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“All I saw was a dark form running out the back door.” Miriam Labelle shuddered in recollection. “It’s a good thing I stopped to put my slippers on. I’d have cut my feet to ribbons for sure.”

Miss Labelle was a small but spry seventysomething pal of Uncle C.’s. Her eyes were the bright blue of jaybird, and her hair was a luscious shade of gold that had never existed naturally on any human at any time in history. She was always impeccably dressed, though granted, Andy had never seen her in the middle of the night, so who knows in what state she’d greeted her snow-globe-smashing intruder.

“You didn’t get any kind of look at him?” Andy asked.

Miriam considered. “He was tall, I think. Tall and thin. But then all shadows seem tall and thin, don’t they? He moved fast; I’ll give him that. He sprinted across the kitchen, yard, and into the woods in ten seconds or less.”

“What about a car? Did you see—”

Miriam shook her head. “I didn’t see or hear any kind of vehicle. He vanished into the trees, and that was that. Ray came out and had a look around, but he didn’t find any trace of him. Well, not counting the mess he made in here.” Miriam gazed disgustedly at the dining room’s now pristine wooden floor. “I’ve been collecting these snow globes since my teens. He smashed every single one.”

“You’re sure none of them are missing?”

“I’m sure. They were all here. In bits and pieces on the floor. Just wanton destruction, as far as I could tell.”

“He didn’t damage or steal anything else?”

“No. Nothing. It’s the damnedest thing, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

But in a weird way, this felt like good news. One of the last sales Uncle C. had made had been a snow globe to Miriam. The annihilation of her entire collection couldn’t be a coincidence. Whatever someone was searching for at Time in a Bottle must be hidden in a snow globe. It couldn’t be a snow globe itself because of the destruction of Miriam’s globes.

Or had that happened out of frustration and spite when the intruder failed to find the globe he was seeking?

Either way, snow globes were at the heart of this crazy mystery.

The odd little man in the fedora had been interested in snow globes too, but had dismissed the ones on display at Time in a Bottle. It seemed unlikely his visit could be a coincidence, but if the snow globes in the shop weren’t the right ones, why had someone tried to break in that night?

So maybe the man in the fedora wasn’t part of whatever this was?

Ormore than one person was trying to get their hands on whatever was inside a particular globe or globes?

And one of these people knew what he was looking for while the others didn’t?

“Are you sure you won’t have a cup of tea?”

Andy tuned back in to the conversation. Miriam was gazing at him hopefully. He realized he’d missed the last few things she’d said.

“I wish I could, but I don’t have snow tires, and it’s coming down pretty hard again.”

Miriam sighed. “I suppose you’re right.” She hesitated, “I was wondering, Andrew. Do you— Would it be possible to visit Cuthbert?”

“Visitors are still restricted to family,” Andy said apologetically.

Miriam bit her lip. Nodded. “I understand.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Andy offered, “But I could speak to Dr. Waldo. I know you and Uncle C. go way back.”

Miriam gave a sad little laugh. “We grew up together. At one time we even talked of marrying.”

“I didn’t know that.”

“Well, it turned out neither of us was the marrying kind. But we stayed friendly. I’d like to see him. They say people in comas can sometimes sense what’s going on around them. I’d be happy to sit by Cuthbert’s bed and reminisce about the old days or read to him. We used to read aloud to each other all the time when we were kids.”

“I’ll talk to the doctor,” Andy promised. Clark and Fleur would doubtlessly have some objection, but if it was okay with the doctor, Andy would push for Miss Labelle’s visit. If Uncle C. was aware of his surroundings, he’d surely appreciate knowing one of his staunchest allies was nearby.

“I can’t understand how anyone could have done that to him,” Miriam said. “Cuthbert’s always been such a gentle, generous,civilizedsoul. This world frightens me sometimes.”