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“It was a carriage accident,” the ghost wife insisted. “I saw the horses sliding sideways. Then we tumbled down the hillside. Gone, all gone in the blink of an eye.”
“We should do it quick, before they turn,” Sam said.
The father put a hand to his wound. “We were to see my brother in the country.”
“Maybe they’re not going to turn,” Ling said. She couldn’t stop looking at the twin girls, who clung to each other. They were frightened. Of her.
“Where is Conor Flynn?” Memphis asked.
“A carriage accident, I tell you,” the ghost wife pleaded. “That’s all. I don’t know why we’re here.”
“Ready?” Sam prompted.
“Yeah. Okay,” Memphis grumbled. He couldn’t bring himself to look at the family. He was glad Isaiah wasn’t there.
“Why are we here? Why? Why…?” the woman cried as the Diviners came together and blasted them apart.
No one spoke on the long walk back to the train.
A PUNCH IN THE GUT
After a sleepless night, Evie called Mabel and asked to meet her at the Bennington.
“What’s the matter?” Mabel said, taking a seat across from Evie at a table under the faulty Victorian chandelier. “You sounded dire on the telephone.”
“I have a confession to make,” Evie said. She took a steadying breath and readied herself for Mabel’s anger. “I read Arthur’s card. Wait! I’m sorry. I know that I shouldn’t have, but you were so mysterious about him, and I was worried—”
“You had no right!”
“It was wrong of me, I know. But, Mabesie, I was right to be worried. Arthur’s not on the level.”
Mabel tensed. “What do you mean? Is there another girl?”
“No. Not that I saw.”
Mabel went back to being irritated. “Well, what, then?”
“He’s in some sort of trouble. I saw him in a police interrogation room. I think he was with an agent of some sort.”
“That’s ancient history. His brother went to jail. They questioned Arthur, but he was innocent so they let him go. That’s probably what you saw.”
“No. No, this felt more recent, Mabesie—”
“Evie… please stop.”
“This man was trying to get Arthur to do something that felt very wrong and very dangerous.”
“I don’t want to know—”
“Mabel, Arthur’s lying to you—”
“I said, I don’t want to know!” Mabel thundered, stunning Evie into silence. Mabel’s eyes filled with angry tears. “Why do you have to ruin everything?”
“I don’t… I didn’t mean…”
“I loved Jericho and you had to have him. You, who could have anybody! And now you want to keep me from Arthur.”
“No. That isn’t true, Mabesie. I only want to keep you from getting hurt.”
