eeds to be home by the weekend, and we were already running behind from that thing in Cape Breton."
That thing.
An adventure Gabriel had missed.
He felt a twinge, which he suspected strongly resembled the emotional reaction of a child being reminded of a birthday party to which he had not received an invitation. A new sensation for him. Not because he'd ever been invited to parties, but because he'd never given a damn. Now he did. He'd missed an adventure, and while he could hardly be expected to join them a thousand miles away, it illogically felt the same. A very uncomfortable sensation. Which summed up emotional responses in general.
"Gabriel?"
"Yes, I lost the connection for a moment. I'm out of doors. Pursuing a new case."
Oh? Something new? Something fun?
She would say the last with a lilt in her voice, teasing, almost self-mocking, acknowledging her own predilection for adventure and finding it somewhat childish.
He waited...and Olivia said nothing. Now he was the one prompting her, as if he had indeed lost the connection.
"I'm here," she said. "So, is this a bad time, then?"
He picked his way over the uneven ground. "Not at all. In fact--" The words caught in his throat. He shouldn't tell her about the case. Shouldn't risk admitting that he thought she'd find it interesting, only to discover he was mistaken and look foolish.
Which was how he'd gotten himself into trouble, wasn't it? Hubris. Pride. Fear of humiliation. Like acknowledging that one considers a person a friend only to have that person laugh in your face.
"This case might..." he said. "That is, it seems..."
Get the words out. Tell her it's interesting.
"It's somewhat intriguing," he said finally.
Well, that's close.
He gave Olivia a brief summary.
"A hitchhiking ghost?" she said when he finished. And her tone was not what he'd hoped for. Not at all. "I know you aren't exactly a pop-culture junkie, Gabriel, but that's--"
"An urban legend."
A soft chuckle, more Olivia-like. "You know your modern folklore, then. Good."
"Which is what I found mildly intriguing."
He went on to explain more of the circumstances.
When he finished, she said, "So this seemingly bright professional, who has not completely lost his marbles, actually calls the cops and says he picked up a disappearing hitchhiker? That is weird."
Gabriel exhaled. "There's more. Patrick compiled--"
"Patrick?"
"He's the one who brought this to my attention. For book research, apparently."
"Patrick brought this to you."
Olivia's tone hardened. She had issues with Patrick, ones that Gabriel couldn't quite comprehend. She didn't appreciate the fact that they'd had to uncover the secrets of Cainsville--the truth about the fae--on their own. Of the elders, though, she blamed Patrick the most. Perhaps because he'd been the most outwardly helpful. She'd trusted Patrick, and he'd betrayed that trust, and really, after dealing with Gabriel, she had quite enough betrayals and not nearly enough trustworthy allies.
"He's been stopping by ever since I left, hasn't he?" she said.
"Yes, and I realize he brought me this case because it provides an excuse to get to know me better. Wriggling into my good graces. Which would be so much more productive if I had any."