Leslie was anxious about how Elizabeth’s bones were being treated, but she was equally anxious to spend time alone with Adam and Nikki. For now, though, there was nothing more she could do for the evening. The bones were safely crated, and she and Brad had secured some of the fabric and surrounding earth for testing. In the morning, they would have to make a trip to the morgue, but once the remains were officially aged, Elizabeth could take her place in hallowed ground.
Leslie tried hard not to be rude to Brad, though she was aware that he was angling for an invitation to join her and her friends. She gave him a quick hug. “Finish up with the tools, will you, please? I want to spend as much time as I can in with Adam and Nikki, and they both have to leave tomorrow.”
“Sure. You guys going barhopping?”
“No, we’re a sedate crowd.”
“She’s pretty cute to be sedate.”
“She’s married. Happily.”
“Damn,” he said. Then, “I’m teasing!” he added when she stared at him. He let out a sigh. “Go on. Have fun. I’ll finish here.”
She ran up the stairs, realizing that the basement had held no eerie mysteries all during the day. She hadn’t heard or felt anything. Did that simply mean that she had been letting her imagination run wild? Was she inventing half of what she had been told was a “talent”? Or maybe her mind had been so filled with the present today that she hadn’t had time to dwell on the past.
She could hear two tours going on. Tandy was in the parlor, while Jeff had moved on to the dining room. She quickly popped her head into each room to see if Adam and Nikki were there, but there was no sign of them. She headed upstairs to her room. As she got ready to hit the shower, she remembered that she hadn’t spoken with Joe all day. She hesitated. She desperately wanted to speak with Nikki alone; she needed to ask her why she couldn’t communicate with Matt when she was awake. But she also felt she had to call Joe, given his concern for her welfare. And, whether it was because he was Matt’s cousin or not, she felt an affinity for him, as if she had known him, been close to him, for years, rather than just days.
She called Joe, but he didn’t pick up. She left him a hasty message, telling him friends had unexpectedly showed up in town and she would be out with them, but to please call her cell when he could. She tried Nikki then, and Nikki did pick up. “We’re just down by City Hall, but we’ll head back now. Oh, and Adam saw his friend Father Behan. Burial is all set, just as soon as the remains are cleared.”
“Perfect, thanks. See you soon.”
She jumped into shower, then paused. The house seemed so…empty. There had to be at least fifty people downstairs, and yet she felt…
As if the house was quiet. As if it were silent, watching, waiting….
“Matt?” she whispered. He wouldn’t leave her. He would trust her. If he could, he would come to her. But she had no sensation of him being near.
Thank God she would be able to explain some of what was going on with her now, and to people who wouldn’t immediately jump to the conclusion that she had become delusional in the wake of her loss.
The thought made her feel cheerful as she dressed in heels and a knit halter dress, then threw an embroidered shawl over her shoulders. When she went to transfer her essentials into a dressier handbag than she usually used, she saw that there was a message on her phone.
It was Joe. He wanted her to call and tell him where they would be, and said he would join them at some point during the evening.
By the time she went downstairs, the tours were gone, Melissa was getting ready to leave, and Adam and Nikki were waiting in the hall.
Melissa, like Brad, looked as if she would like an invitation to hang around. Normally, Leslie would have asked her to join them at least for a drink, but not tonight. She was too desperate to spill her guts to her friends. “I’ll get the doughnuts tomorrow morning,” she told Melissa in answer to her hopeful look.
“Okay…cool. I’ll be in early, like usual. Will I see you two again?” she asked Adam and Nikki, trying to hide her disappointment at being excluded.
“I don’t have to be at the airport until around ten or eleven,” Adam said, smiling. “I’m sure I’ll see you in the morning. Good night.”
At last Melissa was gone, and the alarm had been set, and Leslie spun around on the stairs to face her friends. “I’m so glad to see you guys!” she exploded.
“Was it a mistake to come back here?” Nikki asked gently.
“No…no, I would never say that, but…”
“Is Matt here?” Adam asked.
“Yes. And no.”
“Why don’t we find a place to eat and you can tell us all about it?” Nikki asked.
“There’s a great pub around the corner, O’Malley’s. It’s been there since before I first came to New York,” Adam said.
“Sounds good to me. There’s…a lot to tell,” Leslie said.
“We’ve got all night,” Nikki said.
“I don’t even know where to begin,” Leslie said.
“Start with your arrival,” Adam said. “We can talk as we walk.”