One name floated to the top as if the book suggested the answer he sought.

Nem’s mother, the one person who seemed to resist the pull of the diary. There was something she’d written in her few entries. He’d thought it was another one of the good luck wishes but maybe it was something more. He hadn’t paid attention at first because by the time her daughter had started school, it seemed she stopped using the book’s power. He felt as if she spoke to him, whispered in his ear, gave him the final play.

A plop of rain landed on his nose and he looked up at the sky.

Out of nowhere heavy, dark clouds had gathered, a storm on its way. Another wet drop slopped on a page causing the ink to run. He dabbed at it with his palm attempting to soak up the moisture. Then he decided, what did it matter? He had no intention of keeping the thing, so if rain damaged it, good.

In that moment, as the raindrop slid down the paper, dragging a smear of ink with it, her mother’s entries and that water speck collided in his mind and gave him the answer.

The only other question was, did he possess the courage to take the next step?

He told himself he had no choice.

He told himself he could do this.

He told himself he’d most likely fail, but it gave him a chance to end this.

An immense storm lay on the horizon and this time he would be the one bringing the thunder and lightning. He just hoped he’d live to see the sunshine again.

67

The panic rattled inside Nem in the way a train passing overhead can shake you to the core. If she didn’t recover the book, what then? The thief had to be William Barnes, the splinter in her life now. He’d been following her for the past week and she’d done nothing. That was a mistake. She’d put it down to a crazed obsession and figured soon the police would arrest him over Morris’ death. Even if he suspected anything, who’d listen to the ravings of a killer?

If he did take the diary because he knew about the power, then what might he do? What if he disappeared and she lost it forever? How would she continue? Even thinking about that scenario made her feel weak and sick in her stomach.

No, she couldn’t let that happen. The book was hers, and he had no right to it. In the hands of anyone else the power was dangerous, not just to her if he used it for revenge, but to everyone. It had taken her years to master control of the luck thing. Even then, she’d struggled.

When her cell rang, she looked down and gasped, surprised by the caller ID.

She drew a calming breath and answered, keeping her voice cool, to hide her anger and outrage.

Nem didn’t open with hello. They’d gone past niceties.