Beth had canceled her date with Chase, and Dhanya had decided that she really missed watching TV. Ivy pictured Will on his daybed, with Beth and Dhanya on either side of him, holding him up by the elbows like supportive angels.
ʺWant to play?ʺ Kelsey asked, extending a badminton racket toward Ivy.
ʺOkay.ʺ They took warm‐up swings, batting the birdie back and forth across the net. ʺSo, are you dating that gorgeous mystery guy?ʺ Kelsey asked.
ʺDating? No.ʺ
ʺBeth told us thatʹs where you were when you forgot about your date with Will.ʺ Ivy caught up with the sinking birdie and flicked it off the rim of her racket. ʺI was helping Guy clear out a place to live.ʺ
ʺBeth doesnʹt trust him.ʺ Ivy didnʹt respond
ʺWhy doesnʹt she?ʺ Kelsey asked. ʺI donʹt know,ʺ Ivy said, and dove for the birdie. Kelsey appeared to change her strategy, placing her shots in easy reach of Ivy, perhaps thinking that would encourage her to talk more.
ʹʺWhat do you think of Chase?ʺ
ʺDonʹt really know him/ʹ Ivy replied, reluctant to share her opinion with someone likely to pass it on. Kelsey rolled her eyes. ʺWell, five minutes gave me enough time. Heʹs creepy.ʺ
ʺCreepy?ʺ Ivy repeated with an easy swing. ʺHeʹs a control freak,ʺ Kelsey said.
ʺThereʹs nothing I hate more than a guy who tries to control a girl.ʺ
Ivy doubted that any guy had been successful at controlling Kelsey. ʺBeth told us about Tristan.ʺ Ivy returned the serve without comment ʺI had no idea! Iʹve never known anyone whose boyfriend was murdered!ʺ
Ivy swatted the birdie hard. ʺI wish I could have met Tristan and Gregory,ʺ
Kelsey continued. ʺLast summer must have been awesome!ʺ
Ivy stood flat‐footed — didnʹt even swing. What did Kelsey think last summer was, a reality survival show? ʺKeep your eye on the birdie,ʺ Kelsey advised.
“Beth said that Will was totally there for you when Tristan died.ʺ
ʺHe was. No one could have been kinder.ʺ ʺBut kindness isnʹt passion,ʺ Kelsey replied. ʺAnd we like passion.ʺ
Ivy returned the serve with a passionate stroke. ʺKelsey, donʹt assume anything about my and Willʹs relationship.ʺ
ʺI wouldnʹt have to assume if you filled me in.ʺ In spite of herself, Ivy laughed.
ʺBeth said youʹre having a memorial bonfire for Tristan at Race Point. Can Dhanya and I come?ʺ ʺMʹm not sure itʹs still on.ʺ ʺIt is,ʺ Kelsey informed her.
ʺThatʹs another thing I donʹt like: guys who act loyal and thoughtful, no matter what you do. I mean, what are they trying to prove?ʺ
Ivy dropped the head of her racket. ʺIʹve had enough.ʺ
ʺBut we havenʹt started to keep score,ʺ Kelsey protested. Ivy nodded. ʺA perfect time for me to quit.ʺ Fifteen minutes later. Ivy slipped out the back door of the cottage and drove to the beach on Pleasant Bay where she. Will, and Philip had spent an afternoon a week ago. Sitting on the beach in the deepening twilight, not far from the cluster of trees that Will had sketched, she sifted through memories, trying to understand why it had taken her so long to realize she couldnʹt give Will her heart.
Rising to her feet, she followed the same route she and Philip had taken around a sandy point to a cove. With no moon, the calm water was bathed in starlight.
Ivy remembered the cathedral of stars where Tristan had kissed her. She whispered his name and could almost hear him answer, ʺMy love.ʺ Almost||
The voice she heard in her head was a memory — she knew that. What she had heard then was actually happening.
The difference between now and then made the moment after the accident all the more real to her. To Ivy, the embrace was more real than the most tangible and ordinary moments of her life.
But what if it had been Tristan, and Lacey was right about the consequences?
ʺSerious falloutʺ—what did that mean? And what evil presence did Beth sense?
Could Gregory return?
ʺLacey. Lacey Lovett. I need to talk to you,ʺ Ivy called. She sat by the waterʹs edge, watching, waiting. Minutes ticked by. Across the bay, the yellow edge of the moon peeked over a narrow strip of beach.
ʺYou have the lousiest timing!ʺ Seeing the purple shimmer. Ivy stood up. ʺHey, Lacey.ʺ
ʺSo what is it this time — another beatific vision? Ivy dancing with the stars?ʺ
Ivy watched the angel twirl, her purple mist dancing in front of the low moon, then said, ʺBeth is having dreams.ʺ
ʺBeth — the radio?ʺ ʺRadioʺ was Laceyʹs term for a person who was open to ʺthe other side,ʺ a natural medium. ʺYes,ʺ Ivy said, and recounted the dream.
ʺWhen was the first time she had it?ʺ
ʺIʹm not sure. Two Sundays ago, when we had a séance—ʺ
ʺA séance!ʺ Lacey exclaimed. ʺThe radio should know better!ʺ Ivy described the event, including the strange way the planchette had moved in counterclockwise circles, and how it had seemed impossible for them to slow it down. ʺAnd this happened before your accident?ʺ Ivy thought back to it. ʺA few days before.ʺ
ʺUnbelievable. Unbelievable! Do you have a brain? Does the radio have even a shred of common sense, opening up a portal like that to the other side? Are you so narcissistic that you think that only good angels hang around you?ʺ
ʺI — no — I never thought about — meaning we could have let in—ʺ
ʺInvitedʺ Lacey corrected. ʺFlagged down, hailed a taxi for—ʺ
ʺSomething evil.ʺ
ʺSomething evil,ʺ Lacey confirmed. Ivy crouched and traced a counterclockwise circle in the sand, then another, and another. A hand with purple‐painted nails caught her arm. ʺStop that!ʺ
ʺIs it possible for Gregory to come back as a demon?ʺ Ivy asked. ʹʹObviously, you missed a lot of Sunday school. Anything is possible with Number One Director.ʺ Ivy rose and walked along the coveʹs waterline. ʺBut why would Gregory return?ʺ she mused to herself. ʺRevenge, murder, mayhem. .,ʺ Lacey suggested.
It was what Beth had been thinking: If itʹs Gregory, you will need all the power of heaven to protect you. ʺRevenge against me,ʺ Ivy said. ʺBut how would he do that?ʺ Lacey responded with a loud, theatrical sigh. ʺThink it through, chick. Iʹm sure youʹre not as naive as you seem. How did Tristan come back?ʺ
ʺHe worked through peopleʹs minds. He matched thoughts with us and slipped inside. We could hear him like a voice in our heads — Beth, Will, Philip, and finally, me.ʺ
ʺLater, Eric and Gregory, although I advised him against entering their twisted minds.ʺ Ivy felt as if an icy hand had touched her own. ʺGregory could get inside people?ʺ
ʺLadies and gentlemen,ʺ Lacey said to her imaginary audience, ʺthe chick is catching on.ʺ ʺHe could get into someoneʹs mind and talk?ʺ ʺPersuade,ʺ Lacey said quietly. ʺTempt.ʺ Ivy shivered.
ʺAs you may remember,ʺ Lacey added, ʺGregory could torture and tempt even when he was alive.ʺ