Blinking slowly, she makes a small clearing sound in her throat. “But lately…all they do is scream. I try turning up the television. But it’s no use. I haven’t slept a whole night through.”

The sudden sharp whistle of the teakettle blows steam behind us. I sit on my hands and try not to show that I’m rattled. Elliot hops up to fetch the water.

“Just bring it over with that tray, please,” Mrs. Green says. “And the sugar bowl. That little piggy. On the counter.”

Elliot gathers everything as Mrs. Green studies me. I shift under her gaze. “You’re the one with the gift,” she says. After a long moment, I nod.

“I read about your mother. I’m sorry,” Mrs. Green says.

“Thanks. It’s okay,” I say.

“Mine, she had her demons. I spent the better part of my teens in a home just like this one. How I ended up here. My husband made sure I was well provided for. It was only right to give back. To help those like me.”

Her lips quiver. Tears form in her baggy, sleepless eyes. “But I failed them. I failed those girls.”

I reach out and touch her old withered hand. It feels like crinkled newspaper under mine.

“Has anyone else heard the screaming?” I ask. “The gardener?”

“Manuel? No. It…happens at night. Those poor things.”

Jackson hides his impatience with a concerned nod. “And the bodies. I know it’s hard, but where were the girls discovered? Knowing will help us with the investigation.”

Mrs. Green’s eyes glaze over, remembering. She swallows. “Yes, well, Herman…he was quite messy. He hid bits. Some in the pond. Others in closets. The attic. Cupboards. The police tried to piece the girls together, but there were always gaps.”

A heavy silence falls over the kitchen.

“It wasn’t your fault,” I say to Mrs. Green. “I’m sure they know that.”

Mrs. Green’s face crumbles. She looks earnestly at me. “Please. Just make it stop,” she says. “All I want is a quiet house.”

6

6

I avoid being alone with Jackson throughout the routine sweep of the house, although as soon as Mrs. Green excuses herself to check on Manuel, Jackson grabs my shoulder. Elliot and Beth come closer.

“Did you see her hands?” Elliot asks. “They were shaking.”

“We’re all going to hell,” Beth says.

“Or being reincarnated as maggots,” I reply.

“Funny,” Jackson replies. “Let’s just remember why we’re all here. Now, Green says to stay away from the East Hall due to decay, so that helps us some, but we need to pick our staging areas carefully. This place is a beast. If we’re not careful, we’ll wind up staying until Friday trying to make this feel legit.”

“I think we should monitor down in the den,” Beth says, fixing her hair in a ponytail. “Easiest to run cable to.”