Smoke and Mirrors

Chapter 5

Once Lacey was sure that Sam wasn't an immediate threat, she pushed past him and into the house. She paused long enough to pry off her snowboots and dropped her colourful parka in the corner. "Do I smell Swanson's? Aw, yeah, Archie always has the good shit." Then, she proceeded to help herself to the frozen dinner. She pulled herself out a fork and plopped down at the kitchen table.

The ease with which Lacey navigated the house at least confirmed she knew Archie. That didn't mean she was an ally, but it seemed more likely to be the case than an enemy.

An enemy, Sam thought to himself. A teenager?

"That's my dinner," said Sam flatly.

"No it's not. Archie keeps these here for me," said Lacey around a mouthful of Salisbury steak. "Ahh, hot hot hot. Fuck, man. Did you microwave this on a lava setting or something? Shit." She got up and grabbed a juice glass from the cupboard and filled it with tap water.

Sam leaned on the back of the chair opposite Lacey. "You gonna tell me what's going on? Where's Archie?"

Lacey held up a finger and chug-chug-chugged the tap water. She lowered it with a sharp inhale, then turned to refill it. "S'complicated," she said as she dropped back into her seat and returned to wolfing down the TV dinner.

"No kidding," said Sam. He pulled out the chair and sat down.

Lacey mashed around half-frozen, half-steaming pools of mashed potato. She eyed him as she did. "Archie told me you'd probably come to town if anything happened to him."

"How'd you know I was here?"

"Small town. Patches, the guy with the moustache who runs the gas station by the Motor Inn? He's yappy. Got a Mortal Kombat machine and some good sour candy so I hang out there sometimes. Overheard him talking to Sheila from the craft store about an American with a bad coat." Lacey shoved the food into her mouth and when she spoke again, it was with her mouth full. "Said you were staying at the Motor Inn."

"You didn't recognize me outside. How did you know which room was mine?"

Lacey just looked at him and gestured.

Sam extended his hands and shook his head.

"Nobody else staying there right now, bud. It's the assbutt of winter. And your car's parked right outside your room. Motor..." Lacey enunciated, "...Inn."

Sam sighed and leaned on the table. He rubbed the sides of his neck. "Are you going to tell me what's going on? Where's Archie?"

"Dunno," said Lacey. "Well, dunno where Archie is. I know a little bit about what's going on. But I'm not sure you're ready to hear it."

"Listen..." said Sam with a heavy sigh. "I've flown from the other side of the continent. I've been freezing my ass off and nearly gone off the road more than once. Everyone in this town is staring at me, and there's a professor in Mahoney who seems to know something. Archie's left me breadcrumbs and I come to find out he's been coming here for years. I'd really... really love some clarity."

Sam had to force himself to calm down. Lacey was being cagey, but she was still just a kid. She was also his only chance to start to sort out what was happening.

Lacey set her fork down and slouched back in the chair. She watched him like a boss sizing up a job applicant. "Archie's family is from here. His sister Patricia was always real nice to me. My foster folks brought me to the wake, and I met him. I'd been mowing her lawn and shovelling her sidewalk and he offered to keep paying me to do it when he wasn't here."

Well, that was one minor mystery solved. "Did Archie grow up here?"

Lacey nodded. "Listen, the whole family history thing...it's not really mine to tell. I don't know all the bits anyway. But I do know everyone here knows the Gaines family." She sniffed, then idly unbraided one of her braids and started to twist it deftly up again. "When his sister died, he got passed along a piece of the family legacy. Something he always kinda heard whispers of, but never really knew more about. Archie kept coming back for a reason. He came looking for magic."