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“Then explain something else,” I continued. “Mama and the police searched this whole damn house. If I died in here, how the fuck did nobody know somebody had been killed? The body probably was gone, but there should’ve been blood or something, right?”

Miss Veda’s expression became serious. “All three of you died in the same attack, Caspian. When I intervened, I placed your remains beyond ordinary physical reach and veiled the evidence of what happened here—the blood, the bullet damage, all of it. Anyone searching afterward would have found the house as it appeared before the violence.”

I nodded.

But something else had been bothering me since Lakelyn and my son left Hallowridge, and if this woman was finally handing out answers, I intended to get as many as I could before she disappeared wherever the hell she came from.

“When my girlfriend and son were here, I felt… different,” I told her.

“Don’t you mean stronger?”

“Yeah… a lot stronger.”

Miss Veda nodded. “That is because your son is your blood. The relationship between a parent and child creates one of the strongest bonds that can exist between the living and the dead. Your son carries a direct continuation of you within him. When he is near, your spirit recognizes that connection, and it gives you greater access to the physical world.”

“Because he’s mine.”

“Because he is your continuation,” she corrected gently.

My continuation.

“So what about my girlfriend? She ain’t my blood.”

“Her bond with you is different because it is not biological, but that does not make it insignificant. Love carries its own weight, particularly love interrupted without closure. There is also grief, longing, promises that were never fulfilled, questions that were never answered, and a future the two of you expected to have together. Those things leave an imprint. So when she’s near, that emotional bond strengthens your ability to reach toward the living world. When your son is near, the blood connection does the same, only more powerfully. When they are both near you, those two forces overlap.”

“So that’s why I felt damn near alive when both of them were here.”

“In a manner of speaking, yes.”

“And now that they’re gone, I’m weak again.”

“Considerably weaker, yes. But don’t confuse the two. Your entrapment here has nothing to do with them,” she said enough to make the distinction clear. “Their presence only affects how strongly you can interact with the physical world. This house is why you cannot leave.”

That made more sense.

“The house is the cage, and they’re the battery,” I mumbled.

Miss Veda sighed. “I suppose I should be grateful that analogy is at least functional.”

“You understood it.”

“Unfortunately.”

I almost smiled. “So I won’t get that kind of strength back unless they’re close.”

“Not through those particular bonds, no.”

I let that settle before the thought of Mama came rushing back.

“Real talk, though.” My voice lost some of the humor. “What if I don’t want everybody spending the next twenty years looking for me? My mama been walking around here for a year, still hoping I’m coming back. And God knows all the places my girl searched. I want them to know what happened. I want my mama to have my body and give me a proper burial.”

For the first time since Miss Veda appeared, the amusement completely left her face. Something softer took its place, and even though I didn’t need anybody feeling sorry for me, I appreciated that she understood this question was different.

“I know.”

“Then bring my body back.”

“Caspian, I can’t… at least not yet.”