Page 56 of The House on Prytania

“Could be,” I said, my toes curling even tighter. “Was it roaches?”

She shook her head again. “No. It was Adele.”

“Did she say anything?”

“Not at first. She gave me something.”

I sat up. “What?”

“Something fell on me, but I knew it was from her. It was a ribbon. Like the kind I used to wear in my hair. It was short and wide, and felt like satin. I don’t know what color it is because I was too afraid to turn on the flashlight on my phone.”

“It’s yellow,” I said. “It used to be Sunny’s, when she was little. It fell out of her hair when she was kidnapped.”

Sarah was silent for a moment. “Maybe her mother just wanted to thank you for trying to help find her when she was still lost.”

“Maybe,” I said, recalling Adele’s appearance at the church. I couldn’t understand how it might be related to the ribbon. Not that it had to be. It’s just that during the years living with Melanie and watching her help the living and the dead, there was always a reason.

Sarah sat against the headboard, drawing up her knees and wrapping her arms around them, mimicking me.

“What did she say?” I asked.

“I’m not exactly sure. But she kept showing me a book. Not like a textbook or like a book that Dad writes. More like...” She thought for a moment. “More like the kind of book Grandma Amelia keeps at the antiques store. To keep track of her customers and what they bought.”

“A clientele book.”

“I guess. It’s black and wider than it’s long. And has a bunch of metal rings to hold the pages.”

“Yeah. I know exactly what you’re talking about. Did she say anything about it?”

“She tried, but it came out really garbled. She kept motioning for me to open it. Like she wanted me to take a good look at it.”

“I guess it’s a good thing that it’s not in the back room anymore, or she might have dropped that on you, too.”

“I don’t think she would have. She seems nice. But I didn’t want to stick around, so I left and didn’t look back.”

“It’s all right. I know what book she’s talking about, and I even know where it is. I just don’t know what it is she wants us to see. Jolene and I have gone through it so many times and we haven’t found anything of interest.”

Sarah slid down until her head was on the pillow, and she was silent for so long that I thought she’d gone to sleep. But then she said, “I saw something else.”

“What?”

“She was crying. I know it because even though it was dark in the room, there was this light around her, you know? And I could see her face, and her hair, and everything was dripping with water. But I know those were tears in her eyes—not just water, you know? I could see the difference, and I think it was important to her that I notice.”

Her breath fell into a soft rhythm, so I slid down on my own pillow in an attempt to fall back asleep. I had just closed my eyes when slow, tired words fell from her mouth. “She said something else, too. I’m not sure if she said it out loud or if she just put the words in my head. But I’m pretty sure she needed me to tell you.”

“What?” I asked, wide-awake now.

“She said to stop hiding the phone.”

•••

When I awoke the following morning both Mardi and Sarah were gone, but the unmistakable scent of brewed coffee filled my room along with the clang of pans and dishes coming from the kitchen.

I stumbled out of my bedroom door and was met by Sarah holding up my steaming cup of coffee. I mumbled my thanks before shuffling toward the dining table. I was confused at the absence of chairs, so Sarah took my arm and gently led me to one of the chairs that had been moved to the perimeter of the room.

“Smiley face pancakes are coming right up!” Jolene called cheerfully from the kitchen.

I blinked in response and took a sip of coffee.