The bartender lowered his face to Ella's. She meowed at him and leaped down from the table. Lacey snickered, but she had stopped projecting her voice, and only Tristan could hear her now.
The bartender, his brow still furrowed, poured the iced tea for Eric.
Then Gregory flicked his head to the right, and he and Eric started off in that direction. Tristan trailed them as they wove their way through the crowd and beyond it, to the stone wall that marked the edge of the property.
Far below them was the tiny train station and the track that hugged the river. Even Tristan could hardly believe that he and Philip had made it down this side of the ridge. It was steep and rocky, with little to cling to but narrow stone ledges and an occasional shrub or dwarfed tree.
"No way," Gregory muttered to himself. "That kid's lying to me, covering up. Who's in with him?"
"Just let me know when you're talking to me," Eric said cheerfully.
Gregory glanced at him.
"You've been doing it a lot lately, talking to yourself," Eric grinned, "or maybe to the angels."
"Screw the angels," Gregory said.
Eric laughed. "Yeah, well, maybe you should start praying to them. You've gotten yourself in deep, Gregory." His face grew serious, his eyes narrowing. "Real deep. And you're getting me in with you."
"You idiot! You're getting yourself in. You're always high-and you're always messing up. I'm asking you one more time, where're the clothes?"
"I'm telling you one more time, I don't have them."
"I want the cap and the jacket," Gregory said. "And you're going to find them for me, because if you don't, Jimmy's not getting the money you owe." Gregory tilted back his head. "And you know what that means.
You know how touchy those dealers can be when they don't get their money."
Eric's mouth twitched. Without alcohol he could not stand up to Gregory.
"I'm sick of it," he whined. "I'm sick of doing your dirty work."
He started to walk away, but Gregory yanked him back by the arm. "But you'll do it, won't you? And you'll keep quiet about things, because you need me. You need your fix."
Eric struggled weakly. "Let me go. Someone's watching."
"Gregory loosened his grip and looked around. Eric quickly stepped out of his reach. "Be careful, Gregory," he warned. "I can feel them watching."
Gregory arched his eyebrows and began to laugh menacingly. Even when Eric was out of sight, he continued to chuckle.
Lacey wriggled her shoulders. "Major creepo," she said.
They watched as Gregory worked his way back into the party, talking and smiling at the guests.
"What do you think Eric's dirty work was?" Lacey asked Tristan. "Knocking off Caroline? Cutting your brake line? Attacking Ivy in Andrew's office?"
he materialized her fingers and hurled a stone as far as she could over the ridge. "Of course, we don't even know for sure if Caroline was murdered or if your brake line was deliberately cut."
Tristan nodded. "I'm going to have to time-travel through Eric's memories again."
Lacey had picked up another stone and now dropped it to her side. "You're going back through Eric's mind? You're crazy, Tristan! I thought you learned your lesson the first time. His circuits are fried, it's too dangerous, and his memories won't give you any proof."
“Once I know what is going on, I can find the proof," he reasoned.
Lacey shook her head.
"Right now," Tristan said, "I've got to get Ivy to remember what happened at the train station. I've got to find Will and convince him to help me."
"Gee, what a great idea," Lacey said. "I think someone else suggested mat about fifteen minutes ago."
Tristan shrugged.
"That same someone will come with you, in case you need further help," she added.
"No jokes, Lacey," he warned.
"No promises, Tristan."
They found Will by the patio, dancing with Beth. Ivy and Suzanne were sitting next to Ivy's mother, watching kids from their class getting into the reggae music. Lacey started dancing by herself, swinging her hips, lifting her hands above her head, then dropping them to her waist. She's good at it, Tristan observed as she twisted and turned her way across the patio. Ella, seeing Lacey's light, began to follow her. Somebody stepped backward and fell over Ella, landing on his rear next to the cat.
"Would you like to dance?" It was Lacey's projected voice.
The guy stared at Ella for a moment, then scrambled to his feet.
"Come here, Ella," Maggie called out, and the cat sauntered toward Ivy's mother, with Lacey following.
Ella leaped into Maggie's lap, and Ivy's mother settled back to watch the dancers.
"No one will ask me to dance, Maggie." Lacey again.
"Maggie shifted the cat around, cupping Ella's chin in her perfectly manicured hand, staring at the cat as if she expected her to speak once more.
"Did you girls hear that?" Maggie asked, but neither replied. Suzanne was giving Ivy a detailed analysis of the relationships of all the couples on the patio.
Tristan left Lacey to her games and moved through the crowd toward Beth and Will. They were dancing with their heads as close as a romantic couple's, but he knew why Beth and Will were really together-Ivy.
"I'm afraid," Beth said. "I know things I don't want to know-I know them before they happen, Will. And I write things I never meant to write."
"I draw pictures I never meant to draw," Will replied.
"I wish someone would tell us what's going on. Whatever it is, it's not over yet-that much I know. I have this sense that things are terribly wrong, and they're going to get worse. I wake up scared, scared to death for Ivy. Sometimes I think I'm cracking up."
Will drew her closer. Tristan glanced over at Ivy and saw her quickly turn her head away.
"You're not cracking up, Beth. It's just that you have some kind of gift that-" "I don't want this kind of gift!" she cried.
"Shhh. Shhh." With his hand, he smoothed Beth's hair.