“That’s not it. I mean, it’s part of it, but listen—have you ever heard of something called the Living Elixir?”

I tried not to show any expression on my face as shock coursed through me. I’d seen instructions for something called Living Elixir but they’d been in a sketchbook behind a hidden door in my room. Something didn’t sit right. How did he know about that?

Mom stepped forward to nudge him toward the door. “Karter, baby, this isn’t a good—”

“Listen to me,” Karter said, raising his voice. “You and I both saw that plant. We saw what it did, and I think that plant makes the elixir. Do you know what people would do to get their hands on something like that? Do you know how much danger you’re in? You heard what that Lou guy said. You think this is a game?”

Mom stepped between us. “You need to go,” she said. “Walk out before you get put out.”

The doorbell rang again.

“What, are we having a damn party?” She angrily pulled the door open. “Nice to see you, doctor,” Mom said loudly. “Karter here was just leaving.”

Dr. Grant came into the front room and locked eyes with Karter, tilting her head to the side. I didn’t know if she was somebody’s mama, but she gave Karter one of those looks that meant she was not to be messed with. He turned around and left without another word. His footsteps pounded the porch steps and his truck skidded out of the driveway.

“My pops asked me to stop by,” Dr. Grant said. “And I have some information to share with you, but first, do you mind if I ask you exactly how you much you know about Karter?”

I was caught off guard by the question. “Karter?”

“After I ran into you the other night”—she regarded my mom cautiously—“I did some digging.” She took out a small notepad and flipped it open. “He was born here the same year you were, but he didn’t go to school in Rhinebeck. Not under that name, anyway. The bookshop has only been open for six months. Before that, it was a coffee shop. The tags on his truck belong to a man who died two years ago. That can sometimes happen when someone forgets to transfer the title, but it struck me as odd. What else do you know about him?”

“He’s been working in the bookshop way longer than six months. His mom has an office upstairs. She’s an estate lawyer. She’s the one who brought us out here. But wait, I thought your investigation was over.” The guys she was supposed to be looking into, the men who’d come after me at the theater, were dead.

Dr. Grant caught my meaning. “It is. I wanted to make sure you know the people you’re bringing around.”