Chimera and the Cat Burglar (FUC Academy #46)

Chapter 9

Chapter

Nine

Boo rapped her knuckles on the front door of her childhood home, certain her mother was home. It was close to seven in the morning, and Mom’s sedan was sitting in the driveway. Boo’s pulse sounded in her ears, and her mouth dried. She was doing the right thing: preparing a future free of old baggage.

Packed with relevant knowledge of her mother’s betrayal, Boo lifted the lion-shaped door knocker, the brass as etched as her mother’s surprised expression when she opened the door.

“Mom.”

“Boo.” Cecilia wedged her body between the door and the door’s molding, the hem of her bathrobe fluttering about her mocha calves. Her bonnet crumpled against the doorframe. “What took you so long?”

Years of self-doubt and blame edged the perimeter of Boo’s mind, and that was all she allowed. “I’m here now. Someone dear to me convinced me to make peace with you and to put my past behind me.”

“It’s not that easy.” Her mother stepped onto the porch and closed the door behind her, adding a judgy gaze. “Expecting you and handing out forgiveness after you lived like an alley cat, shaming the entire family, won’t be easy.”

It was just like Cecilia to sway things to make her look good when she’d been digging up graves along with Ginnie.

Was that how Cecilia gained her executive place on the Willow Wisp governing board?

Boo waved her hand in dismissal. “I don’t want forgiveness. I don’t even think I need it, considering I was only following in your footsteps.”

“Following me? That’s absurd.” Cecilia narrowed her green eyes and lifted her manicured index finger. “You don’t have a clue what I do. I’m not a criminal, a betrayer, and a selfish puss.”

A moment passed before Boo answered, “I thought recovering and returning family artifacts to their rightful owners was justice.”

“Justice, is that what you call it?” Cecilia pffted . “Anyway, why are you here? What do you need, money?”

“No.” Boo gathered her thoughts as she anxiously twisted the phony engagement ring on her finger. She’d left it in the van before she and Willy had started digging in the cemetery, and she’d put it back on when they’d returned. Of course, her mother made no comment on the fact that her daughter wore an engagement ring.

Whatever.

Shouldn’t her mother see her like Willy did? Shouldn’t Cecilia see that Boo had changed for the better, regardless of her muddy attire?

Cecilia blew out a breath as if she was tired of Boo already. “My last words to you were to keep out of the cemetery, but no. Not Boo. She didn’t listen. She’s not listening now. Just like your father.”

Boo’s belly cramped like a gut punch. This was her mother, sharp-tongued and still angry, just like Boo suspected.

Her mother wasn’t outright rejecting Boo, but her disappointment gathered creases on Cecilia’s brow.

If Boo allowed herself to crumble, her mother would have an eternal hold on her, something that would ruin Boo’s future.

Boo settled for honesty. “We’ve never seen eye-to-eye.”

“Truer words have never been said.” Cecilia checked her nails. “What will the neighbors think? I never wanted a criminal to come knocking looking for handouts.”

“I’m not a criminal—” Boo paused. She would not explain herself.

Her mother placed the back of her hand on her forehead. “You’ve taken enough from me already.”

Boo took a step back. Her mother would always play the victim. That was a given. “I was never good enough for you. I almost wonder if you enjoyed the fact that I was independent, because it gave you the perfect opportunity to rid yourself of me. Tell me, how much did you enjoy calling the police on your own daughter?”

Her mother’s eyes widened, and she righted her bonnet, the same one she’d worn years ago with the little pink mice dancing around the band.

Some things never changed.

But Boo had.

“You know?” Cecilia hissed. “Who told you? Ginnie?”

“Yes.” Boo stood taller, not so much in defiance or defense but to show her mother that she was no longer affected by her mother’s unhealed trauma. “I met Ginnie tonight in the cemetery, and she filled me in on your little coverup.”

“She wouldn’t betray me,” Cecilia scoffed.

Me. Me. Me .

Boo was tired of arguing, but she should have expected nothing less than an unresolved past.

She should have stayed put, in bed with Willy.

“Tell me this, Mom. How many more secrets are you keeping from me?”

Her mother laughed, her mouth opening wide and flashing teeth and a lopsided uvula. “Why would I tell you? I keep secrets away from vandals and felons.”

Was Cecilia charging Boo a criminal?

Okay, the charge was earned.

Boo looked at the withered features her mother displayed. They not only showed in her face but also in her stature and attitude. Boo registered shame in her mother’s gaze.

If Boo didn’t keep to the right path, she’d end up like Mom.

Boo’s cell phone rang.

She pulled the device from her pocket and answered without glancing at the caller ID. “Willy, I can explain?—”

“It’s Alyce Cooper, and I’ve moved the meeting to eight a.m. It’s urgent, Boo.” The phone crackled. “Return to the Academy ASAP.”

“I need to pick up Willy.”

“Not necessary. He’s on his way.” Alyce ended the call.

Boo stared at her phone, her heart sinking, knowing that Willy wouldn’t be happy, waking up and finding both her and the statue gone.

Boo pocketed the phone. She had no idea what Alyce’s urgency was about, but as she left her mom standing on the porch, she felt sorry for her mother and the anger that had aged her.

Her mom called out, “All you’ve done is run from the truth and cause me grief, just like your father.”

The only truth Boo ran from was her mother’s continued deception and backstabbing ways. Boo dashed to her car and called Willy on the way, but the call went to voice mail.

She tried again and left a message. “I have the statue. I’ll meet you at the Academy. I love you.”

She sped forward, praying Willy would understand why she’d left, hoping he would give her time to explain where she’d gone, even if she hadn’t made amends with her mother.

But in the back of her mind, all she heard was her mother’s voice.

You’re the criminal, a betrayer, and a selfish puss.