She hesitated, then said, “I don’t want to second-guess you, Liv. You might have totally known what you were doing, and if so, just tell me to shove off, but you seemed really distracted, so I started to think…” She looked up at me. “Are you sure you should have sent the dryads to watch over Seanna?”

“Ah,” I said. “Come on in.” I escorted her into the parlor. “You’re right. That probably wasn’t a good idea. Helia volunteered, and while I did try to stop her, I should have insisted.” I looked at Gabriel and Ricky. “Maybe we should catch up and convince them they aren’t needed. Helia really shouldn’t be exerting herself.”

“I can do it,” Ricky said, pushing to his feet. “Lloe? You up to running beside the bike? Or should we take Liv’s car?”

Pepper nodded. “Checking on them is a good idea. Helia wasn’t in great shape, as hard as she tried to hide it. I don’t think she was up to this kind of mission.”

“Nor do I believe Seanna required extra guards,” Gabriel said. “But we take your point. If they wanted to help Walter, they won’t be swayed unless someone replaces them on their watch.”

“Help Walter?” Pepper looked from me to Gabriel.

“With Seanna,” I said.

“But I thought…I thought Liv sent them to watch Walter. Because she was suspicious.”

“Of Walter?” I said with a laugh. “That makes a whole lot more sense now. That’s definitely a mission I wouldn’t send Helia on, given her condition. She just wanted to go and help him watch over Seanna.”

“That’s not…” She trailed off and looked from me to Gabriel again.

“Not what?” I said.

“I overheard Helia talking to Alexios. She said they were going to watch Walter, that him taking Seanna away seemed suspicious. I thought that meant you were suspicious of him, but it must have just meant she was. She told Alexios that they needed to see what he was up to.”

“Walter?” I shook my head. “Then they’re the ones who misunderstood. Ida wanted him to take Seanna someplace safe.”

“Ida wasn’t there.”

“Sure she…” I thought. “Well, no, I didn’t actually see her, but…” I looked at Gabriel.

“She wasn’t there,” he said. “I presumed she’d given Walter orders before he came over.”

“Ida doesn’t know,” Pepper said. “Helia asked, and Walter said he hadn’t told Ida about Pamela, that she was sleeping when he left and she needs her rest—everything that’s going on is wearing her down. He wanted to handle this alone. Grace agreed. She grumbled about Ida always taking control, and she said if they could leave Ida out of it, that’d be easier for everyone. I ran after Helia and gave her my cell phone, because I remembered them saying they didn’t have one.”

“Good idea,” Ricky said.