Through the Door (The Thin Veil) - By Jodi McIsaac Page 0,31
The fresh air had cleared the last vestiges of cobwebs from her mind, and she knew what she had to do. “They all left. Well, I threw them out. But they know Nuala; I can’t do this without them. I’m going to call Riona. But first I’m coming over, okay? You said you have ways to find her, and I want to help.”
“You can’t, Cedar. I’m not at my apartment right now,” Maeve said.
“Well, where are you, then? I can meet you anywhere,” Cedar said, her voice rising in frustration.
“It doesn’t matter. Look, I made it very clear what I think of you being involved with those people, but if you insist upon it, the least you can do is keep me informed of what they’re doing. They may have some use,” she said acidly. “If you find out any new information about Nuala, call me at once.”
Maeve hung up, and Cedar stared at the phone in her hands. She sat down abruptly on one of the swings in the school playground, wondering if anything in her world was as it seemed. She leaned back on the swing and looked up at the sky, dotted with white, puffy clouds that seemed totally out of place on such a day. Hang in there, Eden, she thought. I’m going to find you. Then she dialed Riona’s number.
It was getting dark when Cedar pulled up at the Fox and Fey. She walked around the back and was relieved to discover she could still see the descending stairs, even without Oscar’s buoyant presence. She hesitated at the big wooden door, wondering if she should knock. Then she squared her shoulders and shoved her way inside.
She stood still for a moment as her eyes adjusted to the near darkness. She noticed a couple of clusters of people sitting in the corners of the pub but couldn’t make out who they were. Then she heard a voice coming from behind the bar.
“Cedar, m’dear! Get yerself over here so I can pour you a drink.”
She headed to the bar, where the friendly face of the barkeeper waited for her.
“What’s yer pleasure, then?” he asked.
“Just coffee, please. It’s Felix, right?”
The old man grinned, a wide smile punctuated by two gold teeth and one black one, as he turned around and grabbed a carafe and a mug.
“You’ve got it right,” he said. “Felix Dockendorff at your service, ma’am.” He placed a steaming cup of coffee in front of her and plunked down a bowl of creamers and sugar. “How about some food, then? I make a mean fry-up.”
“No, thanks,” Cedar said, taking a creamer. Her stomach, already tied in knots, revolted at the thought of food.
He patted her hand and leaned forward, speaking in a voice just above a whisper. “Listen, I just want to say that I’m real sorry about yer troubles.”
Cedar wasn’t sure what to say, so she settled on, “Oh.”
Felix nodded gravely and continued. “But don’t you worry, m’dear. We’ll fix things up right, don’t you doubt it for a second.”
Cedar stirred cream into her coffee and watched it swirl into beige. “Yeah. Speaking of which, do you know where Rohan and Riona might be? I called, and then I went by their place, but no one was home. That’s why I came here; it was the only other place I knew to look.”
“Aye, they’re on their way here as we speak. Should be here any minute now.”
Cedar thanked him and continued stirring her coffee. She wondered where he was from. He spoke with an odd sort of accent, but she couldn’t quite place it. One minute he sounded as if he were from Scotland, the next from the American South. Maybe he had moved around a lot as a kid, she mused, but she thought it would be rude to ask.
The bar suddenly grew lighter and she saw the door open in the mirror behind the rows of bottles. Cedar recognized Murdoch and Anya from earlier, followed by Rohan and Riona, Finn’s brother, Dermot, and his sister, Molly.
Riona came over to hug Cedar. “Cedar! I’m sorry we didn’t return your calls yet. We’ve been very busy, but I’m glad you’re here.”
“We need to talk,” Cedar said without ceremony. She stood up and looked at Rohan. “I’ve had some time to think, and I hope you have too. There are a lot of things I don’t understand, but the most important issue right now is finding my daughter.”