“Do you drive?” I ask before he can speak.
“No, I levitate,” he says with a laugh.
“Great,” I say. “Can you levitate me toTen White Street?“ I raise a brow.
“Sure.” He grinds the cigarette butt into the ground and heads for the driver’s seat.
I climb into the car and press two fingers to my temples, trying to massage the migraine away. The music blasting from the radio only makes it worse.
Ten minutes, I tell myself.
Just ten minutes and you’re home.
NINE
Emily
Iget out of the car and slam the door shut. My eyes lift to the house where my apartment is. In the garden, on a wooden chair, sits an older woman. Her gray hair is tied into a messy bun. She wears a white hospital dress, a gray blanket wrapped around her thin frame, and she stares toward the town. As I come closer, she gives no sign that she recognizes me.
For once, Eureka Springs is not buried under rain or clouds. The sun is out, and she stares right at it, but she doesn’t even flinch.
My gaze drops to her bare feet, covered with mud, to skin wrinkled deep like the bark of an oak tree.
I step closer, pressing my palm to my chest.
“My name is Emily. You were looking for me.”
She smiles.
At first, she said nothing. Then she pulls the blanket tighter around herself.
“Mabel,” she says quietly.
“Mabel,” I repeat, sitting beside her. “Why are you here?”
“Zayne.” She tilts her head toward me, smiling with her yellow, crooked teeth. The wrinkles around her eyes fold into one another as she speaks. “He said you would help me out.”
I look around the garden, searching for any sign of where the neighbor might have gone, checking to see if anyone has noticed her sitting there. I don’t know why I want to hide her. I only know that something tells me she was sent here for a reason.
I stand up and hold out my hand.“Come inside. It’s cold.”
She nods.
I slide my arm under hers and guide her toward the door. As my hand reaches the handle, Daisy’s barking becomes louder from inside the apartment.
“It’s my dog,” I say with a small smile. Something inside me tightens.
I step in first.
Before letting her inside, I scoop Daisy into my arms. The old woman reaches out, her hand trembling. Daisy licks her fingers without hesitation.
Relief washes over me. I trust Daisy’s judgment. When she accepts Mabel, I finally let out the breath I have been holding and guide her inside.
The heating has been running all day. The apartment has already been warm. She folds the blanket as soon as she steps in, then walks slowly to the table and lowers herself into the chair.
Rourke’s file still lies there from the night before, but she doesn’t seem to notice it. I close the door, set Daisy back on the floor, and move into the kitchen.
“Do you want tea or coffee?” I ask.
