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Ronan looked up from his phone. “According to Google, it was done as a token of love. You’re giving your true love a literal part of yourself.”

“Huh, that’s interesting.”

“The article also says that hair is a symbol of immortal love because hair doesn’t decay the way a physical body does.”

Everly shivered. She wrapped her arms around herself. “That’s super creepy, Daddy.”

“What you have to remember about the Civil War Era was that most people alive at the time had never been touched by war. Troops from all over the United States were sent to fight and die in the war, which meant grief was a constant companion.” Ten couldn’t imagine what that must have been like, sending your son off to war and getting word that he’d been killed in battle.

“Newspapers would publish daily casualty lists,” Ronan added. “Mothers would rush to the newspaper office to get a copy of the list fresh off the presses to see if their husbands or sons had been wounded or killed in battle. If a regiment from Salem had taken heavy fire, it was possible that everyone in town was related to or friends with the men who died.”

“So the entire town would grieve together,” Everly said softly.

“That’s right,” Ten said. “Mothers would clip locks of hair from the bodies of the dead so they would have something to remember them by. Victorian death photos also became popular during that time, along with ghost photos. They were just one more way to memorialize your loved ones.”

“Back to Delilah’s hair,” Ronan began, “you said she gave it to this J person? How did it end up in the diary with the photo she’d given this man?”

“I don’t know, Daddy.” Everly nibbled her lower lip.

“My guess is that J put them in there after Delilah’s death.” Ten ran his hands over the leather, hoping to learn something else from it. “I think these items spent a lot of time locked away in someone’s attic. The witch board is warped and the diary’s cover is faded. The heat of summer and cold of winter damaged both items over time. It’s odd that these items were turned over to the museum now.”

“Maybe whoever was in possession of the diary died and relatives found it when they cleaned out the house.” Ronan got up to make himself another cup of tea.

“We’re lucky it was donated at all. It could have ended up in the trash or as part of someone’s goodwill donation.” It was actually a miracle that something so intimately related to Aurora had landed in their laps.

“The diary found its way home,” Everly said, seeming to read Ten’s mind.

“Is that what you think happened?” Ten asked. He hadn’t thought of the diary’s appearance in that way.

“I do. It was meant to find Aurora. She and Delilah were destined to meet.” Everly sounded sure of herself. “Let’s start reading.” She reached for the book and opened the front cover. A completed family tree filled the title page. “Why are there only women’s names?”

Ten pulled the diary closer and read the names out loud. “Bridget, Kilkenny, 1624. Rhiannon, Cork 1711. Alice, Cork 1777. Aster, Baltimore 1823. Delilah, Gettysburg, 1863. Dove, Hartford 1901. Sarah, Boston 1956. Juniper, Boston 1977. Agatha, Boston, 2017. Rachel, Boston 2018.” Ten paused. “This is a record of four hundred years of Meehan witches and where they died. That’s why there are no men listed.”

Ronan nodded along with Ten. “The record keeping continued after Delilah’s death. You can see the different types of handwriting. Why isn’t Aurora’s name written down?”

Everly shook her head. “That’s a good question for you to research, Daddy. We might be able to find more of Aurora’s family that way and to get more of a family history.”

“How did you get to be so smart?” Ronan asked, beaming at his daughter.

“From you!” Everly hopped off her chair and ran to Ronan to hug him.

“Just for that, we’re getting clam chowder and lobster rolls for lunch. I’ll text Jude and Fitz.”

Ten took a picture of the family tree and turned the page. Delilah had written her name in a swooping script. “Oh, my God, you’re not going to believe this.” Ten whispered when he read her full name.

“What is it? What did you find?” Ronan asked, looking up from his phone.

“Delilah’s name. She wrote it in the diary. Her full name was Delilah Aurora Meehan.” Ten couldn’t believe his eyes. “That can’t be a coincidence, right?”

“Definitely not a coincidence,” Ronan agreed.

Ten photographed Delilah’s name and flipped to the first page of the journal. “Everly, look at this love spell. It has an inscription. "As my light shines bright and clear, bring the one I long for near. Let our hearts join as one, under moon and under sun. Adam Forrest, my darling, my one true love. Come to me. Come to me now.”

“Who’s Adam Forrest?” Everly asked. “Is he the ‘J’ Delilah gave her photo to?”

Ten shook his head. “I don’t think so. Delilah’s not shy about using his name in the diary. She probably wouldn’t address the photo differently.”

“One more thing for Daddy to research.”