“Unstable? I’d say the environment is far more stable here, with me, than it would be in a group home.”
“Miss Lang…” Sheryl paused, giving her shoes her full attention for a moment while she thought with her mouth open. “Less than five minutes ago, you didn’t want these children. You mentioned nothing of the fact that Mr. Fletcher made you guardian over them. You only spoke out when you found out where they were headed, now I don’t mean to be rude, but they teach us to look for erratic behavior in people left to care for children at risk, and forgive me for saying so, but your behavior has definitely given me cause for concern. I’m not entirely sure you understand what you’d be taking on here, or that you’d be able to cope along for that matter.”
Upstairs, the door to Connor’s bedroom slammed hard, the loud shotgun sound ringing out, echoing through the house. Perfect. “Look. Sheryl. I know this situation isn’t perfect. I know there are probably families and homes out there for Connor and Amie that might be perfect for them, but I also know that separating them and keeping them in a group home for weeks on end, potentially months, is not going to benefit them in any way. I have extensive experience with troubled youths. I’ve worked with children the same ages as Connor and Amie for years. I will take care of these children. I can do it. I’ll fight tooth and nail to make sure they stay with me if it means they can stay together. Now, you can sit here arguing with me about what to do, or you can go and make sure you catch Jerry before he heads back to the mainland. I heard the storm’s likely to linger for a couple of days. Unless you want to spend two or three nights shut away in a room above the only bar on the island with no fresh clothes to change into, then I’d be hurrying if I were you.”
Playing on her desire to leave The Causeway was a cheap move, but it looked like it had worked. Sheryl shuddered when I mentioned being trapped in the bar. After a long moment where she studied me with watery blue eyes, she said, “All right, Miss Lang. But please bear in mind…I can always come back. It’s a hindrance, I’ll admit, but I like to take care of my cases. If you realize this task is beyond you, there’s no shame in calling and having me come take them. Likewise, if I think they’re in harm’s way, Ophelia, I’ll make sure both Connor and Amie are on that boat back to Maine quicker than you can blink. Do you understand?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Well, all right, then.” Sheryl got to her feet, holding her purse under one arm while she pulled out her cell phone. Sighing dramatically, she tucked the phone away and jerked at her blazer jacket, tugging at it in a ruffled kind of way. “I’ll see myself out. No, please don’t get up. I’m sure you’ll want to go and make sure Connor is all right now, anyway.”
It was a none too subtle hint, as if I might not realize that the young boy would need some sort of comfort after finding out his father had died. And after she had told me to give him a moment, too. I gave her a tight smile—one aimed to show civility but not much more in the way of manners.
“Naturally. I’m sure we’ll have cause to speak soon,” I told her, getting to my feet. Amie was still curled tight against my body, but she was still now, rigid, like a frightened animal.
“Unfortunately, I think that will be the case,” Sheryl muttered under her breath. I bit my tongue and rushed upstairs before I could say anything I would regret.
CHAPTER TEN
The Mirror Man
Linneman didn’t sound all that surprised when I told him I hadn’t left. When I asked him to sit on the paperwork I’d signed, releasing the children from my care, he said, “What paperwork?” in the awkward manner of a co-conspirator who was a little too stiff to pull off ignorance convincingly.
My mother, on the other hand, was nearly hysterical.
“What do you mean, you’re not coming back?”
“I mean, I’m not coming back. Not yet, anyway. The CPS woman was terrifying. And they were going to separate the kids. How could I leave them when—”
“I know you’re worried about them, Ophelia, but listen to me for a moment. You’re a good, kindhearted girl, but you empathize with other people way too much for your own good. People take advantage of it. This Ronan Fletcher guy knew you were a bleeding heart the moment he laid eyes on you, and then he put you in a position he knew you wouldn’t be able to walk away from. How is that fair?”