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things got more serious. In high school, one of my teachers had this habit of taking her wedding and engagement rings off and putting them in a little dish on her desk. They were shiny, lots of diamonds. Abigail wanted them, and I told her no. But they wound up in my pocket. I swear I have no memory of taking them, but I must have. When my mother picked up my jeans off the floor, they fell out. I had to tell her what happened. She took me to school the next day, where I had to return the rings to my teacher. Of course, no one believed that I didn’t remember taking them. I was suspended from school, had to start therapy. It was bad.”
    Finley put down her fork, and a single tear drifted down her face. Eloise felt so sad for her and so angry with Amanda for not sharing any of this. Eloise could have helped them, long before now.
    “By the end of high school, I was hanging out with some bad kids. They were kids that Abigail and Sarah were attracted to—hard kids that were in trouble, taking drugs, from abusive homes. But they were funny and cool, and easy to be around. There was a boy that Abigail liked, a kid named Rainer. I liked him, too. And he liked me. But my parents hated him. It was a big battle, lots of drama. And it was weird, like I couldn’t tell if Rainer liked me, or if it was Abigail’s energy that was attracting him.”
    They sat silent as the young man came and cleared the salad plates. Then he returned a moment later with fat, pink jumbo shrimp in beds of ice chips, balancing over the edge of crystal glasses.
    “It just all got to be too much,” said Finley. “Then, in a dream, Patience came to me alone. She said that I had work to do, and that it was time to go live with you, Mimi. That you and Agatha could help me understand what lies ahead of me.”
    Eloise and Agatha both reached for Finley’s hands.
    “We can,” said Agatha. “And we will.”
    “Are they still with you?” Eloise asked. “Do they still talk to you?”
    Finley looked down at the table. “No,” she said. A pause. Then, “No.”
    Agatha and Eloise exchanged a look in the mirror. Behind them, Eloise saw the woman in the black dress. She was pointing again. But Eloise realized that she was pointing at Finley.
    •    •    •
    Later that night, the woman in the black dress woke Eloise with her relentless pacing up and down the hallway. Eloise got out of bed and pulled on her robe, walked out of her bedroom, only to see Finley walking out of hers. The woman in the black dress was gone.
    “Did she wake you?” asked Eloise.
    But Finley didn’t answer Eloise, didn’t even seem to hear her. The girl was dressed, wearing her jacket and carrying her helmet. She walked down the stairs and headed out the front door without a word.
    “Finley,” said Eloise, following. “Where are you going?”
    Finley opened and closed the front door, and Eloise ran to catch up with her. But the girl was already astride her bike, gunning the engine.
    “Finley,” said Eloise again. “What in the world are you doing?”
    It was nearly one in the morning. The girl took off down the street. Eloise waited a moment, considering what she should do. Finley was an adult; she could do what she wanted. But Eloise’s heart was beating hard with fear. The woman in the black dress was standing on the porch, with her clenched fist of a face and her pointing finger. Eloise didn’t have to be told twice. She ran back inside for her purse and keys, then got in her car, still in her nightgown, robe, and slippers. Like a crazy woman, she followed her granddaughter.
    After awhile, Eloise thought she’d lost Finley. But finally, she came across the girl’s parked motorcycle. It stood tilting by the edge of The Hollows Wood. Eloise knew precisely where Finley had gone. It did not come as a surprise at all.
    She pulled her car over, got out, and started hiking through the trees. She knew these woods, had trekked through them all her life. She was not