Lara frowned at the accusation. “I didn’t do anything. I was cuing one of the Dangerous Tendencies albums, and there was a song when you ran the album backward. I mentioned it to Dad, who said they hadn’t done backmasking on the Tending album, so to prove his point, he cued the record up and there was nothing. But then I tried…”

“And—” Audrey’s voice fell like she knew where Lara was going with the story. “The song was there.”

“He said it was Peter Beaumont’s song.”

“Peter?” The look of alarm on her mother’s face caused Lara to step back.

“And the song I heard had never actually been recorded.” Lara started to hum a few bars.

Audrey turned pale.

“You know the song?”

She nodded and turned, walking down the street, holding her stomach.

“Dad believes Peter was sending him a message.”

Audrey stopped walking again.

“The way he looked at me,” recalled Lara, observing the change in her mother’s face. “It was like he’d seen a ghost. You know, like you’re looking at me now.”

Audrey’s voice was low, yet no one was around to hear them. “It was magic, Lara. Just like the enchantment of a gown or the turn of a lock.” She backtracked a few steps, her expression weary. If it hadn’t been for the pink lipstick, she would have looked sickly. “You must remember to hide your magic, my dear. It has the potential to hurt others who don’t understand.” Audrey gathered her gown and walked down the cobblestones past the cemetery gate. The discussion was over.

The pathway leading to City Hall was lit with hurricane lanterns with tall white candles burning. At the stairway, the Rivoli jugglers were tossing fire and a small group stood to watch them. As they ascended the steps, Lara saw a sea of black and white formal wear in front of her. The lobby of the two-story building with its curving staircase had been converted for the gala. Other than the Victorian Christmas celebration when the twenty-five-foot tree stood here, this was the biggest event in the town. The Rivoli Circus had loaned out their orchestra for the occasion, and the sound of stringed instruments tuning themselves could be heard around the block.