Rafe hoped so. ‘Back to my question. How did this reporter get the story so fast?’
Karl opened his eyes on a sigh. ‘The reporter said he’d been working the story for six weeks, since her name came up as having escaped the serial killer. He figured there was more to the story, especially after he got his hands on the hospital surveillance video that showed Mercy leaving with the killer and not fighting back.’
‘Like she did tonight,’ Sasha said grimly. ‘Someone at the airport got the whole thing with Burton on video and posted it. She’s as expressionless as a statue, docile as a lamb. If you didn’t know the truth, you’d think she wanted to go with him.’
Rafe’s churning stomach turned inside out and he had to swallow the bile that rose to burn his throat. ‘Fucking hell.’ He leaned into Sasha wearily. ‘Has anyone connected her to Eden?’
Both the FBI and SacPD had kept the existence of the Eden cult from the press, and it hadn’t been mentioned in the interview with the killer’s other escapee. They’d released a photo of the locket as a lure to other Eden survivors, hoping to get more information before making their investigation public. Eden moved its location whenever someone escaped its walls, in case the victim told law enforcement where to find them. Making the investigation public would only prompt the cult leadership to hide yet again, so it was still a secret. Or at least Rafe prayed it was.
Mercy had been through enough without that spotlight. It would be a media frenzy for sure.
‘Not as far as we could see,’ Karl said. ‘The one good thing about that idiot Prescott’s video is that it can be used to explain her lack of affect when she faces stress. If she wants to make any statement at all, she can speak of the lingering effects of the roofie incident. She doesn’t need to mention Eden at all.’
Rafe hoped his father was right. Addressing the facts in a practical fashion might smooth Mercy’s way. At least a little. But his gut thought differently. ‘This is going to devastate her.’
‘Yes, it will,’ Farrah said evenly, ‘if you treat her like a victim. Mercy is strong. She’s had to be. She’s survived things that we can never understand. I’ve known her for eight years and Karl has the right approach. We need to be strong for her. Do not pity her.’
Rafe remembered the way her body had shaken with the force of her sobs. ‘She’s not that strong,’ he murmured. ‘Nobody is.’ He grabbed his cane and eased his body to standing. ‘I’m going to check on her. Does Gideon know?’
Karl nodded. ‘I called him. He . . . didn’t take it well.’
‘We’ll help them through this, Dad,’ Sasha declared. ‘Tell her we love her, Rafe. She’s family.’
‘I will.’
Granite Bay, California
Saturday, 15 April, 11.00 P.M.
‘Here, doragaya maya.’ Irina placed a cup of hot tea in Mercy’s clammy hands. ‘Sip it. Slowly.’
Sitting on the bathroom floor, Mercy obeyed. ‘Thank you. You’re very kind and I’m very sorry.’
‘Bah.’ Irina waved her apology away. ‘I’d be sick too, if I heard that kind of news.’
Irina’s direct approach was almost identical to Mama Romero’s – and just what Mercy needed at the moment. ‘How bad is the article?’
Irina shrugged. ‘It’s not good. The reporter quoted your neighbors, who said nice things, but those were overshadowed by the quotes from the two men. And the video, of course. Which none of us viewed, nor will we.’
Mercy sighed as she sipped the tea. ‘Thank you for not sugarcoating it.’
‘I was a nurse for almost thirty years. I do not sugarcoat. Unless it is dessert.’ Irina sat on the edge of the tub, studying Mercy as she pulled a package of crackers from her pocket. ‘You look better. Try to eat these.’
‘I’m sorry I missed your dinner.’
Irina pushed Mercy’s hair from her damp forehead. ‘Shush, Mercy. We are family here. You do what you must to take care of yourself. Not to worry about hurting our feelings.’
The woman’s accent became thicker when she was in caregiver mode. Just like Mama Romero’s did. ‘Gideon is lucky to have you.’
Again, a shrug. ‘I do not know about that. But we have loved and supported him through his trials. You are now lucky as well. You have us, too.’
‘Thank you. Mama Romero has loved me through many trials, so I’m doubly lucky.’
‘I’m glad. Gideon worried that you were alone.’ Irina cupped Mercy’s cheek in her palm, her expression tender. ‘You are a good girl, Mercy. We will find a way to make you shine like a new penny by the end of this. These men who hurt you will be sorry.’
Mercy wasn’t so sure about any of those statements. ‘The police took my case seriously back then. I hope they’ll be supportive now as well. I was never wild in college, which helped me then. That shouldn’t have been a factor, but it was.’
Irina scowled. ‘It should not have been a factor, as you say. You could have been a naked dancer and you still would have been a victim, wronged by this . . . kazyoel.’ She spat the final word in a way that needed no translation. ‘How do you say . . . ?’
‘Asshole, Mom,’ Rafe said from the doorway.
Mercy stiffened and reflexively tried to straighten her hair. ‘Rafe. I’m—’
‘If you say you’re sorry, we will have words,’ Rafe said mildly. ‘Is everything okay in here?’
‘Oh, sure,’ Mercy said lightly. ‘I’m just having a minor nervous breakdown. But the tea seems to help.’
Rafe gave the mug in her hands a sharp glance. ‘Mom?’
Irina rolled her eyes. ‘It is peppermint tea, Raphael. I am not so careless as to give Mercy my special tea without asking her first.’
Mercy looked from Irina to Rafe. ‘Special tea? Do I want to know?’
‘It’s THC-infused tea,’ Rafe said. ‘Legal here.’
‘But not in New Orleans,’ Irina said sharply. ‘Do I look like duraska to you, dorogoy moy?’
‘No, Mama,’ Rafe said dutifully, dipping his head in apology. ‘You know I could never think you an idiot. But if Mercy gets drug tested when she goes back to work, that stuff sticks around.’
‘Which is why I did not give it to her.’ Irina nudged Mercy’s shoulder playfully. ‘But if you want some, you need only to ask.’
Mercy found herself laughing in earnest. ‘I’ll remember that. Thank you.’ She glanced up at Rafe. ‘Don’t worry about me. I know what pot smells – and tastes – like. I was five years old the first time I tried it.’