He nodded, but his knuckles were white around the steering wheel. “Only . . . you weren’t angry in the dream. Neither was I. It was like we were both . . . sad. I woke up crying and everything.”

The hairs on the back of my neck prickled. Even as he said it, it was like I could see it. Me and David, staring at each other, tears streaming down both of our faces. There was something in my hand . . .

But wait. No, there was no way that could happen.

Making a fist, I pulled my arm back and swung at his face with everything I had. David gave a startled cry and flattened himself against the other side of the car, but the punch never landed. Instead, my fist came to a halt six inches from his nose.

“See?” I said, and relief washed over his face.

“Right.” David gave a shaky laugh. “You can’t hit me.”

“I can’t so much as pinch you,” I replied. “So killing you? Totally off the table. Now let’s drop that, and get back to the real problem, namely this.”

I thumped the notebook with my pen, dismayed to see that everything Blythe had told us didn’t even take up a whole page. “You need to call your Aunt Saylor.”

“She’s not—”

“I know, I know.” Lifting a hand, I waved him off. “But you know what I mean. We need to talk to her as soon as possible and tell her what happened. Call her and tell her to meet us—” I checked my watch. It was only a little past one in the afternoon. Hard to believe it had only been a few hours since we set off for Merlington. “Tell her to go to Miss Annemarie’s Tearoom.”

David already had his phone out, but he paused, lifting both eyebrows. “And you want us to talk about this in Little Old Lady Land why?”

Miss Annemarie’s was a Pine Grove institution. A tiny room filled with china, chintz, and more ceramic cats than anyone should ever own, the tearoom catered almost exclusively to senior citizens. It was one of The Aunts’ favorite places to go for lunch, but today was Saturday, and they only went on Wednesdays.

“I want to talk this out in a neutral area,” I told David. “And, no offense, but ever since that night, your house gives me the creeps.”

He nodded, sympathetic. “Yeah, I get that.”

“Plus, everyone at Miss Annemarie’s is ancient, so there’s less chance of being overheard.”

“Good thinking.” David went to dial, but before he did, stopped, ducking his head a little so he could meet my eyes. “So we’re really doing this. You’re going to fully accept Paladin-hood or whatever.”