“So you think maybe she didn’t run off with some guy?”

“I don’t know what I think,” Riley admitted. “But I want you to promise me you’ll stop playing detective, okay? And don’t say anything to your dad. Leave it to me. If I can’t turn anything up in a couple of days, we’ll go talk to the police together, okay?”

“Deal,” Olive said.

Riley took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Now run upstairs and get dressed. I don’t want you to be late for school.”

CHAPTER 33

Helen

SEPTEMBER 10, 2015

“What happened last night with the propane—that’s some serious shit,” Riley said, voice low so that none of the customers would hear. Helen had driven to the salvage yard after lunch to tell Riley the latest—that now she believed someone had tried to kill her and Nate.

“I know. That’s why I called the police.”

“You called the police?” This time Riley forgot to lower her voice, and a young couple looking at stained-glass windows turned their way.

“Yeah, but I see now that it was a mistake,” Helen whispered. “The cop thought I’d left the stove on, that I was too drunk or flaky or whatever to be remembering right. And I bet word’s getting around town that we called—the kid down at Ferguson’s probably heard it on his scanner, and by now, I bet the whole town knows.”

“So what did the cop do?”

“He didn’t do shit, to be honest. Just wrote up a report. He said there was no evidence of a crime. It was just our word, my word really, and that doesn’t exactly carry a whole lot of weight around here. Shit, even Nate was looking at me like maybe I accidentally turned on the gas and closed all the windows and somehow forgot…”

Riley blew out an exasperated breath, pushed her blue bangs away from her eyes. “What if it was Hattie?”

“Hattie?”

“What if…what if it was her who turned that gas on last night?” Riley asked.

Helen shook her head. “No, I told you—she’s the one who woke me up, I’m sure of it. And I’ve been thinking. What if it’s not some asshole from town who wants me to go because I’m the new witch of the bog? What if it’s because of the research I’m doing? Maybe there’s something about Hattie’s family I’m not supposed to find out.”

“But what?” Riley said. “What would be worth killing you over?”

“I have no idea. But the one thing I know, the one thing I truly believe, is that I should listen to Hattie. I think she’s guiding me. She needs me to find someone. And I’ve got to hurry. The stunt last night with the gas really drove home that point.”