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Theo smirked at Raheem and climbed to his feet. "Pays to be an office snob." To Dr. Blanton, he said in a syrupy tone, "Anything you need, Alicia."
"Barf," Raheem said, sticking his tongue out at Theo.
Dr. Blanton looked as though she was trying not to smile. She pointed at Raheem's bucket. "Dig," she said.
He stuck his tongue out at her, too. "Yes, ma'am."
Once they were gone, I turned to Raheem. "Okay, so the book."
"Talk of the town," Raheem said. "Theo and Neath were up with it all night, apparently."
"He said Vanessa talked to someone in town yesterday," I said. "A woman?"
Raheem made a face. "We stopped to eat on the way back and there was some antique store, and she went in. This lady—I think she worked there? Anyway, Vanessa started talking to her and next thing you know it's the Exorcist or some shit."
I raised my eyebrows. "But she didn't tell her about the book, right?"
"No, are you crazy?" Raheem scooped more mud. "Vanessa barely said a word. The lady was already up in arms about the dig. Said that we were disrupting restless spirits, that it was cursed ground, hellfire and brimstone, et cetera et cetera." He waved a hand. "I don't think Vanessa slept all night."
"Where is she now, anyway?" I glanced around. There were just as many people as there had been two days ago, but with the overcast sky and wet ground, the dig site felt strangely empty.
Raheem gave me a curious look. "Probably asleep behind the tents. Why? You gonna go talk some sense into her?"
I got to my feet, wiping my muddy hands on the seat of my jeans. "Something like that," I said.
"Hey, Vanessa, I need to—" I stopped short.
Vanessa looked up from her computer. She looked exhausted, her flaming hair making her face appear even paler. "Oh," she said dimly, "it's you."
I sat down next to her, trying not to be alarmed at her appearance. "Are you sick?"
She shook her head. "Just tired. I didn't sleep very well."
"Yeah," I said. "Raheem told me about the woman in the store."
"It wasn't that." Vanessa rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. "I just had the weirdest dreams all night. I woke up feeling like something was really wrong."
"Oh?" I said lightly. "What do you mean?"
She let out a sigh and looked at me. "I dreamed about you," she said.
I frowned. "Me?"
"Yeah," she said. "You were running, and I was trying to follow you, and every time I caught up to you, you'd disappear and show up somewhere else." She yawned. "So it's no wonder I'm tired. Running all night."
"Theo said you thought—do you still think the site is—" I made a face. "Cursed?"
She gave me a dark look. "I mean, have you ever been on a dig like this?"
I raised my eyebrows. "I haven't really been on many digs," I pointed out. "I mean, at least not any that weren't next to a golf course."
"Well, I have," Vanessa said, "and I can tell you right now, I've never felt energy like what I feel here."
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Vanessa—"
"Hey." She held up a hand. "You asked for my opinion, and I'm giving it to you."
"You're right," I said. "I'm sorry."
