“This is the one who sees the dead?” Isabel asked Harriett, who nodded. It was clear they had been discussing Nessa before her arrival.
“Come here, child,” Isabel told Nessa. “And sit down beside me.”
Nessa obeyed, and the older woman took her hand. Isabel closed her eyes, as if listening to the rhythm of blood pumping through Nessa’s veins. “I feel you being called, and I feel you resisting. That is the source of your pain,” she told Nessa. “There’s something you need to see, and you’re frightened.”
“What is it?” Nessa whispered.
“I don’t know, and neither do they.” Isabel gestured to Jo and Harriett. “That is why your skills are more important than any of ours. You are able to see what has been done. Without that knowledge, we don’t know who to punish—or who to protect—and the crimes against our kind go unaddressed. Now we need you to stop resisting and guide us where we need to go.”
“How do I do that?” Nessa asked.
“Accept that what you find may be worse than you ever thought possible. And believe that you possess the strength to see it.”
“But I’m not sure that I do,” Nessa confessed.
Isabel squeezed Nessa’s hand. “This is what you were made for,” she told her. “Why do you think women are designed to outlive men? Why do we keep going for thirty years after our bodies can no longer reproduce? Do you think nature meant for those years to be useless? No, of course not. Our lives our designed to have three parts. The first is education. The second, creation. And in part three, we put our experience to use and protect those who are weaker. This third stage, which you have entered, can be one of incredible power.”
“Can be?”
“There have always been those who want to deny women power. And there are also women who refuse to accept it. Some, who’ve mastered the games men play, choose to betray their own kind. These women are our most dangerous enemies. But many women are simply too frightened to see things as they really are—or to accept that the world men have made must be destroyed.”
“Destroyed?” Jo had been listening closely.
“The day is coming,” Isabel said. “When I was a girl, bad men didn’t need to hide what they did to women. Now they must keep it behind closed doors. There are more of us than ever. For every woman of my generation, there are three of you.”
“Yes, but are we really supposed to destroy the world?” Jo asked.
“Not the world—their world,” Isabel said. “The world men built to suit their needs and desires. As soon as it’s in ashes, we can build a better world to replace it.”
“That’s right,” Harriett chimed in. “And our work won’t be over until that happens.” Her head turned toward the sound of a car pulling up the drive. “That’s Celeste,” she said, rising from her seat. “Isabel, would you like me to introduce you?”
“It would be a pleasure,” Isabel said.
“I’ll see you ladies tomorrow,” Harriett told Jo and Nessa. “Get a good night’s sleep.”
Jo waited until they’d disappeared into the house, leaving her alone with Nessa. “What the hell was all of that?”
“I don’t know,” Nessa admitted. “But I think we’re gonna find out soon enough.”
The next day, the Tuesday after Labor Day, was Lucy’s first day of seventh grade. Jo dropped her off at her new middle school. The kids swarming the entrance ranged in size from munchkin to monster. Lucy fell right in between.
Lucy planted a quick kiss on her mom’s cheek. “Don’t pick me up after school,” she said. “I’ll walk home.”
“Only if you walk with a friend,” Jo insisted. “And if Dad’s not there when you get home, make sure all the doors are locked and don’t open them for anyone. Do you know what to do if there’s a fire or the toilet overflows?”
“Mom.” Lucy opened the door. “Relax. I got this.”
Jo had no choice but to let her go.
When she arrived at the gym, Jo planned to head straight for the treadmills, but Heather called out to her as she passed the front desk. “Jo? There’s a woman on the phone who wants to speak to you.”
“Take a name and number for me, please,” Jo said. “I gotta get rid of some energy.”
“She doesn’t want to give me her name,” Heather replied. “Should I tell her you’re not in?”
Jo stopped on the stairs. “No, I’ll talk to her,” she said.
When she reached the front desk, Heather passed her the phone.
“This is Jo,” she said.
“Is he really dead!” a woman asked. The voice was oddly familiar.
“Excuse me?”
“That piece of shit Rocca. He was the one who convinced everyone Mandy ran away.”
Jo felt her knees wobble. It was Amber Welsh. “Yes,” she confirmed. “He died of a heart attack when my friends and I confronted him about his involvement with Spencer Harding.”
“Did he help that evil bastard kill Mandy?”
“It’s likely, but we don’t know for sure,” Jo answered honestly.
Amber set the phone down, and Jo could hear her sobbing in the background. “I’m sorry,” Amber said when she picked up the phone again. “I should have known he was in on it, after what he did to me.”
“To you?” Jo asked.
“Yeah, to me and at least one other girl before me. That’s how long Rocca’s been at it. I swear to God, I would be putting a bullet in that pervert right now if he wasn’t already dead.”
Jo spoke to her softly. “I don’t know if you heard, Amber, but we found Mandy’s body.”
“Yes, I did. Thank you,” Amber said. “You and your friend made good on your promise. I’m sorry I called her a witch.”
“Harriett wasn’t offended. We’ve been worried about you. Your family left town so abruptly. Are you and the boys okay? You’re not in trouble, are you?”
“No, no. In fact, I’ve stayed clean all summer, and my boys have a real house for the first time in their lives. The only thing missing is Mandy. But at least now I got some closure. I just hope my baby found peace.”
“We buried her in a beautiful spot, Amber. I’ll take you to see her whenever you like.”
“I can’t come back,” Amber told her through tears. “Not ever. That was part of the deal.”
“What deal?” Jo blurted out.
“The charity wants me to make a clean start. No looking back. And now that my luck’s changed, I’m not gonna screw things up.”
“The charity?” Jo repeated. “What charity?”
“Thank you, Ms. Levison,” Amber said. “I’ll always be grateful for what you’ve done.”
“Wait!”
Then the line went dead.
Jo bolted out the front door of Furious Fitness. It wasn’t until she was halfway to Nessa’s house that she realized she still had the gym’s phone in her hand.
Nessa met her at the front door. “Did you read my mind?” she demanded.