“Hey, Megan,” Alex said, smiling. “Want to help us wash Rose? We’ll throw in a free bath for you.”
I laughed. “Thanks, but I’ve already had mine. I’ll watch.”
“Rose met up with a skunk this morning,” Sophie told me.
“I’ll watch from a distance.”
“And Alex sort of stopped by to help,” she continued, looking embarrassed.
“Glad he got here first,” I teased.
“It was nice because he hadn’t seen the girls for a while,” she added, as if Alex had come by with the passionate hope that he could deskunk her dog and visit her sisters.
“Like I told you before, we’re just old friends.”
She was so worried that she was intruding on my dating territory, she missed the expression on Alex’s face-the protest he almost spoke aloud. I saw it and smiled.
“You know, Sophie, I’m here for a two-week visit,” I reminded her. “And I doubt Grandmother will be asking me back.”
Alex realized that I was giving Sophie “permission” to go with whomever she wanted and glanced sideways at her, but she didn’t get it. I don’t think it had crossed her mind that her old crabbing buddy was falling for her-falling fast, I’d say.
“How’s Matt today?” Alex asked.
“Hot and bothered, thanks to me.”
“Any chance of you two cutting each other a break?” he asked.
“Don’t think so,” I replied, and tried to ignore the ache inside me.
I watched him and Sophie work the soap through the thick fur of the dog, debating what to say in front of Alex. How aware was he of Sophie’s psychic side? He seemed an open-minded person; still, I decided to mention only what I had to.
“Listen, Sophie, I’m trying to get information on the plant called redcreep. Do you know its botanical name?”
“No, but Miss Lydia might.”
“What do you need to know about it?” Alex asked.
“I was told that people used it as a beauty supplement. I want to know if the processed stuff has any taste-or smell or color. Does it dissolve in liquid? What exactly does it do to you? How fast does it work? How much is too much and what are the symptoms of an overdose-uh, you know, that kind of thing,” I added casually, after giving a list that belonged in a forensic lab.
“Why do you want to know?” he asked.
I glanced at Sophie.
“It’s a long story,” she answered for me. “How about someone at the college, Alex-would one of the biology profs know?”
“We can find out,” he replied.
“Would you?” I asked quickly. “I’ve got some other things to do. Thanks. I’ll catch up with you later.” I started across the grass.
“Megan,” Sophie called, hurrying after me. “Megan!” She waited till we were in the side yard, out of earshot. “What are you up to?”
“I have a lot to tell you,” I said, “but not now. I want to talk to Mrs. Riley, then go to the mill.”
“Don’t.”
“Don’t what?”
“Go to the mill. I have a bad feeling about it.” Shaded by a cedar, her blue eyes were a flicker of light and shadow.
“Look, Sophie, don’t get prophetic on me. It’s the past I need info on, not the future.”
“I’m telling you, it’s dangerous.”
“I’ll watch where I step and look out for rodents.”
“You’re asking for it,” she warned.
“Is that a prediction?”
“Yes.”
“Want to hear my prediction?”
She looked surprised, then smiled. “From the person who claims she isn’t psychic? Okay.”
“Before I leave Wisteria, you and Alex are going to be totally in love.”
I left Sophie with a look of wonder on her face.
Mrs. Riley couldn’t see me. At first I suspected that the purpose of Grandmother’s visit had been to forbid the woman to speak to me, then I saw the worry on Jamie’s face.
“She’s had another bad night and is resting now. How about I fix you a late lunch? Some dessert?”
“No, thanks.” Though I hadn’t eaten that morning, I had no appetite.
“Try back later,” he said. “I’m sure she’ll feel better.”
I wandered up and down the streets of Wisteria, hoping for inspiration, some theory about what had happened sixty years ago that would help me understand what was going on now. Each time I tried to reject the idea of reincarnation, I came back to it. It was the one theory that explained all the strange things that had been happening. Sophie’s suggestion made sense: While sleepwalking I had moved the Bible, the clock, and the painting to where they belonged when I was Avril. Small matters fell into place, such as Matt’s reluctance to go to the mill. Did he remember something terrible happening there? Was he trying to get me away from Wisteria before I remembered?
On my wanderings I passed Tea Leaves, and Jamie flagged me down. He said his mother wanted to see me at four. I used the remaining time to look for Sophie, checking her house and Alex’s, then the college, but didn’t catch up with her. I browsed in a New Age bookstore, looking at covers and reading their fantastic blurbs, till the incense and tinkling music got to me-not to mention the weird shoppers.
They’re probably all Mrs. Riley’s patrons, I thought; and now I’m one of them.
At four o’clock the old woman was waiting for me, beckoning from the top of the café stairway. I climbed it and followed her down the narrow hall. When we sat at the table beneath the fringed lamp, I saw the deep circles under her eyes. There was a tremor on one side of her mouth that I hadn’t noticed before. She lay her palms flat on the table in front of her. Her fingers looked sore, the nails bitten down to the pink.
“What is it you want of me?” she asked.
I hesitated, torn between my own need to get answers and the realization that she wasn’t well.
“You want to know more about Avril and Helen,” she guessed.
“You look so tired,” I said, starting to rise.
“Stay!” She gripped my wrist with surprising strength. “I have been concerned about you and hoping to see you again. Ask your questions.”
I sat down and carefully pulled away my hand, lowering it into my lap. “I want to find out about reincarnation.”
“Go on.”
“Sophie told me it’s a chance to complete things that have been left undone,” Mrs. Riley nodded.
“She said that if a person died young, she might be reincarnated. Sometimes two people can be reincarnated together if they are separated too soon in a previous life.”
Mrs. Riley studied my face. “And you think that has happened to you?”
“I think I’m Avril.”
The old woman sat back in her chair. After a moment she said, “Do not be misled by appearances. You look like your great aunt, but that is not significant.”
“It’s not what I look like. It’s what I dream about. It’s what I seem to remember.”
The shrill whistle of a teakettle sounded in another room.
Mrs. Riley ignored it.
“What do you remember?” she whispered.
“Scarborough House. The dollhouse that looks like it. I dreamed about them before I saw them.”
“And?” she asked, her eyes as bright and sharp as the whistling sound.
“The mill, its basement, the big wheels in it.”
“And?” she pressed.
I bit my lip. “That’s it.” The dream about Thomas, Helen, and Avril was too uncomfortable, too personal to tell.
She looked at me doubtfully. “You must be honest with me if I am to help you.”
I stared down at the table and said nothing.
She stood up. “Very well. Think about it while I get my tea.”
As soon as she disappeared, I covered my face with my hands. What did I hope to prove-that Grandmother was guilty? Why reveal that now? It would only cause a lot of pain. Still, the doubt and suspicion that grew out of that dark secret were quietly poisoning the minds of Grandmother, Matt, and me.