When Addison returned home, there were more ants surrounding the hole than ever before. It was dark out, but special lighting had been brought in with the aid of a pair of generators. Her front porch had been transformed into a kind of central police hub, where everyone camped out as they waited. One guy was overheard saying they had almost everything they needed and the bones were ready for transport back to the lab. She hoped that meant they’d be leaving soon. She was tired. Her father had already called it a night, and she could think of nothing better than to follow suit.
Even with all of the chaos, it had been good spending time with her father. His honesty had come at the right time and had left her with a profound desire to explore more about her lineage. She had so many questions and hoped that Marjorie would be able to provide the missing details about the late Miss Rafferty; perhaps during the process she would learn more about herself and what it meant to be a medium. She also wondered if Marjorie had any information about her grandfather’s whereabouts.
Addison brushed past the small crowd and entered the house, shutting and locking the door behind her. Several times over the next hour or so she lifted the drapes and peeked out, delighted to find fewer and fewer cars dotting the landscape. As she stared out the window the fourth time, she saw the woman she had followed earlier that day—the one from her vision on the beach. The woman was arguing with Officer Jackson, but not about the case. It was personal, more intimate—at least on his end. His words were coarse and heavy, hers sharp and to the point.
“Who is he then?” Officer Jackson demanded.
“No one,” the woman replied. “I’m not here to discuss my personal life. Excuse me.”
She tried to slip by him, but he braced his hands on her shoulders, locking her in place.
She gritted her teeth. “Let go. Now! I’m warning you, TJ.”
He didn’t. He smiled down at her, his face resembling a slithering snake. The woman glared back. She looked furious—like if she had a gun, she’d blow his head clean off.
Addison opened the door. “Excuse me.”
Officer Jackson and the woman both turned, his hands remaining on her shoulders as if they belonged there.
Addison directed her comments to the woman. “Can I ask you a question?” The woman nodded, practically leaping up the porch steps. Officer Jackson followed. The woman slipped inside. The officer tried to do the same, but Addison was quick to shut him down. “Not you. Just her.” She slammed the door, sliding the deadbolt into place.
This seemed to impress the woman until she looked at Addison and started talking. “What’s your question? I’m in a hurry.”
“I don’t have one. I just…saw you out there and I…thought you could use a little help. I hope that’s okay.”
“Are you kidding? It’s great.” She stuck her hand out. “Sorry I snapped at you. It’s been a long day. And he’s…well…just made it longer. I’m Lia McReedy.”
Addison took Lia’s hand in hers. “What’s your job, if you don’t mind me asking?”
“I examine the bodies.”
“Is he…always like that with you?”
Lia tipped her head toward the porch. “TJ?”
Addison nodded.
“We used to be together. He doesn’t really grasp the concept of ‘broken up.’”
“I’ve been with a few men like that myself. Can I get you anything?”
“Coffee, if you have it.” Lia followed Addison into the kitchen. “Cool place you’ve got here.”
“I inherited it.”
Addison poured two cups of coffee and handed one to Lia. They sat down at the table.
“Can I ask you something?” Lia said.
“Sure.”
“How’d you know there was a body back there?”
“I’ve already given my statement to the officers who were here earlier.”
“Yeah, but there’s more to it.”
Addison raised a brow. “Why do you say that?”
“I can just tell these things. Call it a gift.”
A gift. She had no idea.
“Several decades ago, a woman went missing after a party she attended in this house. She was an actress. Roxanne Rafferty.”
“Was she ever found?”
Addison shook her head. She told Lia about the dress she’d found after moving in and about the man who posed as a detective. “I don’t want to give you the impression that I’m crazy, but the floor in the room upstairs looks like someone cleaned it with bleach.”
Both girls walked upstairs slowly, mindful of the fact that Addison’s father was sleeping nearby. Addison closed the door and turned on the light. Lia examined the large circle on the faded wood floor.
“Well, what do you think?” Addison asked.
“It’s hard to say. I don’t think you’re crazy, but there’s one thing here that doesn’t make sense. You said a woman went missing—this Roxanne Rafferty person. But the skeleton behind your house isn’t a woman’s. It’s a man’s.”