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Back The Copycat Save as PDF
Chapters (68)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Epigraph
  4. One
  5. Two
  6. Chapter One
  7. Three
  8. Four
  9. Five
  10. Six
  11. Chapter Two
  12. Seven
  13. Eight
  14. Nine
  15. Chapter Three
  16. Ten
  17. Eleven
  18. Chapter Four
  19. Twelve
  20. Thirteen
  21. Fourteen
  22. Chapter Five
  23. Fifteen
  24. Sixteen
  25. Chapter Six
  26. Seventeen
  27. Eighteen
  28. Nineteen
  29. Chapter Seven
  30. Twenty
  31. Twenty-One
  32. Twenty-Two
  33. Chapter Eight
  34. Twenty-Three
  35. Twenty-Four
  36. Twenty-Five
  37. Chapter Nine
  38. Twenty-Six
  39. Twenty-Seven
  40. Chapter Ten
  41. Twenty-Eight
  42. Twenty-Nine
  43. Thirty
  44. Thirty-One
  45. Chapter Eleven
  46. Thirty-Two
  47. Thirty-Three
  48. Thirty-Four
  49. Thirty-Five
  50. Chapter Twelve
  51. Thirty-Six
  52. Thirty-Seven
  53. Thirty-Eight
  54. Chapter Thirteen
  55. Thirty-Nine
  56. Forty
  57. Forty-One
  58. Forty-Two
  59. Chapter Fourteen
  60. Forty-Three
  61. Forty-Four
  62. Forty-Five
  63. Forty-Six
  64. Forty-Seven
  65. Chapter Fifteen
  66. The Following Summer
  67. About the Author
  68. About the Publisher

“She’s right. What do you have to lose, Cass?” Murray coaxed.

Cassie hesitated. “I’ll think about it.”

“Hey, would you guys like to come to the party?” asked Ali, changing the subject.

Murray pumped the air with his fist. Cassie beamed. “What time does it start?” she asked.

“Four o’clock. Gigi will be excited to meet you.”

Murray eyed the currently empty dining room table. “There’ll be food, right?”

“Tons.”

He grinned. “See you at four, Sloane.”

Cassie grabbed Murray’s arm. “Let’s go—we need to get permission! See you at four, Ali!”

Ali watched them bike away. As she closed the door, there was a thump upstairs. Gigi must be awake. This was going to be a great day.

Forty-Two

Ali decided to make Gigi lunch before going upstairs to check on her. She scrambled some eggs and made toast, whistling the happy birthday song as she did. The final meal wasn’t perfect, but it was edible, and a liberal dose of pepper made everything tasty. She filled two plates and carried them upstairs on a tray. She paused when she opened the door. Gigi’s bed was empty.

Gigi must have gone to the washroom. She set the tray on Gigi’s dresser and went to check. No Gigi. Had she gone downstairs? There was no Gigi in the living room, the dining room, the study, or the kitchen. She ran back upstairs. No Gigi. She even checked the basement, though she didn’t believe Gigi could have opened the squeaky basement door without her hearing. It was as if her great-grandmother had vanished.

Ali debated calling Digger, but decided to do one more search first, since she knew they were busy and Gigi had to be in the house somewhere. Ali decided to check her room one more time. She heard a noise outside the window. As she leaned out to take a look, her foot nudged against something. She looked down. A small brown sparrow lay on the floor. She picked it up to see if it was all right, then almost dropped it in fright when she realized that a diamond ring was tangled in one of its wings. Gigi’s diamond ring. Then it hit her: she was holding Gigi!

Ali laid the bird on Gigi’s bed and knelt down. She didn’t know much about birds, but she recognized panic when she saw it. The sparrow was in a state. “It’s okay, Gigi. Time to turn back.”

The bird twittered. “I don’t understand you, Gigi. Can you turn back?”

Another squawk, and there Gigi was, lying on her left side, eyes closed. A lone feather poked through the back of her nightgown. At first Ali was afraid she was dead, but then Gigi reached out and clutched Ali’s arm and whispered something indecipherable.