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Back Point Last Seen
Chapters (86)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise
  3. Booklist
  4. Dedication
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. 64
  69. 65
  70. 66
  71. 67
  72. 68
  73. 69
  74. 70
  75. 71
  76. 72
  77. 73
  78. 74
  79. 75
  80. 76
  81. 77
  82. 78
  83. 79
  84. 80
  85. 81
  86. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Adam figured if they were ever going to get to the end of this story, he’d better take over. “Rune, how did you get from there to here?”

“I became a wine connoisseur. As in, I drank a lot of it.” Rune turned over a card with hanging grapes. “Finally my mom sat me down and said...a lot of things. The important thing she said was ‘Figure out what you want.’ I said, ‘I want to be who I was,’ and she said, ‘You weren’t happy, anyway.’”

“Sounds like that was news to you,” Adam said.

“More like enlightenment. I figured out what I wanted. No more therapy, no more Hollywood stars. I like California, and from the first moment I came to Gothic, I was home.” Turning to Elle, Rune asked, “Did you ever feel that way? Is there someplace you are at home?”

Elle looked around the porch as if seeking something. Seeing something. “Yes. There’s an orchard. With peaches. I sit in the tree. I look at the house. It’s old. Painted white. The garage behind it—it sags.”

Adam started to speak. To say something.

Rune held up a warning hand. “The back door opens. Who comes out?”

Elle smiled. “Grandma.”

20

SON OF A BITCH. Adam had been sitting here, feeling like a bad friend, listening and hurting for Rune—and Rune had been leading Elle to a memory.

“What’s she wearing?” Rune asked.

Elle’s eyes narrowed. “Jeans and a T-shirt. The shirt says, The sass is strong in this one. Her hair is platinum blond. She bleaches it every month. Grandpa helps her. He says it’s no big deal, he knows how to paint.”

Adam couldn’t contain himself anymore. “What are their names?”

Elle blinked away her memories and looked at him, clear-eyed and impatient. “Grandma and Grandpa. Adam, don’t you think I want to know? It’s like unraveling a sweater. I catch a thread and start to pull, and the hole gets bigger and I can almost see everything—and then I hit a knot.”

“Perhaps what you remembered makes you feel better,” Rune suggested.

“It does.” Elle lifted one finger. “Grandma and Grandpa Boedecker.”

“There you go.” Rune grinned nastily at Adam. “Something to work on.”

“It would help to know where Grandma and Grandpa live.” Adam knew he was being unfair. What Elle had remembered was amazing compared to her previous blank terror.

“There were chiggers.” At the memory, Elle scratched her ankles. “I got them under my socks. Rune, you were telling us how you became a fortune-teller.”

“Let’s save that for your appointment tomorrow.” Rune pulled a battered leather notebook out of her skirt pocket. “How about eleven o’clock? Afterward, Adam can take us to lunch.”

Elle sighed and nodded.