Deep Betrayal Page 0,78

cherry when the door opened, and Serious Boy slid into the booth.

“Listen,” he said, as if our conversation hadn’t had a twenty-four-hour interruption.

Two other boys came in, one of whom I recognized from the camping trip on Manitou. They looked around the room, then marched toward us and slid in next to him. I felt conspicuous and awkward, alone on one side of the booth, facing the brewing threesome. This gang up inspired more stares from the families in the restaurant, and I glanced up at the windows, but there was no sign of Calder.

“It’s taken me all year to get my head on straight,” Serious Boy said. “I’m not letting any more of your kind mess me up.” I got the impression he was saying what the other two boys wanted to hear, rather than what he really meant, because he was leaning so far across the table at me I had to pull back for a little personal space.

“And we’re not going to let you,” said one of the other two.

“My brothers,” Serious Boy said.

“Maybe we could try again with names. I’m Lily.”

“Daniel Catron,” Serious Boy said. “My friends call me Danny.”

The brother I didn’t recognize coughed and said, “Guess that means you’ll be calling him Daniel.”

Daniel punched his shoulder, saying, “My oldest brother, Christian, and Bernard, he’s the middle. They wouldn’t let me come alone. They’re only twice as annoying as they seem.”

“Listen,” I said, doing my best not to sound desperate. “I’m not here to mess with you, or cause anybody any problems. I just need some information.”

“Then ask your question and get back to the lake,” said Bernard.

I made my eyes wide and offended. “But I just ordered you a pizza.”

“You eat pizza?” asked Christian, who was sitting in the middle, his broad shoulders crowding out the other two.

“Of course. Who doesn’t? But it’s all yours,” I said. “We’ll call it a trade. Pizza for information.”

This seemed to work for them, and when the pie landed in the middle of the table, six hands lurched forward and gooey strings of mozzarella dripped across the checkered tablecloth.

“Back at your trailer,” I said. “Was that wind chime, was it a representation of something called … called …”

Three heads bobbed and chewed. “Maighdean Mara.”

“So do you … have you, like, seen any evidence of … her activity lately?” I could feel my face burn as I asked the question.

Christian and Bernard choked as they swallowed.

“What are you playing at?” Bernard asked, folding his arms over his chest.

“Just answer the question, please,” I said with a sigh.

“We haven’t seen her,” Daniel said. “Nobody has. Our dad’s grandfather used to back in the day.”

Bernard chimed in, “Or at least according to our dad.”

“There used to be a line of devotees in our family,” Christian said, “but our dad’s the last of that line. Now he says it’s just campfire stories.”

“So you don’t have any infomation for me?” Why had Pavati sent us looking for these boys? They were useless.

Daniel wiped his mouth on his sleeve. “Wouldn’t you know more about her than us?”

I clenched my teeth and tried to figure out how to end this conversation gracefully.

“Hypothetically,” Bernard said, “if she really exists, they say she lives in Copper Falls and no human gets in without an offering.”

Christian pulled off another piece of pizza and folded it in half before shoving it in his mouth.

“You’d have to be an idiot to go looking for her,” Daniel said. “Even for your kind. She might have been a guardian at one point, but she’s turned into a monster. Her eyes bulge, and she has six-feet-long arms, with gnarled claws. She can swipe you out of a boat like that!” He snapped his fingers.

“What are you talking about?” Christian said, taking another piece before finishing the one he held.

“I don’t know about that,” Bernard said, “but they did find human skulls around the falls about ten years ago. Even if she’s only a myth, it’s still dangerous to go there.”

“So where is this Copper Falls?” I asked with a sigh. It looked like it was the only solid lead they were going to give me.

“On the Minnesota side. Just north of Duluth,” Daniel said. “But it’s not enough to go to the falls. The story is you have to get behind them.”

“That’s where she hides her magic,” Bernard said. “Behind the curtain of water.” He wiggled his greasy fingers in a mystical way.

I closed my eyes and took a calming breath. I didn’t