Slowly and carefully, the Tanners followed Miss Dola into the house—Katie, then Amy, and then their parents. They walked through silent, unlit rooms where Amy had spent her whole life, but which now felt like tombs, heavy with bad air and the fear of death. The whole place still reeked of burning, making Amy’s nostrils sting. Her eyes strayed to the notches in the doorframe leading into the den, which marked her and Katie’s heights over the years, and wondered what Amy Age Eight would’ve thought about sneaking around her own house, scared that a dog was going to hate them to death.

In the den, Miss Dola paused, glanced around, and said, “We’ll do it here.” She looked down at Katie, who cradled the piece of heavy yellow cake in her hands. “Katie, do you know where he is right now?”

Katie shook her head. “He won’t talk to me,” she said, her brow furrowing as she thought hard. “I think he’s angry. He remembers you.”

“Glad to know I made an impression,” mumbled Miss Dola.

“Katie, can you call him?” asked Amy. “Tell him you want to give him a treat. Think about the cake, and see if he comes.”

Katie nodded and screwed up her mouth as she thought hard—

The couch jumped, banging against the floor and making them all cry out. The TV turned on and began flashing through different channels, blaring static voices and noise at them.

“He’s certainly not happy,” said Miss Dola. She started taking items out of her bag and setting them on a side table—the sage, the book, a lighter. “We need to find him, I’m afraid, and he apparently won’t respond well if I’m the one who gets to him first. I’ll prepare the room for the ritual. Katie, you stay here with me; the rest of you, go look for him. If you find him, call out for us.”

Amy nodded and headed toward the stairs. She heard Mom call out, “Amy, wait!” but she decided to ignore it. She loved her mom and dad, but they were total parents and would talk and talk and worry about Amy’s safety when what they needed to do was get this over with. As eccentric as she was, Miss Dola had the right attitude. They needed to find Rover now.

On the second floor, Amy tiptoed down the hall, peeking into every room. Rover wasn’t in her parents’ room or the bathroom.

She was going to check Katie’s bedroom, when she noticed that the door to her own stood open a crack.

Amy took a deep breath and went into her room.