“Look, I didn’t mean to start anything, for godsake. But let me ask you, does this daughter of hers work around, uh, garages, or places like that? You know, where they keep cars and tools?”

“No, she works at the automobile club up there.” Annabel put down the tray. “But why did you say that about cars?”

“Look. Just skip it, because obviously there’s nothing to it. It was probably some kind of a daydream.”

“But what did you daydream?”

“Well, I know it’s crazy, because no woman ever works around cars, but I keep seein’ this—Echo?” Annabel nodded her head; she loved every word of it. I went on. “I see her around a big car. She’s got tools in her hands and all, and keeps puttering with this car. So I figured she might be some kind of a mechanic! Isn’t that nuts?”

Annabel felt for the arms of the rocking chair and lowered herself into it. “Ooooh! Oh, my God!” She was really impressed. “Wait till I write Bernice. I may even call her up long distance! —Go on, what else?”

“Why?” I said. “You mean that fits in some way? Her and cars?”

“It certainly does!”

“Well, now this is a real shot in the dark, but did you happen to invite her down here for the Fourth of July?”

Annabel took in a deep breath and just held it for about a couple of hours. Then she said in a real faraway voice, “You couldn’t have known that any other way.”

“What? What did I say? Did I say something?” Maybe it was a pretty dirty trick to pull, but once you get started in a thing like this, you can’t just pull out all of a sudden. Anyway, it was clear as hell I’d gone up in Annabel’s book about a hundred points.

“What else?”

“I always see this very nice lady, kinda fat, sitting in a wheel chair. —Course I knew she was in a wheel chair, so that’s nothing. But she sits there watching TV and this Echo is pacing back and forth rattling something in her hand. Car keys, I think. Do you suppose there’s anything to all this?”

“Clinton,” she said, “first of all, you are not to be frightened. Some people have these powers, and it’s not dangerous at all. Not at all. As long as you use them properly. Now, you won’t be frightened, will you, if I tell you that you have these powers?”

At this point I felt like a scum. So I said, “No, I won’t be frightened.” What else could I say?

“Now listen. I have invited Echo O’Brien to come here for the Fourth. What do you think of that?”

“I’m very surprised. I can’t believe it.”

“And she does tinker with cars all the time! She has an enormous old Dodge that works good as new because she’s so clever with mechanical things. And she’ll arrive at our very door, in that very car, at noon tomorrow. I’d intended to surprise you.”