Maeve knew that the time for farewell was upon them. She wanted to have everyone over to the house for a big party and celebration, and to meet Judy and Rebecca. Clara agreed, so between the two of them, they arranged for caterers and a big yellow-and-white-striped tent, to be erected in the side yard between the two houses.

“You realize that that's exactly where Edward and I got married,” Lily said to her grandmother.

“Of course,” Maeve said. “We have to purge the ground. Is he really in jail?”

“He is,” Lily said. “They're holding him on a federal warrant. Joe said that lots of deadbeat dads skate by every day, and that if they make even the simplest effort to set up a payment plan, they're allowed out. But Edward's arrogance was just so intense. Once they arrested him for the child support, they began investigating him for other things. Including hurting you.”

“And there was that incident on the Internet,” Maeve said. “That Marisa talked about.”

“Edward was an equal opportunity predator,” Lily said. “He never met a victim he didn't like. He's always been so arrogant about it all.”

“Tara knew?”

“Everyone knew, I think,” Lily said. “Tara was egging Joe on to get all the legal stuff in order, and Liam was pushing to make sure they brought Marisa and Judy back in time. And Patrick has never stopped trying to prove that he had something to do with poisoning you.”

“Yes, that's a mystery,” she said.

“When Judy told us that he used to work in a boatyard, Patrick decided to go talk to the owner. It turns out that Edward did lots of work on heating systems on boats. So he knows plenty about ducts and vents and fumes and all that.”

“Well,” Maeve said. “If he did it, I believe that Patrick will catch him. Life is long, and a person's character generally catches up to him.”

“Is that another way of saying ‘Right is might'?” Lily asked.

Her grandmother nodded. She sat on the loveseat, gazing out the window at the rippling blue bay. The light was reflected in her eyes, and a small smile played on her mouth. Outside, people's voices could be heard in the yard, on the rocks, everywhere. Workers preparing for the party were raising the tent, setting up the bar, tables, and dance floor. Liam and Patrick were down front with Rose, Jessica, Marisa, and Sam.

“Granny?” Lily asked. “You look lost in thought.”

Maeve turned to gaze at her. Lily was struck, as she often was since returning to Hubbard's Point, by how much Maeve had aged. Nine years had passed since their last summer together, and the weight of every second hung heavy on Lily's heart.

“I'm thinking about you, my darling,” Maeve said.

“What about me?”

“About how afraid I was, the day you went to court. Afraid that Edward would somehow pull off one of his magic tricks, by fooling the judge.”