“The first time Mia was in here, she held her skirt about her knees. She feared we could see her underwear,” Gerald told them. “I love that child.”
“You’ve done well for yourself,” Orion noticed.
“If you live long enough, you collect things and a lot of money. Might as well use it,” Gerald said. “I wanted to have children to pass this on to. Sadly, it wasn’t to be.”
Mr. Villeneuve came in with a tray of coffee and small cakes. He poured everyone a cup before he left.
“Right now, I imagine you’re wondering how much you can tell me, and I am feeling the same thing. Ted doesn’t trust me because of Beverly and Angelo. Orion, you don’t like favor brokers. My turn. Ted, I never thought you were strong enough for our Mia. I was wrong. You have given her beautiful children, and have yet to oust her admirers from your intimate group. Everyone wants our Mia, but she only wants you - and maybe Murphy, but that is love, no?”
Before Ted could protest, Gerald moved on to Orion.
“You have a big secret and can’t tell me, even though it may bring light to this whole candle thing. Don’t tell me, little birdman. I don’t need to know. We’ll work around it.”
“So now you’ve cleared the air for all of us,” Ted said, “tell us about Quazar and the volo candle.”
“He didn’t make it, not the one you were given,” Gerald said, looking at Orion. “But after Mia and Mr. Wayne left the shop twenty years ago, he fingered the candle-making book and told me to go home. I think we can assume he made one. Why, is the question? He wasn’t in the next day. The day after that he told me he was going to close shop. I was a bit put out, but gargoyles can be rude. Three days later, a trunk was delivered to my apartment. Inside were some valuable books to continue my education with and this little charm,” he said, lifting a chain from his shirt. “Don’t stare at it because it unlocks the mind.” Gerald tucked it back in his shirt. “I never saw him again. It doesn’t mean he isn’t here. It means I never saw him. Quazar is a crafty gargoyle.”
“My son Brian saw Quazar watching him from the top of a building in the Magnificent Mile area. This was a little over a week before Audrey decided that we should all celebrate our birthdays together.”
“Tell me, was this her idea or yours?” Gerald asked Orion.
“Hers. We were at a restaurant, and as it often happens, the staff walk in singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to a customer. She said, ‘When was the last time you celebrated a birthday?’ I said after 500 plus birthdays, I was basically over it. She then went on to tell me about how many times the PEEPs crew had worked through their birthdays. She thought it would be a great surprise for us to bring a cake and have the whole gang celebrate together. No gifts, just cake and candles for wishes.”
“Innocent enough,” Gerald remarked. “But was it her idea?”
“What are you getting at?”
“We humans are very susceptible to influence. Find the right trigger, and even I can be persuaded to do things I never thought of doing before. Beverly knows these triggers. Therefore, I’m supporting her living in England in style, and I’m here working. Nevermind that. Audrey is a happy human, bubbling with optimism. A new mother with a…” Gerald’s eyes lit up. “It’s about your son. Not about Mia, although someone took advantage of that situation. Not about your children, Ted. Brian is special, but not as special as Luke is.”
“Ted doesn’t know,” Orion said quickly.
“You don’t need to know, Ted, why Luke is special, but he has been the target all along. Tell me about where the candles came from,” Gerald insisted.
“We were at the farmers’ market downtown…”
“Downtown? Don’t you live in farm country? Why go downtown Chicago to the market?”
“Audrey’s idea.”
“Go on,” Gerald encouraged.
“There was a vendor there who had all these elaborate candles, and the aroma was so enticing…”
Ted didn’t need to be a psychic to know where this was going.
“We were going to buy a candle, and then Audrey remembered reading how burning fragrant candles could be harmful to small children and pets. So we were turning to walk away when the man at the stall put out a basket with these chunky small candles in it. They had no fragrance. They were all different colors. Audrey counted out a dozen. We purchased them and brought them home. I didn’t ask her what they were for. I’ve learned the hard way the result of saying, ‘Dear, do we really need…’”
“Do you have any left?”
“No. I assumed we left them at Ted’s house.”
Ted shook his head. “We have leftover cake but nary a candle.”
“If you still had the candles, then I’d say this was accidental, but someone cleaned up after themselves.”
“Who could do all this without any of us knowing? Do we have a mole in our midst?” Ted asked.
“No, just a very crafty gargoyle.”
Chapter Thirty-one
Audrey glanced back at the seat full of car seats and happy boys. Earlier, she and Glenda had enjoyed the admiring glances of the zoogoers as they pushed the two strollers. When people asked if all the boys were Audrey’s, Glenda snapped, “The ones with the beaks are my grandchildren.”
Audrey didn’t correct her. It was more fun that way.
“Audrey, can we get ice cream?” Brian asked. “I was a good boy.”
“Yes, you were, and I’m so proud of you. I think some ice cream would be really nice right now.”
“Can we eat it in the park?”
“Oh dear. Brian, I can’t manage
