“Wait, Ryan’s body still hasn’t been found? Even after all this time?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“Then what does everyone think happened to him?”

“No one’s sure. When the investigation first began, there was suspicion of foul play.”

“Why?”

“Because two horses were found wandering in the forest the morning after he died—the one Ryan was riding, and the one he saved—which led some to believe a second person might have been involved. But with no other leads or evidence, the investigation quickly dried up. Your uncle was about to close the file. The last thing left to do was to formally notify Ryan’s father and advise him that the investigation was being shut down. This was a task he had originally planned to do himself, but at the last minute he decided to give this job to your father, and, well, here you are.”

Amy ran her hands down her face, her head spinning. “So that’s why Ryan’s spirit latched on to mine?” she muttered. “That’s how I ended up in here? Just because Dad is connected to his case?”

“It’s part of it, yes, but remember—you were drawn to each other. You latched on to Ryan, just as much as he latched on to you.”

“I did? But why?”

“Because trauma has a way of marking us—that history of loss you share is something that connects both of you on the deepest of levels. That, together with your father’s involvement in his case, and the fact that you were here in Seabrook, physically present in Ryan’s hometown, is what made it possible for you two to find each other. A natural tether formed between your spirits, Amy, and that’s why, the moment yours had a chance to wander, it went straight to his.”

Amy’s eyes, red and sore, welled up once more when she stopped to think of Ryan and everything he’d been through. She had been too distracted by this reunion with her mother to fully process what had happened to him. Until this moment, she had not confronted the painful truth that his life had come to an end, that it wouldn’t be possible to go to see him once she got back home. Who knew if she would ever get to see or speak with him again? Given that she had known him for less than a day, the sadness of that realization hit her unexpectedly hard.

“Are you okay?” her mother asked.