“I know I can be critical sometimes, but I just want what’s best for you. So does your mom.”
“She wants me to quit my job. How is that what’s best for me?”
“Don’t be too hard on her. She worries about you.”
“Sure she does.”
“She cares about you. Maybe you don’t see it like I do. You’re the only family she’s got—the only family you’ve got. Don’t shut her out.”
What could I say? She didn’t feel like a parent to me. If we’d met as strangers, we wouldn’t even be friends.
“You know my mom better than I do?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“But you understand her. I’ve never had that ability.”
“It doesn’t have to be that way.”
“Why would I want to be around someone who tried to run my life, who put on her fake smile, lived in her perfect house, and pretended everything was okay between us?”
“I never said she was perfect, but she is your mother. She cares about you. She stays up at night worrying about you. She might seem distant, but I know she loves you.”
Brent hit on something I tried to ignore. My mother had never convinced me that she loved me. I was her obligation, just like I was my father’s obligation.
“And you know I love you, too.” He brushed a lock of hair away from my face. “And I love how your ears do that thing whenever you get embarrassed.”
Of course, now would be the exact moment Kull decided to make his appearance, looming over us like the freaking Hulk. He kept his hands in his pockets, perhaps trying to appear laidback, though nothing could hide his warrior’s scowl. I dreaded introducing the two, but now I couldn’t avoid it.
“Brent, this is my friend, Kull.”
Brent raised an eyebrow. “Kull?”
Kull extended his hand, which was big to enough to crush Brent’s skull. I hadn’t nicknamed him the Skullsplitter for nothing.
Brent stood. “Pleased to meet you.”
“And you.”
I held my breath as they shook hands. I hoped Kull wouldn’t make a display.
“You must be one of Olive’s patients?” Brent asked.
Kull’s grip tightened. “Hardly.”
“He’s an associate,” I clarified.
“Of course!” Brent answered with too much enthusiasm. “You speak with an accent. Irish? Australian?”
“Neither.”
“I see. Another of Olive’s mysteries.”
Kull gave him the Skullsplitter glare. I was surprised Brent didn’t wet himself.
“Well, Olive,” Brent said as he pulled his hand away. His fingers were purple. “I should go. Call me whenever you’re feeling up for a date.” He put a lot of emphasis on that last word.
“Sure.”
Brent gave Kull a curt nod and then walked away, his Italian-leather shoes sharp against the tiles.
“He’s the boyfriend you spoke of?” Kull said after Brent disappeared.
“Is something wrong?”
Kull looked at me as if I had “moron” written across my forehead. “He’s your boyfriend?” he repeated.
“Yes, he’s my boyfriend.” My voice sounded more defensive than I’d planned. “He’s a nice guy—opinionated sometimes. But his opinions are nothing compared to yours.”
“Don’t compare him to me.”
I actually heard him growl. “You’ve just met him, and already you know his character?”
“I know when I see insincerity.”
Insincerity?
“If he were insincere, I would have noticed after two years.”
“That means nothing.”
“This is not the time to psychoanalyze my boyfriend, Mr. Integrity. Any ideas on how to illegally remove that T-Rex? Also known as stealing?”
“Yes. It involves a wrecking ball, a forklift, an eighteen-wheel truck, and your magic mirror.”
“Is that all?”
“That’s the best I can do.”
“You won’t make it very far. I think someone might get curious when they see a huge wrecking ball aimed for the museum.”
“There is another way.”
“Oh?”
“It involves a couple spells. Shrinking spell, illusion spell. Think you can handle it?”
“I might. We’ll have to come back when no one’s around. We’ll also have to get past security somehow.” The spells wouldn’t be difficult, but I wanted him to sweat a little.
“I’ll handle security.”
“Quietly?”
“Of course.”
“Fine, but I have to check on Jeremiah first. We’ll come back after I visit him.”
“Visit him? I thought you were still looking for him.”
“I’m looking for his dreamself. His body is still here on Earth. I also need to talk to his sister.”
Kull stared with longing eyes at the T-Rex looming over us. “Very well. But I don’t leave this planet until I’ve got that skeleton.”
“You don’t have to remind me.”
Chapter 25
Nerves pinched my stomach as we pulled into Jeremiah’s driveway. I wanted to see him again, but I also felt apprehensive about it. I couldn’t imagine that his condition had improved. Seeing a grown person in a coma is one thing. Seeing a child that way is something I have issues with.
We climbed out of the car and walked up the footpath to the house. Weeds choked the yard. The toys and clutter on the porch had remained the same as last time.
I hesitated before I knocked on the door. It seemed too still, too quiet. What if something bad had happened to Jeremiah? I exhaled and knocked anyway.
Albert reminded me that silly premonitions pop inside my head all the time. Don’t worry so much. My knotted insides didn’t listen to him.
No one answered, and I knocked again. I tried the doorknob when I noticed the doorframe was busted and the locking mechanism had been stripped away. Odd.
“Mrs. Dickinson?” I called. “Hello?”
Breaking and entering isn’t usually my thing, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. I opened the door and stepped inside.
Kull followed without a word. I recognized his quiet mode. Something bothered him, too. Maybe he sensed that same feeling of unease that nagged at me.
Silence cloaked the house. Sunlight filtered through the dingy dining room windows to illuminate the foyer. Broken toys, crusts of bread, and laundry littered the floor, but that was nothing new. Stagnant smells of urine and rotting food filled the house. That was new.
I wrinkled my nose. “Mrs. Dickinson?” I called again. “Sissy? Anyone home?” Dodging piles of clutter, I walked slowly down the hall.
“It appears abandoned,” Kull said as he followed me.
“Maybe they had an appointment or something.” That nagging, nervous feeling got
