“Haven’t you read it? Wait, I have it here.” She rummaged through the papers and magazines on her desk and pulled it out.

Rose read more thoroughly this time, realizing the implications. The psychics in the story had not only located bodies or missing people but had predicted plane crashes and earthquakes, the collapse of bridges and ail kinds of disasters. And they had a good track record. She threw the paper aside angrily.

“I can’t do all that.”

“Thank goodness,” Muriel said. “But can you do any of it?” she added, in a quiet voice.

“The truth is I don’t do anything. I’ve had a couple of weird dreams, that’s all.”

“Dreams that told you where to find these girls?”

“Sort of like that.”

“And nothing else? You can’t read minds. You don’t know who the killer is?”

“I already said no. You’re not going to start being afraid of me, are you?” The thought of it made her uneasy. She turned it into a joke. “I didn’t scare the New York guy off, did I?”

But Muriel didn’t laugh. She took the empty mugs and put the kettle back on. “It must be difficult, but at least you have your family. You’re lucky.”

“I guess so.”

“Families are important. Don’t undervalue them, Rose.” She fussed with the tea things. “I don’t have a family myself … not really. It’s … not good to be all alone in the world.”

“I didn’t realize … I guess I sounded flippant. My mother always tells me I am.”

“Around the holidays is when you miss having a family most,” Muriel mused.

“But you must have had one once. Didn’t you?” Rose hoped she wasn’t overstepping the bounds.

“Our .. . my parents are dead. I don’t have very many good memories. Christmas was … not a happy time for me.” Muriel’s voice trailed off. Then she said, “But you must have wonderful holidays with your family.”

“Christmas is usually our best time. This year seems to be going a little weird, though, with these murders. Dad’s just Dad, but Mom’s acting more hyper every day. And Jerram . .. well, he’s … Jerram.”

“You’re very close to your brother, aren’t you?” Rose nodded. Unaccountably, tears welled up. “At least we were close.”

“Not anymore?”

“We seem to be growing apart. I can’t really explain it.”

“He feels like a stranger sometimes? Not like the brother you had before?”

“That’s exactly it.” Rose was amazed at her insight. Foolishly, the tears spilled over.

“Rose, you’re crying, I’m sorry… .”

She wiped them away impatiently. “It’s nothing.”

Muriel came to sit down next to her, bringing wafts of her familiar spicy perfume. “No, it is painful,” she said. “And you need to experience the pain. Because that’s the only way it will ever go away.”