Forcing my focus to Theresa, I sat up straighter, trying to remember the defenses I’d rehearsed in my mind the night before. “I guess we should talk about Theresa.”
His expression instantly sobered. I took a deep breath and plowed on.
“I racked my brain about that day I had lunch with Theresa, but I honestly can’t remember anything else. We talked about her family. She told me some stories about the crazy stuff her brothers used to get up to.”
Jo’s eyes widened. “She did?”
“Yeah. We had just met. Asking about family is a pretty typical conversation starter.”
He fingered his napkin, twisting it up and untwisting it again until it began to shred. “What did she say about her brothers?”
I snorted. “Something about shooting peas out of their noses at dinner. And I guess they used to drive really fast on some hilly road and get major air. She said she hit her head on the car ceiling a few times.”
Jo let out a laugh, staring down at the shreds of napkin on the table in front of him. My face crinkled with concern as I watched him. “Are you okay?”
He cleared his throat. “Yeah, I’m fine. Do you uh…remember anything else?”
It took a few moments to think back to that day with Theresa. “She said that there were certain people in town who didn’t like my family and that I should steer clear of them.”
In all my imaginings about this conversation, that was the part that was the hardest to navigate. I had no idea if Jo knew about the existence of witches, but I certainly wasn’t going to bring it up while I was his number one suspect.
He gave me a sharp look, his eyes narrowing. “Which family?”
I let out a humorless laugh. “Turns out it’s her family, the Farrows. Go figure. There’s been some feud between the Blacks and the Farrows for years, apparently.”
The pizza arrived just then, interrupting us once more. I’d ordered a small, personal size pizza, but it looked more like a medium. When I glanced up at Jo, I was surprised to see him looking uneasy. He rubbed the back of his neck.
“Yeah, I’m aware of that particular feud. It’s caused a lot of trouble in town. I guess I should be glad, as the cases its generated have kept me employed.”
I arched an eyebrow. “You know about the Farrows?”
He nodded, his lips pursed. Half of me felt excited to know I’d finally found someone who knew more about the Farrows. The other half couldn’t believe that it was Jo of all people.
“Do you think it’s possible that the Farrows kidnapped Theresa?” I pressed. His frown deepened.
“Why would you say that? Theresa is a Farrow.”
I tried unsuccessfully to hide my impatience. “I’m aware. But she’s related to some psychopath named Chandra. What if Chandra did it? From everything I’ve heard about her, she’s completely unhinged and the most likely suspect.”
It was hard to talk about Chandra without also talking about witches, so I measured my words carefully before saying them. Now I knew I wasn’t imagining Jo’s discomfort. He’d gone pale at the mention of Chandra.
“She’s nuts, all right,” he admitted. “But I’m not sure kidnapping Theresa is something Chandra would do.”
“Then who else could it be?” I argued. He raised an eyebrow.
“You think it’s more likely that a member of Theresa’s own family kidnapped her over a member of a family who’s been feuding with the Farrows for years?”
Unluckily for me, I had just taken a bite of my pizza, which was still very hot. I looked like an idiot, trying to suck air in and out to cool it off. After a few sips of water, I was finally able to answer him.
“I didn’t know anything about this stupid fight when I moved here. It’s not like I came here just to antagonize the Farrow family.”
He shrugged. “It makes more sense to me than Chandra doing it.”
I turned away, letting out an exasperated sigh. “I didn’t do it, Jo.”
“It’s my job to be suspicious, Sage. It’s…it’s nothing personal. But I have to find her. There’s a lot at stake here.”
When I brought my eyes to his again, I saw that same startling intensity from the day before. His smooth façade stayed in place, but I could see a current of terror in his eyes.
“Why? What is it about Theresa? Is she a friend, or a…”
For some reason, the word “girlfriend” stuck in my throat. Jo turned away.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
I tore a bite of pizza with my teeth, wishing he would just open up already. Both of us chewed in silence for a while, my earlier good feelings for him fading.
“You know, we’re never going to get anywhere if we don’t work together. I’d be happy to help you if you would just tell me what’s really going on.”
His lips twitched into a half smile. “A good P.I. never tells all.”
I rolled my eyes. The waitress showed up just then, wearing her annoying cutesy smile. It took tremendous effort to hold in a frustrated sigh.
“I assumed you two were on one check,” she said, a laugh in her tone. I reached for the check, but to my surprise, Jo snatched it away. He handed the waitress his card, then took a few ones out of his wallet, tossing them onto the table.
I frowned, that strange feeling of familiarity coming over me again. The gesture rang a bell in my memory…but why?
“I told you I was going to pay,” I reminded him.
