I hadn’t told Mark what we’d learned about Amelia and Mavis’s family, as I was still trying to figure out the right way to present the information. It seemed too important to mention in a passing conversation, and I had prioritized telling him about the less than ideal job interview. And now it was time for the Fourth of July festivities and everything after.

It would be a long evening, although my friends and I had planned for a longer one than usual. The time to use the Ouija board had come, and we were going to communicate with Liz and find out what dark plans Mavis had for our neighborhood.

CHAPTER
26

I brought reinforcements,” Jess called as she walked through my front door without knocking. She stepped into the dark foyer and made her way to where I stood in the kitchen. In her hands, she held a half-empty American flag tray of clear Jell-O shots.

Melissa appeared next to me and shook her head. “No way. I saw people’s faces when they tried those in Big Rock Park.”

Jess laughed and moved the tray closer to us. “Live a little.”

“I do want to live, and that’s why I won’t try it.” Melissa turned and walked back into the kitchen and sat at the island, Tony’s leftover caprese salad in front of her. He’d told me about how he made the burrata himself over two days. And then he’d unveiled his famous ribs, which he spent three days cooking in the sous vide before finishing them off in the smoker.

Usually, I would elbow out any neighbor to grab a slab, but I had looked at the bones and they’d turned my stomach. All I could think of was the bones at the bottom of the pit.

Melissa pulled a stack of papers out of her messenger bag and spread them on the kitchen island. “The mock-ups for the carnival signage.”

I peered down at the brightly colored papers advertising the various games, concessions, and prize tables. There was also a banner to be hung under a rainbow balloon arch that read, I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream.

“This looks great, Melissa. I so appreciate it.” I turned to Jess. “Is the bounce house taken care of?”

“Oh yeah. I had a hookup, so I got it under budget,” she said proudly.

I smiled. “Great. I just wanted to get that out of the way before the rest of tonight.” I sighed. “A final moment of normalcy.”