Rose couldn’t take it in at first. A skeleton? What did Nancy have to do with a skeleton? And where was her friend Cyn?

“. .. acting like there’s a murderer around every corner,” Grace was saying. “Real paranoia time. But now I’m so nervous about Gregory. I’m like, my God, I’m going on a date with him! I’m beginning to wish it was like before, when he just wouldn’t talk to me. I mean, he doesn’t talk to me now, either, which is weird when you think this Friday we’re going to be alone. I hope he talks then because I think I’m gonna clam up.” “Have they found Cynthia?”

“Who’s Cynthia? Oh, are you still on that? Please don’t you get morbid like everyone else in town. Rose? Rose! Tell me it isn’t true … you had another one of those dreams?”

She tried to laugh. “You get some crazy dreams when you have 104 fever.”

“So where is she?” Grace asked in a hushed voice.

“I have no idea.”

“No idea, huh? Well, if you don’t want to tell me ..Grace sounded hurt. The date with Gregory really was making her a nervous wreck.

“No, really. I did have a dream but it was about that… that skeleton. I’m scared.”

“It is scary. But you never seemed to be scared of talking about entities and stuff like this before. I never wanted to meet up with any entities, but you used to think it would be a great idea.”

It had been easy to talk about those things when they were only theoretical. “This is different. It’s really happening.”

“Well, there’s one comfort. You were too sick to tell the police. At least you won’t have to go through that again.”

“Maybe… I don’t know.” She told Grace about the trip to see Mackey.

“And you get the flu for your trouble. I don’t know why you bothered.”

“Because of Nancy. She made me. It seemed so important to her.”

“Yeah, but Nancy’s dead and it wasn’t her friend they found.”

“I know. It’s strange. Maybe it means Cyn is alive.”

“Everybody’s still looking for her. If Nancy knows so much, why send you to a skeleton that’s been buried for years?” Grace was getting upset now. “And what is she picking on you for? Why not just tattletale to her parents or better still, go to the police direct?”

“I’ve asked myself that question a hundred times. All I come up with is the fact that I was nice to her when she was having that problem last year, whatever it was.”

“That makes her life sound pretty bleak. Wasn’t anybody else ever nice to her?”

“Or maybe she picked me because I’m the only one she can reach.”