“I knew Seattle was difficult for you,” Simon said, “but I didn’t know why until I followed you one afternoon. I knew you had lived in Seattle during the war. I told myself you were going to see an old friend, maybe a woman. But something didn’t feel right. I thought maybe you had gotten into trouble with a loan shark. I was worried.”
“So you followed me to Edward’s grave.”
“You wept, Otto. It was pouring rain, and you cried. I had never seen you cry. You were always so controlled. But you broke down in tears at that grave and I knew there was nothing I could do to console you because I could never be Edward. I was just a poor kid from an orphanage who happened to have a little useful talent.”
A cup and saucer clattered on the coffee table. Simon heard Otto get to his feet. A moment later the man he had once thought of as his father was standing beside him at the window. Together they looked out at the Pacific.
“I never realized you felt I was trying to use you as a replacement for Edward,” he said softly. “The two of you are so very different. Your personalities, your tastes, your interests. No, I never saw you as a stand-in for my first son. But I do see you as my other son. That is who you will always be for me.”
Simon’s throat tightened. “You saved me from the asylum. You made me the man I am today. Those are things that a good father does. I walked away from you and the act that night in Seattle because I was afraid I could never live up to the standard Edward had established.”
“Miss Brazier was right, you know. We rescued each other. You came into my life when I was in despair. I had no one, and I was unable to prove a damn thing with my machine. I was thinking of ending things, if you want to know the truth. When I heard about the boy in an orphanage who was delusional because he believed he sensed ghosts in certain objects, I assumed the doctors were right. I was sure you probably were unstable, like so many others I had tested. But I took one look at you and I saw a boy who needed a family, not an institution. I would have taken you out of that place even if you hadn’t had a lick of paranormal talent. You brought something alive inside me, something I thought had died. You gave me a reason to go on.”
The door of the room opened and closed very quietly. Simon turned quickly. So did Otto.
Lyra was gone.
Chapter 53
Amalie was behind the front desk working on some papers. She looked up when Lyra came downstairs alone.
“Everything okay up there?” she asked.
“I think so,” Lyra said. She reached the bottom step and crossed the lobby to the front desk. “Dr. Tinsley and Simon have a long history together. First time they’ve seen each other in months. I got the feeling they need to have a private conversation, so I thought I’d leave them to it.”
Amalie raised her brows. “Men aren’t always very good at those sorts of conversations.”
“Well, I’m very good at getting those sorts of conversations started. It’s up to them to finish this one.”
“I had a feeling that this meeting was more than just a routine business discussion. Dr. Tinsley has been very anxious ever since he arrived. He called the Burning Cove Hotel first. When he was told that Mr. Cage had checked out, he looked so lost and forlorn that I felt I hadto point him in your direction. I had a hunch Mr. Cage might be eating breakfast at your place.”
Lyra smiled. “Because everyone knows he spent the night with me?”
“Burning Cove is a small town. When it comes to gossip it can hold its own with small towns everywhere.”
“I’ve learned that.”
“Between you and me, I think Dr. Tinsley was afraid Mr. Cage wouldn’t show up for the appointment this morning.”
Lyra glanced at the stairs that led up to the floor above. “They have a few things to work out, but I’m almost positive it will go reasonably well.”
Amalie’s eyes flashed with amusement. “You’re that good when it comes to getting people to talk?”
“Some would say it’s a talent.”
“Everyone has one. Sometimes it just takes a while to figure out what it is. Can I interest you in another cup of tea while you wait for the men to finish that private conversation?”
“Sounds great, thank you.”
Amalie floated out from behind the desk. “Let’s go into the tearoom.”
Lyra followed her. “Is it true that Dr. Tinsley’s detector picked up a lot of paranormal energy here in your inn?”
“So he claims. A lot of it was probably laid down by my husband.”
“Mr. Jones?”
“He’s literally a human lie detector. It’s a very disconcerting talent.”
