“I think she did it to make herself look better.”
Now Melissa propped herself up, too. “You’re really damaged, Dana. Corinda would never do something like that. She’s bigger than that. She’s all about helping people.”
“Is she?”
“Of course she is. And she has incredible gifts. You’ve seen them firsthand. She can look into your head and read the truth. I mean, look at everything she knew about this whole thing. She knew about your visions, about what happened at school, about the case files, about all of it.”
“She didn’t know about what happened at Karen’s house. I mean … when I had that vision that I was in there with everyone who was murdered. Corinda never mentioned any of that on the news,” said Dana, “and it bugs me.”
Melissa looked at her as if she were crazy. “Bugs you how?”
“I … don’t know, but if she’s everything she claims to be, then why didn’t she know about that?”
“No one knows everything, Dana. But Corinda knew a lot of it. She knew about Angelo.”
Dana sagged back down. “I guess.”
They lay together in silence, listening to the two crickets singing in the grass.
“The whole Angelo thing is so freaky scary,” said Melissa after a while, “to think that we know a killer. That we’ve talked with him.”
“I know,” said Dana. “Even now, though, it’s hard to believe this is all him.”
“Why? From what I heard, he gets into fights a lot, and he has that knife. He chased you, Dana. And he has those scars on his hand that Corinda saw in her vision. And the eclipse tattoo.”
“I know, I know, but in my dreams the angel doesn’t talk like Angelo. He’s like a college teacher or something. Really precise, and he knows so much.”
“Not everything in visions is exactly the way it is in the real world,” said Melissa.
“More of Corinda’s wisdom?”
“Yes, and don’t be rude about her. I still think she did the right thing, and maybe that’s why you’re not in juvie right now. Or in a mental hospital.”
“Thanks,” Dana said bitterly. “This is all so wrong. Corinda should never have taken credit—”
Melissa made a sound of disgust and stood up. “What’s with you? What’s with this ‘taking credit’ crap? You have your head so far up your own butt that you can’t tell when someone is going way out on a limb to help you. Corinda’s the best, and you’re being a real snot about her.”
Dana stood up, too. “Why are you defending her, Missy?”
“Because my crazy sister keeps attacking her,” snarled Melissa. Before Dana could reply, Melissa jabbed her finger toward her. “You think you’re so special, Dana, because you have visions and you have gifts, and now that someone else has those same gifts—and better ones—all you want to do is cut her down. If I had those same gifts, I wouldn’t be acting all jealous and nasty. I’d use them to help people like Corinda’s doing. God! Sometimes I can’t believe we’re even related.”
And with that she stormed out.
CHAPTER 72
Scully Residence
6:17 A.M.
Dad was up and out before Dana came into the empty kitchen. She had no appetite for anything and poured a cup of tea.
Then she saw two things left for her on the table.
The first was a note in her father’s strong, precise hand.
Come straight home after school.
She sighed and looked at the newspaper atop which the note had been placed. There was a picture and a headline, and it froze her into a block of ice.
The headline read:
PSYCHIC WARNING LEADS TO ARREST IN TEEN MURDERS
The photo showed two sheriff’s detectives, a white man and a black woman, flanking a cuffed and bleeding Angelo Luz. The woman was identified as Nora Simpson, and her partner was Frank Hale. Uncle Frank!
Melissa came in, saw that Dana was there, and turned around without saying a word.
Dana sat down hard on a chair and read the article. It quoted Corinda extensively and then gave the lurid details of the manhunt and capture of Angelo. It was clear from the photos that Angelo had not given up easily. His eyebrow was torn and blood ran down his face. Even though the picture was black and white, Dana could imagine the color with perfect clarity.
She tried to make sense of why she was so angry that Corinda had been the one to take all this to the police when Sunlight was going to do the same thing. Was it only because Corinda did it in such a showy way? What if Melissa was right and Corinda’s grandstanding had simply been a play to draw all possible attention away from Dana in order to protect her? She didn’t know. However, Dana felt that there was more to it, and not being able to figure that out might be driving her crazy.
“What am I missing?” she asked the empty kitchen. Whatever it was felt important, but she simply did not know where to look for an answer. The clock ticked loudly and the world seemed to lean away from the security of its hinges.
CHAPTER 73
Francis Scott Key Regional High School
7:39 A.M.