“He thinks your interest in Hattie and her family and all these objects is a bit…unhealthy. He asked me to please stop helping you with it—and he definitely doesn’t want me to take you back to Dicky’s any time soon. I heard all about how Dicky came by with your phone and told Nate about our visit there.”

“Yeah. Nate was pretty pissed,” Helen said.

Riley nodded. “But it’s not just that he’s mad, Helen. He’s worried you’re losing your grasp on reality.”

“And do you agree with him? Do you think I’ve gone round the bend?”

“I think…” Riley paused. “…that it’s a dangerous game you’re playing. Blurring the lines between the past and present, the dead and the living.”

“I hear what you’re saying, but all I can say is that I’ve never felt so strongly compelled to do something. And I can’t do it without you. Will you help me?”

There was a long pause.

“Of course,” Riley said at last. “What is it you need?”

“There’s only so much I can find myself online, especially with Nate looking over my shoulder all the time. Maybe if we both go back to the historical society and search through all the databases you guys have access to there, use the microfiche reader to go through old newspapers, search through all the birth, death, and marriage records, you can help me put together a solid family tree for Hattie. Try to track down who Gloria and Jason went to live with and what happened to them.”

“Okay,” Riley said. “I know Mary Ann’s been reorganizing things in there since she got back from North Carolina. I think she’s pretty much got the place put back together—and there’s even a new computer. I’m working tomorrow, but I’m free the day after. Monday. We’ll get in there and see what we can find.”

CHAPTER 36

Olive

SEPTEMBER 12, 2015

Olive studied the books Helen had let her borrow—the library books she’d been reading up at the new house and a couple more Helen had down in the trailer.

“Just don’t take anything in the books too seriously,” Helen had warned.

“I totally get it,” Olive assured her. “And don’t worry, I’m not going to start trying to do spells or conjure demons or anything. I just find all of it interesting, you know? Reading what other people believe.”

In one of the library books, Olive found a whole chapter on communicating with the dead by using a pendulum. It said a spirit could help you find lost objects using a pendulum. Also answer divination questions. The book suggested making a chart with possible answers to questions you have and then asking the spirit to point the pendulum to the correct answer.