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“Yes, you do.”
I stopped rocking. “What is it you want me to say, Tom?”
“Tell me what you know about the mutilated dogs.”
I glared at him. “Do you know how ridiculous and paranoid you sound right now?” I stood and moved toward the front door.
“Whatever’s attacking these dogs isn’t normal. The claw marks tell me it has to be some sort of animal, but whatever it is rips them apart and only eats one thing.”
My curiosity got the better of me. “What?”
Tom shot me a meaningful look. “Their hearts. What animal in nature does that?”
I rubbed my forehead. “I don’t know, Tom. Isn’t there some department you can call about that? Like Animal Control?”
“We’ve already called the Department of Fish and Wildlife.”
“Well, there you go. Why do you need my opinion? I’m just a waitress.”
“I’m not letting this go, Ellie.”
Of course he wasn’t. “Fine. You do whatever you want.” I opened the door to the house. “Now if you’ll excuse me, some of us haverealwork to do.”
To my surprise, he didn’t follow me. I looked for Myra and found her in her office.
She frowned when she looked up at me. “I hope you didn’t see him too closely. It was quite upsetting.”
“I’m sorry, Myra.”
She shook her head and turned to look out the back window. It was odd to think we’d never see Chip running around the yard again. He’d been part of my life for ten years.
I sighed. The world was in danger, but I had mundane things to worry about at the moment. “I hate to ask, but my car broke down as I was driving through the Alligator River Wildlife Refuge. Can I use your car today? I can take you to work and pick you up.”
“Do I want to know why you were driving through the wildlife refuge?”
“No.”
A ghost of a smile twitched at her lips. “Of course you can use my car. And I’m sure I can find a ride home. You don’t have to worry about that.”
“Thanks, Myra. I’m going to do some work upstairs. Let me know when you’re ready to leave.”
After I put the linens in the industrial washing machine in the main house, I went into Daddy’s office and stood in the doorway. It looked exactly as it did two years ago, before his mind started getting worse.
I went inside and trailed my fingertips across the old wooden desk, my eyes scanning the floor-to-ceiling bookcases on both sides of the room. I thought about searching the room again for the notes Daddy had told me about—the ones about the curse—but I knew it was a lost cause. Especially when my time would be better spent figuring out which antique I could pawn next.
Myra knew I’d pawned a set of candlesticks from the dining room a few weeks ago, and she’d told me I didn’t need to hide it the next time I had to take something, but it still felt slimy and underhanded. Maybe I could find something in the attic that wouldn’t be missed. As I walked past the door to my old bedroom, the familiar ball of anxiety that had been born after we opened Popogusso tightened in my stomach.
The attic was musty and full of cobwebs and a multitude of discarded items. I scanned the room, my eyes stopping on an engraved wooden box on top of an antique chest of drawers. I clambered over the cardboard and plastic containers in front of the dresser and picked up the box. I held my breath as I opened it. There they were, just as I’d expected—my grandfather’s pocket watch collection. Three antique watches nestled in a rich velvet lining.
When I was a little girl, Daddy used to take turns wearing two of them. Each day I’d try to guess which one he had on his chain. A wave of melancholy washed over me as I picked up my favorite of the two, a dull gold, well-worn watch, and placed it in my palm. The face was hidden behind a hinged cover that was engraved with a large four-pointed star surrounded by smaller stars. The other watch he used to wear had a crystal face and a shiny silver back decorated with my great, great grandfather’s initials and elaborate scrollwork.
The third was particularly old and ornate. The oval timepiece had a silver cover with a bas-relief of a Greek bathing scene, and the inside face was etched with cherubs. I figured it had to be worth a lot of money, but I also knew it had been in the family for centuries. Hopefully, the newer silver watch—a relative term when I considered the fact that the piece was well over a hundred and fifty years old—would bring enough money to cover my car expenses.
I decided to bring all the watches to see what they were worth. I found an old duffel bag in the corner and wiped off as much dust as I could before stuffing the wooden box inside.
I decided to just set the bag in the backseat of the car without telling Myra what was in it.
As suspected, she didn’t say anything, at least not until we arrived at the Fort Raleigh National Historic Site Visitor Center. “Ellie, I know money’s tight right now, and I don’t judge you for anything you do.”
