the issue of Gregory.
“Will, on Wednesday, Beth left broken glass in my shoe.”
He turned toward Ivy.
“You remember what Gregory did to Ella and me last summer,” Ivy continued. “It’s a warning.”
“Beth claims you put glass in her shoe.”
“I heard her tell you that, but she was either lying or confused.”
“You heard her? How?”
Ivy bit her lip.
“You were eavesdropping,” Will said, his voice accusatory. “You were sneaking around under my window.”
Ivy tried to explain: “I was coming over to tell you about the glass and got there just after she did.”
Will shook his head. “I think you’re both crazy.”
“You can think what you want about me,” Ivy replied, “and a lot of your anger, I admit, I’ve earned. But right now we’re talking about Beth, and I want you to listen hard—for her sake. Gregory has come back. He slipped inside her mind the night of the séance and is using her to get at me.I don’t how to help her, how to get rid of him, how to bring back the Beth you and I love. The only thing I know for sure is that I need your help. Gregory is getting stronger.”
For a moment Will just stared at her. In the distance a flash of lightning outlined clouds over the bay. After a long pause, thunder rumbled.
“Think about it, Will,” Ivy said. Then she left him alone, hoping he’d figure it out sooner rather than later. For Beth’s sake.
SHORTLY AFTER, WITH A STORM APPROACHING, THE party moved inside. Claiming she had a headache, Ivy made arrangements for Dhanya and Will to get a ride home, then headed to her car. The storm broke quickly, a smattering of fat raindrops on her windshield suddenly turning into a downpour. Peering through the torrent, watching the road ahead appear and disappear as images of it were wiped off by the rubber blades, Ivy couldn’t see the church as she drove past. “Be safe, Tristan,” she murmured and continued on to the cottage.
She planned to start her search for Alicia Crowley as soon as she arrived home. Hopefully, Alicia had posted enough information on Facebook to allow Ivy to get in touch with her. She could friend Alicia, but she didn’t want to leave an electronic trail for the police or anyone else who might be searching for “Luke.” A face-to-face meeting would work best.
Arriving at the inn’s lot, Ivy saw that Will’s car was still missing, but just inside the cottage door she found a pair of Beth’s shoes that she didn’t remember seeing earlier. The canvas shoes were coated with a damp and gritty mix of sand and soil, like the kind found on the grassy marshland of bayside beaches.
Ivy slipped off her own shoes, soaked from the downpour, and placed them next to Beth’s. Dusty emerged from the kitchen, mewing a greeting.
“You stayed nice and dry,” Ivy said, petting him. “Treats for you, tea for me.”
In the kitchen, Ivy knelt by the cat for a moment as he purred and crunched on his treats. After grabbing a raspberry iced tea from the fridge, she sat down at the kitchen table, eager to get started on her research. She lifted the lid of her laptop, surprised she had left the computer on. The dark screen leaped into life with a photo: She looked into the angry eyes of Gregory.
TRISTAN WAS SWIMMING, OR MAYBE HE WAS FLYING —the luminous water was as light as air, and his being could move however he willed it. There was just one rule: He couldn’t look back.
He did, and he saw Ivy. Amazed, he turned quickly and flew toward her. She was farther away than he first thought. To reach her, he had to use all the strength andgrace given to him. As he did, the ethereal lightness around him changed. It darkened to a sea and grew heavy with salt and sand. He became aware of his limbs and the way they dragged him down. He heard murmurings from the depths of the sea—menacing, barely human voices. Their voices overlapped, wave after wave washing over him.
The dark voices grew louder, making it hard to think. Every
“Will, on Wednesday, Beth left broken glass in my shoe.”
He turned toward Ivy.
“You remember what Gregory did to Ella and me last summer,” Ivy continued. “It’s a warning.”
“Beth claims you put glass in her shoe.”
“I heard her tell you that, but she was either lying or confused.”
“You heard her? How?”
Ivy bit her lip.
“You were eavesdropping,” Will said, his voice accusatory. “You were sneaking around under my window.”
Ivy tried to explain: “I was coming over to tell you about the glass and got there just after she did.”
Will shook his head. “I think you’re both crazy.”
“You can think what you want about me,” Ivy replied, “and a lot of your anger, I admit, I’ve earned. But right now we’re talking about Beth, and I want you to listen hard—for her sake. Gregory has come back. He slipped inside her mind the night of the séance and is using her to get at me.I don’t how to help her, how to get rid of him, how to bring back the Beth you and I love. The only thing I know for sure is that I need your help. Gregory is getting stronger.”
For a moment Will just stared at her. In the distance a flash of lightning outlined clouds over the bay. After a long pause, thunder rumbled.
“Think about it, Will,” Ivy said. Then she left him alone, hoping he’d figure it out sooner rather than later. For Beth’s sake.
SHORTLY AFTER, WITH A STORM APPROACHING, THE party moved inside. Claiming she had a headache, Ivy made arrangements for Dhanya and Will to get a ride home, then headed to her car. The storm broke quickly, a smattering of fat raindrops on her windshield suddenly turning into a downpour. Peering through the torrent, watching the road ahead appear and disappear as images of it were wiped off by the rubber blades, Ivy couldn’t see the church as she drove past. “Be safe, Tristan,” she murmured and continued on to the cottage.
She planned to start her search for Alicia Crowley as soon as she arrived home. Hopefully, Alicia had posted enough information on Facebook to allow Ivy to get in touch with her. She could friend Alicia, but she didn’t want to leave an electronic trail for the police or anyone else who might be searching for “Luke.” A face-to-face meeting would work best.
Arriving at the inn’s lot, Ivy saw that Will’s car was still missing, but just inside the cottage door she found a pair of Beth’s shoes that she didn’t remember seeing earlier. The canvas shoes were coated with a damp and gritty mix of sand and soil, like the kind found on the grassy marshland of bayside beaches.
Ivy slipped off her own shoes, soaked from the downpour, and placed them next to Beth’s. Dusty emerged from the kitchen, mewing a greeting.
“You stayed nice and dry,” Ivy said, petting him. “Treats for you, tea for me.”
In the kitchen, Ivy knelt by the cat for a moment as he purred and crunched on his treats. After grabbing a raspberry iced tea from the fridge, she sat down at the kitchen table, eager to get started on her research. She lifted the lid of her laptop, surprised she had left the computer on. The dark screen leaped into life with a photo: She looked into the angry eyes of Gregory.
TRISTAN WAS SWIMMING, OR MAYBE HE WAS FLYING —the luminous water was as light as air, and his being could move however he willed it. There was just one rule: He couldn’t look back.
He did, and he saw Ivy. Amazed, he turned quickly and flew toward her. She was farther away than he first thought. To reach her, he had to use all the strength andgrace given to him. As he did, the ethereal lightness around him changed. It darkened to a sea and grew heavy with salt and sand. He became aware of his limbs and the way they dragged him down. He heard murmurings from the depths of the sea—menacing, barely human voices. Their voices overlapped, wave after wave washing over him.
The dark voices grew louder, making it hard to think. Every
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