Riley smiled, but it was a sad smile. “Yeah, she did. I remember.”
“The chain was broken,” Olive said.
They were both silent for a moment.
“Where’s the necklace now?” Riley asked.
Olive felt it there, resting against her chest, tucked safely underneath her T-shirt and hoodie. She thought of pulling it out and showing it to Riley, but she was embarrassed. She worried Riley would think it was silly, a little pathetic even, to be wearing her mother’s necklace.
“I hid it. Someplace safe.”
Riley looked at her and Olive had this idea then that her aunt had X-ray eyes, could see just where the necklace was. It seemed to give a warm pulse against her skin, a pulse that her aunt might be able to somehow detect. But that was impossible.
“Mike also says you went to see Dicky Barns because you heard your mom might have been going to his spirit circles?”
“Yeah, I went to the hotel and it was way creepy. I heard Mama might have gone there, but Dicky said she never came to any of his séances or whatever they are. That the only time he ever saw her was at the store when Mama was working.”
Riley looked at Olive across the table. “You believe him?”
Olive thought about what she’d heard Dicky say on the phone, her plans to go back there on Sunday. She couldn’t tell Riley. No way would Riley let her go.
“Yeah, I believe him,” Olive said, shrugging. “And being in there, talking to Dicky, I’ve gotta say I can’t imagine Mama ever being part of that place. She and Daddy always made fun of Dicky. I think she was looking for the treasure, and trying to find out about Hattie, but no way was she going to Dicky Barns and his ghost club for clues.”
Riley nodded. “Yeah, I agree. Your mom doesn’t think much of Dicky. I can’t really imagine her going there either.”
Olive picked up her fork and went back to her pancakes.
“Have you shown the necklace to anyone else?” Riley asked.
“No.”
“So your dad doesn’t know you found it?”
“Uh-uh,” Olive said around a mouthful of pancakes. She swallowed, had a glug of coffee. “Mike thought I should show him—Mike also thought maybe I should take it to the police. Like it might be a clue or something. But like I said, he tends to get all panicky and overexaggerate stuff.”
Riley was quiet a minute.
“Do you think Ishouldbring it to the police?” Olive asked, setting her fork down again. “Just to see what they think? I mean, it’s not like my dad ever filed a missing person’s report or anything like that.”
“I think…” Riley paused a second. “I think that we should wait. See what we can figure out on our own first. Bringing the police in, having them asking questions, bringing up all the boyfriend stuff—think what that would do to your dad.”
“Riley, what if Mama didn’t run off with some guy? What if something else happened to her?”
“Sweetie,” Riley said, giving Olive that familiar look of pity she so hated. “I think there’s still a good chance that your mom really did run off with a boyfriend. Sometimes the simplest, most obvious explanation is the right one.”
Olive frowned. “I just have a bad feeling. And I keep having these stupid bad dreams.”
Riley nodded, reached across the table, and put her hand on top of Olive’s. “What are the dreams about, Ollie?”
“They’re about Hattie mostly. But sometimes they’re about Mama too. About something bad happening to her.”
“Tell me about them,” Riley said.
Olive got a chill, shook her head. “I don’t really remember,” she said. No way was she going to tell her the gory details. Riley would take Olive to the nearest shrink.
Riley was quiet again. She gave Olive’s hand a squeeze, then pulled her own hand away. “Do you remember the last time you saw your mom?” she said, her voice low.
“I’ve been driving myself nuts thinking about it, trying to remember every detail. I know she hadn’t been around a lot. She was working, or hanging out with friends or something. So I don’t remember exactly the last time I saw her. But I remember the last time I heard her.”
