Theo rang the doorbell and Lux greeted them at the door. She didn’t wear a kaftan or turban, as Violet had imagined. The middle-aged woman who now stood before them was simply dressed in jeans and a flannel shirt and had cropped silver hair. “You look just like your mother,” she said, smiling at Theo. “You have her dimples.”
“Come.” She waved them inside and walked toward her living room. There was almost nothing inside her house that revealed anything personal about her. No photographs. No paintings. Just white walls and a beige couch, a coffee table, and some chairs.
“You’re the one here for the reading, right?” she asked Violet, as they all sat down.
“Yes,” Violet said.
“It’s been a difficult time for you lately, hasn’t it?” Lux said as her eyes bore into Violet’s.
“Yes,” Violet said softly. “It has.”
Lux brought her two index fingers up to her temples and began massaging them, her eyes closed. “You bring the sensation of water here with you,” she stated. “I’m picking up that the element of water is connected to a deeply personal death for you.”
Violet shuddered.
“Am I correct?” Lux asked.
Was this going to become a reading about Hugo? Violet had not prepared herself for that.
“Hold on a minute…” Lux lifted one hand into the air. “I’m feeling two deaths connected to water. Both terrible tragedies… One of them is recent. Someone you loved.”
Violet’s stomach flipped. She looked over at Theo, her expression looked almost frightened.
“That’s correct,” she finally answered.
Lux let out a small groan.
“This young man. His name starts with ‘H.’ Yes?”
Violet nodded.
“He is struggling to say something… but I can’t get a clear message from him. He hasn’t completely passed over yet.” Lux’s eyes squinted tighter. “I’m sorry. It can take several months to even a year for a soul to fully cross over.”
Violet looked at Theo. Hugo had not fully crossed over yet. That explained why she hadn’t received any signs from him.
Lux took another deep breath and placed her hands over her face. “But this other death.” She inhaled through her nostrils. “This person, however… his presence is very strong here.” She bit her lip. “His name also starts with an ‘H.’”
“Yes,” Violet said. Theo’s hand reached out and gripped hers.
“He says you brought me something.”
“We did,” Hugo answered. “We brought a blend of the tobacco we believe he used to smoke.”
Violet reached into her coat pocket and gave it to Lux, who brought it up to her nose and inhaled it.
“I’m going to put some of it in an ashtray and light it for a moment. It might help me get a better reading.”
Theo and Violet nodded.
Lux returned with an ashtray and lighter. She tapped some of the tobacco onto the dish, then lit it. Immediately, the air was filled with the same fragrance that Violet had smelled in Harry’s study and again outside the Widener reading room.
Lux cupped her hands over the plume of smoke and waved it closer to her face. Then she closed her eyes and remained quiet for several seconds.
“He… Harry. He’s saying he wants you to go home,” she said.
Violet was confused. “Wait, he wantsmeto go back home?”
Lux shook her head. “No. His message is coming through loud and clear. Harry wants you to go tohishome.”
