Page 65 of Summer of Salt

“Peter?”

“I told you I was hiding, and you brought him right tome. I can’t say I understand your approach,” Mary said, and she sounded so much like herself that I wanted to cry.

But then I heard what she said, as if on a delay.

“Peter?” I asked. “You were hiding fromPeter?”

“Why do you look like that?” She shook her head and laughed. “Wait—let me guess. Did he tell you I killed Annabella? That I used my magic powers to cut off his dick?” She rolled her eyes and in that moment I swear she grew taller. “I should have. IwishI had dick-chopping magic powers.”

“Mary?”

She shrank again.

She closed her eyes, squeezed her eyelids together.

When she opened them again, I saw real fear there.

“Why did you bring him here?” she whispered.

And on the bough of this tree, in the middle of a gale, with my sister so small and fragile in front of me, I could suddenly see—with such sharp clarity it made me squint—how dense I’d been.

My sister hadn’t killed Annabella.

Of course my sister hadn’t killed Annabella.

But I knew who did.

Evil man.

“What did he do to you?” I asked.

But I already knew.

And I was already climbing back down the tree.

And I was already back on the boat.

And I was already throwing myself at Peter, who looked suddenly terrified, caught,guilty.

I felt Harrison grab my arm and pull me back.

“Georgina?” he said. “What’s going on?”

I stopped fighting.

The four of us—Prue, Harrison, Vira, me—were at the bow of the boat.

Peter backed up and up until he was at the very back.

Harrison let go of my arm.

“Tell me what you did to my sister,” I whispered.

And the minute the words left my mouth—

The minute they touched the air—

The rain stopped.