“What makes you think that?”

“Is it yours,” Maeve says again. The thing’s appearance, in with her panties, makes it feel like some kind of taunt. When he doesn’t take it from her, she steps closer. “It is, isn’t it?”

“Don’t know. What is it?”

“You broke into my room.”

He shakes his head, confused. “Wishful thinking, Maeve.”

She’s still standing, her palm outstretched, the claw pointed toward him. “Take it,” she says.

“It’s not mine.”

“Take it. I don’t want it.”

He clasps his hands behind his back. Quizzical but game to play along.

“Don’t be childish,” she says just as Karo and Anna walk in.

“What’s going on?” Karo looks more herself again, even under all her layers. Like a model for a chalet-wear catalog. Maeve lets her hand drop. The whole thing feels dumb.

“Nothing,” she says. “I—I found something in my room. I thought it might belong to Mr. Nielssen here.”

Sim raises his hands, hold-up-style. “Mr. Nielssen denies responsibility.”

“What is it?” Anna steps up, and Maeve opens her fist to reveal the bear claw. Anna raises an eyebrow and plucks it out of her hand.

There’s a noise from the other side of the lobby and then the cool click of Sadie’s boots as she crosses from the office to where they are standing. She has the satisfied look of a kid who’s arrived just in time to see her sibling catch hell; Maeve realizes she’s been watching the whole time.

“It’s nothing,” Maeve says again, turning to Karo specifically. She’s suddenly embarrassed to be making a fuss—like she’s the childish one. If Sim won’t own up, she doesn’t want to stand here arguing about it. She holds her hand out to Anna for the claw. “I found my door unlocked yesterday evening and it gave me a turn. That’s all.”

“Maybe it’s a talisman,” Anna says, setting the thing back in Maeve’s palm. “Where’d you find it?”

Maeve glances at Sim, then slides the claw into her coat pocket without answering.

“Dan and I are going to take a tour around the property,” Karo says, looking each of them in the eye in turn. “Down to the main gate. See if we can fire up the generator or find out what’s going on.” She adjusts the scarf at her neck and fastens her top coat button. “There may already be a crew there working, for all we know. Sadie will stay here in the office to keep an eye on things in case the phone line comes back.” She nods to Sadie, who had been buttoning her coat. Now she begins to neatly unbutton it again. “What is everyone else doing? I think I’d prefer it if we all stay within range of each other while this is ongoing.”

Maeve bristles. What exactly does within range mean?