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He had heard a bit of the song during the soundcheck, and had not been impressed. But this was different. It wasn’t about the lyrics or the melody so much as the power and authenticity of Lara’s voice. Ellery wasn’t hearing Lara so much asfeelingher, feeling her fury, her despair, her resolution.

Jane’s eyes were shining as they met his. “That’sbeautiful.”

“It really is.”

Beautiful was too weak a word. It was almost terrifying. In that instant, Ellery believed Arti. Believed that Lara was fully capable of carrying out a kind of operatic revenge on the man she believed had failed her. But that emotional force was almost too great to be directed at a single person. The singer of that song was ready to go up against the universe—and even odds on who would win such a match.

For the length of the entire song, Ellery and Jane stood silent, sharing the experience.

Then the song ended on a note of piercing sweetness, Lara fell silent, and the audience overhead erupted in muffled but thunderous applause. The spell was broken. The band launched straight into the next number.

Jane expelled a shaky breath. “Well!”

“Congratulations,” Ellery said.

“Yes. Thank you.” Jane blinked at him in sudden unease. “What are you doing here?”

“I was going to ask you the same question.”

“Lara invited me to come backstage.”

Before the performance? That was different. But Ellery said, “Well, I’m glad I caught you. I’ve been hoping we could chat.”

Jane’s expression grew more wary. “About what?”

“You knew September, didn’t you?”

“No. Not really.”

Ellery changed tack. “That’s funny. Dylan said September had trouble making friends. You were one of the only people who gave her a chance.”

All right, maybe Dylan hadn’t put it quite that way, but that’s how Ellery chose to interpret his words.

Jane hesitated, conceded, “We spoke sometimes. I-I felt sorry for her. I know what it is to be treated like an outsider on this island.”

“It’s not fun,” Ellery admitted.

Jane gave him a look of derision. “You’re not an outsider. You’re a Page. Your family has been here as long as the Pirate Eight. Even if people didn’t like you, they’d still feel you belonged here.”

“Did you know her from before?” That was a total shot in the dark. He wasn’t even sure why he asked.

The question caught Jane off guard. “Of course not,” she said quickly, defensively. And then, “Before what?”

Ellery hadn’t expected to hit gold. He said at random, “Before either of you moved to the island.”

“That’s ridiculous. Where would you get such an idea?”

She wasn’t looking for an answer. She was preparing to beat a retreat. Ellery said, “I’m worried about Dylan, so I’m throwing stuff at the wall, hoping something sticks. I don’t really know what to ask.”

She frowned, but seemed to accept his explanation.

Ellery asked, “Did September ever confide in you?”

She shrugged. “Perhaps.”

“Did she ever tell you she was afraid of someone?”

Jane hesitated. “No.”