears spring to her eyes again and she squeezed Jane’s hand tightly. “Oh, Jane, of course I forgive you. I should never have asked you to watch Eden; I know it’s the last thing you would want to do. It would be like you asking me to go to one of your meditation classes or something. You know I’d hate it. You’re an amazing friend, and you were so sweet to say yes to something you hate because you knew it would help me out. Please don’t feel bad about it.” She tried to give Jane an awkward hug, ducking under Rohan’s arms.
Jane sniffed. “Thanks. Oh, shit. I think…I can remember…OH!” She wrenched her head out of Rohan’s grasp and turned to stare at Cedar, wide-eyed. “Bloody hell, Cedar! You weren’t kidding about those doors!”
Cedar leaned forward. “What? What do you remember? What happened?”
“It was like I said. I was kind of ignoring her, and she kept bugging me. So I told her to go away, and she did. A few minutes later she came back and said she had something really cool to show me. I thought if I looked at this one thing it would make her shut up. Sorry,” she said, wincing as she looked at Cedar. “Anyway—can I be remembering this right?—she had the door to the bathroom open, and inside was…it sounds impossible, but it was Times Square. In New York. You know, just like in all the movies. I couldn’t believe it. She told me she could open a door to anywhere in the world and wasn’t it the coolest thing ever. It was.”
“It’s called a sidh, apparently,” Cedar said. “So, did she go through it?” Her whole body pulsed with anticipation. Finally, some answers.
“No,” Jane answered slowly. “She said she felt bad because she wasn’t supposed to show anyone. Then this woman just walked into the apartment. I have no idea how she got in, Ceeds. Anyway, she goes, ‘That’s a pretty impressive talent you’ve got there!’ and Eden kind of freaked out and went to shut the door, but then the woman said she had been sent by Eden’s father. Eden just stood there, staring at her. I asked her who she was and how she had gotten in, but she just ignored me. She was totally focused on Eden. She told her that her father was just like her and had been looking for her, but they had to leave right away.” Jane looked at Cedar, who had gone so pale Riona had wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and was holding her hands.
“I tried to stop her,” she continued. “I told her to get out or I would call the police. But then she said something to me. It was the first time she had even acknowledged I was there. I’m trying to remember…She told me to go to New York, that I really wanted to go, and I wanted Eden to stay behind. And she told me to forget I had even been at your apartment.” Jane looked horrified. “That must be what I did. I must have gone through that door. And then I forgot all about her.” Jane took a moment to swear profusely, then continued, “Who was that bitch?” Before anyone could answer, Rohan spoke. “Tell us what she looked like.”
“She was gorgeous—stunning, actually. I just couldn’t take my eyes off her. She was tall and thin, like a supermodel, and she had the most amazing wavy long red hair.”
Cedar thought of the woman she had encountered outside Rohan and Riona’s house, and the way she had looked at her with such hatred. Could she be the woman who had taken her child?
Rohan stood up. “Thank you, Jane,” he said. Then he turned to the others. “And now we know.”
There was a stunned silence in the room. Then Anya said, “Are you saying you think Nuala took the child?”
“That’s a hell of an accusation! How do we know she’s telling the truth?” Murdoch said, jumping to his feet and pointing at Jane.
“Why would she lie?” asked Riona.
“Because maybe she’s the one who took off with Eden or lost her or got her killed, and now she’s trying to cover it up!” Murdoch yelled, pointing a finger at Jane, who sat frozen.
“Jane has never met Nuala!” Riona said. “And she described her perfectly. She must be telling the truth.”
“Nuala is hardly the only woman in this world with red hair. How do we know you didn’t tell this woman what to say?” Murdoch demanded of Riona, coming closer, thrusting his chin out. “He said this was your idea. How do we know you’re not just trying to pin the blame on her?”
Rohan turned on Murdoch, burning with suppressed rage. The other man seemed to grow smaller as Rohan stared him down. “We have the proof of it right here! You think we would lie to all of you about something like this? Think! Riona has it right. Nuala has every reason to want that child. But the longer we spend arguing about it,
the more dire the situation becomes.”
Cedar finally managed to find her voice. “Who is Nuala? Is she the woman I saw at your house? She looked like she hated me. But why? Who is she? What would she want with Eden?”
Several glances were exchanged around the room.
“I’m sorry, Cedar,” Riona said. “I didn’t realize the two of you had crossed paths. Yes, Nuala was at our house yesterday, before you came. She came back after you left, and demanded to know why you were there. I’m afraid I told her about my suspicions regarding Eden. She wanted to come with me to your apartment to find out for sure, but I said no. Nuala is unpredictable, and I didn’t know how she would react. But I guess we know now. I think…I believe Nuala wanted Eden to use her ability to open a sidh for her.”
“Where to? And why did she need to take her?”
“To a place that isn’t safe for any of us,” Rohan answered.
“I think you’re right,” said Nevan from her seat on the floor, cutting off Cedar’s next question. “I don’t want to believe it any more than the rest of you do, but look at the facts: there’s a witness, there’s a motive, and I think she’s actively blocking me. Everything I send just bounces back. It all looks pretty guilty.”
Jane frowned at the pixie blonde on the floor. “What do you mean, she’s blocking you?” she said.
Nevan raised an eyebrow, and then Cedar jumped as she heard a voice in her head.
Hey, Cedar. Hey, Jane.
“Whoa! Did you hear that?” Jane asked Cedar.
It takes a little getting used to.
Cedar didn’t take her eyes off Nevan’s lips, which had not moved.
“Are you reading our minds?” Jane asked.
Nevan smiled, and Cedar heard, No. I can speak directly to you, but I can’t read your mind. And if you concentrate hard enough, you can shut me out. It takes some practice, though.
“Whoa,” Jane said again. “Who the hell are you people?”
Rohan looked as if he had forgotten Jane was there and had just been uncomfortably reminded. “I think you should head home, Jane. Let me walk you to the door.”