Grace considered setting it aside, but the group’s collective curiosity was louder than her own caution. She peeled off the ribbon and tore the paper. Inside was a velvet box, ordinary enough. She opened it.
The necklace was the first thing she saw, and the air seemed to drop twenty degrees. It was a coin. A silver dollar, worn but shiny, with a perfectly round hole punched dead center. The hole was ragged at the edge, like it had been made by a bullet. The chain was thin, almost delicate, but the pendant hung heavy.
It was the same as the one Clint Hayes and Tommy Briggs had worn in the Halloween case. The one Grace had seen in her vision, the same jagged-edged coin that had caught the blood and the light as Sam died.
She touched the coin, and the room spun.
For a split second she was somewhere else: a room filled with pink and red hearts, cut-out Cupids, the sickly-sweet smell of discount chocolate and roses. She heard laughter, then a shriek, then saw the blood, so much of it, splattered across a paper tablecloth covered in candy hearts. The vision snapped off with a lurch, leaving her breathless and cold.
The others were staring at her. Olivia’s eyes were sharp, and even Caroline’s mouth was flat with concern.
Grace cleared her throat. “It’s a… coin necklace,” she managed, but her hands shook as she put it down on the table.
Bryant reached over and covered her hand with his. His touch was gentle, but his gaze was all business. “Are you okay?”
Grace nodded, though she didn’t believe it. “It’s the same as the one I touched and had a vision with during the Halloween murder.”
Anna’s face, usually so open, went blank. “That’s… not possible. Where did it come from?”
Caroline put her drink down, the sound uncharacteristically loud. “Someone’s screwing with us,” she said, “and I don’t like it.”
Olivia leaned forward, examining the necklace. “Do you think it’s from the person who killed Tommy?”
Bryant didn’t look away from Grace. “Did you see anything?” he asked, voice low.
Grace hesitated, but there was no point lying. “Hearts. Valentine’s stuff. A lot of blood. Someone screaming, but I couldn’t see who.”
Olivia nodded once, as if confirming a private suspicion. “That fits the pattern.”
Anna reached for the necklace, then stopped. “Should we call Tessa? Or the police?”
Caroline, always the fixer, said, “Let’s not panic. It’s probably some sick prank. But maybe you should check the locks, just in case.”
Anna’s hand hovered over the coin, but she didn’t touch it. “If someone got in, wouldn’t we have noticed?”
Olivia shook her head. “You’re assuming this is a normal someone. Whoever left that is good at what they do.”
Bryant was silent, but the muscle in his jaw jumped. “I’ll check the doors. And call Frank. He’s on patrol today.”
He disappeared, the old house creaking with every step.
The others watched Grace, as if she might break. “I’m fine,” she said, but her voice was as convincing as tissue paper.
Olivia tilted her head. “You don’t have to be.”
Caroline reached over and took her hand, squeezing hard. “We’re not going anywhere, honey. Not even if the next gift is a live cobra.”
Anna finally touched the necklace, turning the coin over in her fingers. “Did you feel anything from it? Like, psychically?”
Grace shrugged. “Just the vision. It was strong, but… impersonal. Like someone watching from a distance.”
Olivia traced the rim of her coffee mug. “Whoever it is, they know about you. About the visions. And they want you to see what’s coming.”
Grace’s stomach turned. “That’s not the part that scares me.”
Anna looked at her, all softness gone. “What does?”
Grace picked up the necklace, holding it by the chain so it spun, catching the light. “They got in. They might have even left this while we were all here, while the house was full. They want me to know they can get close.”
