I’d peeked in to wake her up after I discovered the flies. She was still sleeping in my bed, as I wasn’t letting her out of my sight after what had happened.

“Good morning, sweet girl. How do you feel?” I said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

She brushed the hair from her eyes. “A lot better. Can we get ice cream today?”

As much as I wanted to jump up, grab her shoulders, and interrogate her, I was grateful that she didn’t seem traumatized. I’d envisioned years of therapy and a morning trip to urgent care. A possible visit from Child Protective Services, and having to explain the unexplainable.

Mark let the shovel fall to the ground and then put his hands on his knees. “I’m so hungover.”

“I can tell.” I raised my eyebrows.

He half raised his body up. “Oh, before I forget, the guys planned a dinner thing for two days from now.”

Next door, I saw Del in his yard, examining the dead patches of grass on their lawn. The brown patches traced the path that Liz had walked, demonic bread crumbs. She had marked her territory like a dog peeing on a fire hydrant. Del looked just as rough as Mark.

“You guys are getting together again? I don’t think any of you will have liver function left,” I said.

He shook his head, and then stopped and pressed a finger to his temple. “Ow. No, it’s a respectable dinner. I think Tony called it a progressive dinner or something like that. It’s where you go from house to house and everyone has a different course. Like a bar crawl but with food.” He saw my face and added, “I thought it sounded like fun.”

“Who all is participating?”

When he told me, I shook my head. “No. That sounds awful.”

He slumped his shoulders. “It will be fun,” he repeated.

“Why did you guys think inviting Heather and Andrew was a good idea? She’s a snake. And you once described Andrew as ‘the kind of guy who yells “Cannonball!” every time he jumps into a pool,’ ” I said.

Mark shrugged. “Andrew was there last night when we thought of it. It wasn’t like we could say they weren’t invited.”

“Mark, listen. I didn’t tell you last night what happened while you were out, because you weren’t in any shape to understand. But I know what caused all of this.” I gestured to the dead patches on the lawn.

His face grew long and his eyes wide as I explained what happened with the Ouija board and then Liz after.

When I finished, he said, “We should call the police.”

“And tell them what? It’s not like we have any actual proof, other than my friends and me as eyewitnesses, and I’m almost certain Melissa wouldn’t want to do that.”