“Coping, I think.” I rubbed my hands over my arms as I glanced behind
her, into the shadowed house. “Did you see… her ?”
Ruby glanced over her shoulder. “No, but I felt her. Like that prickling
sensation you get when someone walks into the room.” When she turned
back to me, her smile hadn’t slipped. She didn’t look even half as unsettled as
I felt.“Lucky is staying at my place tonight. Come over, too. We’ll order in
some Chinese and watch a movie or something.”
“Thanks, Jo, that’s really kind. But I think I’d like to stay here tonight.”
I couldn’t keep the incredulity off my face.
She laughed. “Things have been a bit weird for a while, and I feel like I
just need some stability. Besides, I’ve got a new batch of dolls to make. I
have some really cute ideas I want to try out. How about we catch up
tomorrow instead?”
“Lucky’s arm is all scratched up!” I waved a hand behind me, waiting beyond Marwick’s boundaries. “And you’re just… fine about that? ”
Finally, her smile dipped. She clenched her hands together. “I’m really
sorry about that. I feel like it was probably an accident—he might have
startled Shreya or something. She’s never shown any tendency to violence
before.”
“What if you’re wrong? What if she’s a dangerous spirit? Are you really
going to take that chance?”
Her smile fluttered back into life, but it was shaky. “I don’t really have
much of a choice. It’s either this house or a shelter. So, yeah. I want to trust
Helen. I want to believe what happened to Lucky was a mistake.”
“All right.” I exhaled. Ruby’s smile might have trembled, but her eyes
were firm. I could tell I wasn’t going to change her mind any time soon, so I
backed away from the door. “You’ve still got my number, right?”
“Yes, it’s in my phone.”
“Give me a call if there are any problems. And I mean any at all. It
doesn’t matter how late or how minor. Okay?”
“Thanks, Jo.” She was already closing the door. “Have a good sleep.”
The lock clicked as the door shut, and I was left staring at the house’s
stone front. The building looked sleepy with all of its windows closed. I
backtracked up the driveway, past the dying grass and the sticks of a long-
dead shrub, to Lucky.
“She’s not coming.” I raised my hands in a helpless shrug at his
expression. “She’s happy in that house. But she has my number if there are
issues.”
“Okay.” He ran his hand over his jaw as he glared at the building. “Let’s
get inside. There’s a lady over the road who’s been watching us, and it’s really starting to unnerve me.”
Penny was pressed against her window, her unblinking stare fixed on us. I
waved to her as we crossed over to garden. She raised a hand in response
but didn’t smile.
Sandeep waited for me inside the house, but as I entered, he hissed and
skittered up the stairs. My heart sank as I watched him go. It made me feel
like a monster—as though I’d somehow been tainted by the Marwick house
and would never be normal again.
“What can I get you?” I injected some energy into my voice as I hung up
my jacket. “Tea?”
“Coffee. As strong as you can make it.” Lucky’s voice had regained its
strength, but he chewed on the corner of his thumb as he stared into the
distance. I left him to his thoughts as I went into the kitchen.
The smoke had cleared, so I shut the windows and put the batteries back
into the fire alarm. Then I threw the charred remains of my disaster cake into
the bin.
As I looked up at the sink, I noticed Ruby’s doll had tipped onto its side. I
set it upright then put the kettle on and began cleaning up the mess. The
blood drops had partially dried, and it took several long minutes of scrubbing
to get them off the bench and the floor.
When I brought Lucky his coffee, I found him sitting in the lounge room,
staring at the house next door. He grunted thanks when I put the cup next to
him, but his eyes didn’t move from the building.