Page 102 of The Lady on Esplanade
“I’m in danger, apparently.That seems to be the running theme from the netherworld these days.Too bad the spirits can’t be more specific.”
“You know that’s not how it works.”Sarah looked at me hopefully.“Maybe I should stay longer.I can call Mom and Dad and tell them that you need me here.”
“Thanks, but no.That’s sweet of you, and I know it has nothing to do with skipping school, but I think between Jolene, Jaxson, and me—”
“And Beau.”
“We don’t need him.”
“You sure about that?”Sarah asked quietly.
“Very.”I put my mug down on the table, next to the two bags of stones I’d pulled from my backpack the previous day.I untied the string of the one Zoe had given me and spilled the stones out onto my palm.
Sarah placed a plate of frozen waffles in front of me, along with a tub of margarine with a knife protruding from the middle, and I was glad Jolene wasn’t awake to see the sacrilege.Sarah sat down in the chair next to me and used her index finger to mix up the stones.
“I feel like I’m letting you down leaving you without any answers.”
“Oh, my gosh—really?We don’t have all of the answers, but I think we’re getting closer because of you.I’m sorry you got stuck babysitting me over your Thanksgiving break.”
She grinned, and she looked so much like our dad that it made me homesick.“I had fun.I’m glad you let me stick around.”
“Me, too.”
“Still no idea what ‘Find the stones’ means?”
Before I could answer, Jolene emerged from her bedroom.She was in her nightgown and robe, her hair a red cloud around her head, and her face devoid of makeup.She was holding the Bible that I had found on her floor.
“Jolene, are you all right?”I asked.
“Yes, thank you.I’m sorry—I think I overslept.Too many late nights catching up and chatting with my family.”She held out the Bible.“Did y’all put this on my bed?”
Sarah and I shook our heads.
“But while you were gone it did fall off your nightstand and onto the floor,” I offered.“It landed open at the book of Luke.”
Her face paled.“Do you remember which chapter?”
“Yes, actually.I figured someone was trying to tell us something, so I paid attention.The first chapter number that appeared on the page on the left was in a large, bold font, so I think I remember it.I’m pretty sure it was twenty-two.”
Her face paled even more.“Twenty-two?Are you sure?”
“Pretty sure.Why?”
“Verse forty-seven is where Judas betrays Jesus.When Mimi’s Bible flew off the shelf in front of everyone, it fell open at the exact same chapter.I didn’t think it meant anything at the time, but now…but now…” She gave us an anguished look before she clutched the Bible to her chest and ran back to her room.Despite the drama of her exit, her good manners wouldn’t allow her to slam the door.
Sarah looked at me with raised eyebrows.“Should I go see if she wants to talk?”
“Don’t worry.I will.But not yet.She’ll want to get dressed and put on her makeup first.But you could put Mardi in her room.He’s really good at offering comfort—better than any man I’ve ever met.”
“Ew.”Sarah picked Mardi up, then walked over to Jolene’s closed door and tapped.“Jolene?Can Mardi come in?”
The door opened and Jolene reached for the dog.“Thank you, Sarah.I’ll be ready to go tree shopping in an hour.Wear the pretty plaid hair band I got you.I’ve got one, too, and we can match.”After offering a wobbly grin, she closed the door.
Sarah returned to her seat and rested her elbows on the table, her head perched on her hands.“That was weird.”
“It was.”I took a sip of coffee, wishing the caffeine would reach my tired brain faster.I needed to think.There were so many loose pieces of information floating around like alphabet soup in my head, and none of them would come together to make sense.And behind them all was the awareness that Cooper hadn’t returned my calls or texts, and that he was in California, where his fiancée lay in an irreversible coma.The fiancée he’d neglected to tell me about.And I knew about her—Lilly—only because Beau had decided to do a background check on Cooper.
Maybe it was a good thing that I was so distracted with the unanswered questions surrounding Adele’s murder and the disappearance of Jessica and Lynda, because it meant that I wouldn’t have to dwell on the facts that I was too trusting and that I hadn’t learned a thing from my mistakes.The overwhelming need for a drink hit me like a punch, and I quickly took another sip of coffee to make it go away.
