The Lost Sister (13 page)

“I think he’s pretty much used to that by now. He went through the same interrogation and suspicion when Cordelia first went missing.”

Reed nodded. “Guess that makes us kindred souls or blood brothers, right?”

“In this town, it’s more like prisoners of war,” Maddie said. “The letter was strange, but then I got something else that was even stranger.”

“What was it?” Reed asked, leaning forward and listening intently, almost too intently.

Could Reed have been the one to send her the ominous note that warned,
CORDELIA IS BACK AND SHE’S COMING FOR YOU
? Was he the one who sent the tarot card? “I got a note that said that Cordelia was coming for me…and then I got a card. A weird one.” Maddie spoke hesitantly. The sounds from upstairs had quieted and she wondered if Bronwyn was eavesdropping on their conversation from the top of the stairs.

“What kind of card? Was it one of those fortune tarot cards?” His interest seemed unusually piqued.

Maddie nodded.

At that moment, Reed walked over to the oak rolltop desk (a beautiful antique that obviously belonged to Bronwyn) and slid an envelope from behind a stack of papers and brought it over to Maddie.

The envelope was addressed to Bronwyn, but from the furtive glance Reed threw at the staircase, Maddie assumed that Bronwyn had never laid eyes on the note.

Without saying a word, Reed handed the envelope to Maddie with shaking hands. Inexplicably, a whisper echoed in Maddie’s ear.

Run, Maddie!
She could feel the cool breath on her neck and ear and visibly winced. She crossed her arms over her chest and glanced around the room; there weren’t any open windows.

Damn nerves,
Maddie thought furiously; she’d been spooked as she turned every corner once she set foot back in Hawthorne.

Willing her hands not to shake, Maddie opened the envelope, knowing all too well what rested inside. A tarot card. It was the Hanged Man. Maddie tried to remember the meaning of the card. She had received the Death card when she was up at school. While the Death card seemed ominous, after some research she soon learned that it also meant new beginnings and a closure on the past. Moving forward was something that she wanted to do more than anything, so she chose to focus on the positive aspects of the card as opposed to the negative.

But the Hanged Man was a different story. There were a few different ways to read the card, but none of them was very promising.

Without raising her eyes from the card, Maddie asked solemnly, “When did she receive this?”

Reed leaned closer to her. “Not that long ago, maybe a few weeks before you came back to town. You got one, too, didn’t you?”

Maddie nodded as she felt a familiar flutter in her stomach, though she tried to ignore it. He was so close to her now, their knees were touching each other. It was hard to concentrate on the severity of the situation. How many nights had she dreamt about Reed Campbell? How many nights had she lain awake wondering if he was thinking about her? Once Luke came into the picture, it was easy to lock her feelings for Reed in a little box in her heart. But now it felt like the lock had sprung open and her feelings for him were swirling through her body. But did it really matter? He obviously wasn’t going to wait for her as she’d always hoped.

So it was no surprise that Bronwyn had been the target of the tarot card sender. Maddie wondered if Kate was sending the cards just to stir up trouble in town.

“Do you know what it means?” Reed asked hopefully.

“It’s not good,” Maddie said, and then quickly added, “But I’m sure it’s just some stupid joke. Someone with a flair for the dramatic.”

He looked at her straight in the eye. “Do you—?”

“Do I think it’s Cordelia? No. Cordelia barely even knew Bronwyn. She’d have no reason to try to scare her.”

“But…” Reed hesitated. “What if it wasn’t meant to scare her?”

“What else could it be?” She could feel her stomach drop even before he said the words that she knew were coming.

“A warning,” Reed said flatly. “Maybe Cordelia is warning you both to watch your backs.”

“But how would she know?” Maddie asked dumbly, understanding all too well how Cordelia might know. How was Cordelia privy to half of the things she knew? Had Cordelia told Reed about the family gift that Tess had told them about last year, before her passing? Or did Reed see it as a threat and not a warning against outside influences? Did he think that Cordelia was out to get them? That she was planning revenge?

“Cordelia is more in tune to what’s going around than anyone I’ve ever known,” Reed said in a serious tone.

That’s the understatement of the year
, Maddie mused as she fought the familiar jealousy that she’d felt last year. The feeling that there was something very special between Reed and Cordelia. Something that she could never come close to. Something that even Bronwyn couldn’t replace.

Reed gave her a sidelong glance. They were both aware that when it came to Cordelia, no explanations were necessary. No explanations could even begin to tell the story of Maddie’s magical, ethereal cousin.

Maddie treated her question as if it were rhetorical. “So where does that leave us?”

Reed sighed, brushing his hand through his dirty-blond hair. “We need to find out who sent these cards and what they mean. And I have a feeling that we need to do it fast.”

“What, are you psychic now, too?” Maddie attempted a lighthearted tone. But she realized they were way past that.

“No, I’ve just gotten used to the feeling of when I’m being backed into a corner,” he said, and then he added, “And also that awful feeling that something bad is about to happen to the people I care about. Something real bad.”

“I
don’t care what you say, Maddie, this is something that I want to do. I’ve been putting off my chemotherapy specifically for this occasion. And if you don’t want to go, I’ll just have to go out there myself. The fresh air will do me good tonight,” Abigail said. “Plus, I’d like everyone in town to see that I’m fighting this cancer and I’m going to beat it.”

Maddie wanted to say that the fresh sea air was just as accessible from the mainland as it was out on Misery Island—and probably wasn’t as freezing—but she didn’t want to get into a fight. She had agreed to come home to take care of Abigail, and her mother had refused any chemotherapy treatments until after this event, so Maddie decided to make the best of it. It would be one bright spot for her mother in what would be several coming months of pain and anguish.

Despite the fact that it was one of the coldest Decembers in recent history, the Endicotts were paying to have a huge, heated tent erected on the island. It was going to be a gala affair, right in the middle of the frosty, wintry coastal winds. It was truly the last place on earth that Maddie wanted to go. But she knew that it would raise Abigail’s spirits, so she resigned herself to go.

Plus, it would be a good opportunity to talk with the Sisters of Misery—get them all in the same place, trapped on an island with nowhere to go.

The last time they were all out there together was with Cordelia, Maddie thought painfully. Perhaps the island event would trigger more memories, she mused. Or more nightmares.

The gala on Misery Island was the event of the year. Kate and Kiki Endicott made sure of that. They knew that if the right people from the wealthy North Shore—as well as Boston’s elite—were present, it would be covered by all the local newspapers and magazines. What Kiki hadn’t counted on was the appearance of Maddie Crane and her mother. Suddenly waves of whisperings rippled through the elegant affair. Just the sight of them brought up ugly memories of Ravenswood. It was hardly the type of attention that Kiki and Kate wanted. Instead of piquing the interest of the wealthy elite of Boston to invest in the Endicott, rumors swirled about the tragic events that took place at Ravenswood. Hardly an investor’s dream come true.

“Did you hear about the bloody night at Ravenswood? I heard Abigail tried to kill her own sister!”

“Did that Rebecca LeClaire die? Isn’t she still locked up at Fairview?”

“I heard that Cordelia’s ghost haunts Ravenswood. Just what we need, another witch putting a curse on the town.”

The rumors and whispers rippled through the party. To Kiki Endicott’s horror, the reporters seemed more interested in rehashing the night at Ravenswood than the party they were attending.

Kate had a feeling that this would be her first run-in with Maddie since she left for Stanton; she just didn’t realize she’d be upstaged by her former friend and the dark memories that clung to her like her basic black Ann Taylor dress. It wasn’t even original; Darcy was wearing the same exact dress. Kate’s long, pale blue Roberto Cavalli shift, which was meant to bring out the blue in her eyes, seemed to be the cloak of invisibility.

Kate looked at Darcy and made a face. Darcy turned red and slunk away from the crowd.

Serves her right for being such a slut
, Kate thought. She knew about Trevor and Darcy’s tryst, and she was going to think of a way to make them pay for it. But not tonight. Tonight she had other plans, ones that involved taking a certain boarding school girl down a notch. Make her remember what it felt like to be afraid.

“Mrs. Endicott, can you explain why it has taken so long for the Endicott Hotel to start construction? Is it due to the tragedies that occurred earlier this year? Can you expound on that?”

Questions were being shot at Kate and Kiki from every angle. Kiki nervously twisted her bloodred ruby ring around her long, thin finger. Kate wondered how they would explain the events that occurred at Ravenswood without turning the public—and potential investors—off about the property. But her mother was a master at spin control.

“This is exactly why we need to raise money for the Endicott and cut through the historical society’s red tape so that we can officially tear down Ravenswood,” Kiki spoke up to one of the reporters, her voice cutting across the party like a sharp bell. “It is a blight on this town. A town that my family—the Endicott family—helped build. The town of Hawthorne needs to move past the tragic events that occurred in that horrible monster of a place.”

Kate, never one to let the spotlight stray from her for too long, spoke earnestly into one of the television news cameras there to cover the function. “That’s why it’s the perfect time for the Endicott Hotel. We need light and beauty and a fresh start,” she said, smiling her all-American-girl smile, dimples deepening.

Finn called out behind her, “Putting makeup on a bleeding sore doesn’t make it pretty, Kate.”

Flustered, Kate spun around angrily.

“Who invited you here, O’Malley?” she hissed quietly so that the television crew and reporters wouldn’t hear, her perfect features darkening, her cheeks appearing sunken and hollow in the dim light of the black-tie affair.

“As a member of the historical society of Hawthorne, I have every right to be here. As you know, Misery Island is open to everyone.”

“Yes,” Kate said through her perfectly white teeth, “but this party is not!” She turned to one of the caterers and said quietly, “Could you please escort this man out of here?”

“I’m sorry, Ms. Endicott, the next boat isn’t scheduled to take people back to the mainland for the next two hours.”

Finn grabbed a crab-stuffed mushroom cap off the caterer’s tray and popped it into his mouth. “Looks like you’re stuck with me, Endicott,” he said with his mouth full.

Kate looked at him with disgust and then turned away angrily, desperate for another reporter to talk to. There was no way this lawn boy would ruin her night. Misery Island was her territory. And anyone who got in her way would risk the consequences.

Finn should know that more than anyone
, Kate thought, smirking as she remembered his pathetic effort to save Cordelia.
Some people never learn
.

Finn winked at Maddie, who watched his exchange with Kate from afar. She blushed and nodded, silently thanking him for taking the attention off her and her mother. Once again, Finn O’Malley to the rescue. It was becoming a trend. Yet she knew that by the end of the night she and Kate would come face-to-face. It was a meeting that both excited her and filled her with dread.

The party was hugely successful. Despite a few drunken outbursts and awkward questions directed toward Maddie and her mother, they enjoyed themselves immensely. Abigail may have enjoyed herself a little too much, as it had been a while since she’d had anything to drink, and the wine that evening was flowing freely.

“Maddie Crane,” Kate said, handing Maddie a glass. Maddie hesitated and then straightened up a bit and took the glass from Kate’s manicured hand. Kate smiled and raised her own glass to toast Maddie. “Nice to see you back home where you belong.”

Maddie toasted Kate back. “Luckily, I’m not here for very long, Kate, so you can cut the Welcome Wagon act.”

Kate smiled and took a sip of red wine. “Pity,” she said. “I must say, there’s always so much drama when you’re around. I wonder why that is?” Kate never let the smile slip from her face. She served up the barbs as sweetly as slices of apple pie. From anyone on the outside looking at them, they just appeared like two girls—childhood friends—catching up on old times. No one would ever have believed what had occurred on Misery Island over a year ago. What Kate had orchestrated, what Maddie had witnessed, and what Kate had made Maddie do.

Feeling slightly emboldened by either the wine or the fact that she was no longer under Kate’s thumb, Maddie said, “I guess it’s just the problem with the company I keep that gets me into trouble.” She was referring to the Sisters of Misery, but Kate didn’t let Maddie get the last word.

“I’ll say,” she said. “Ever since you took up with the gas station boy, your cousin, and our teacher, you’ve had quite the roller-coaster ride, haven’t you? Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some
important
people that I need to talk to. Be a doll and make sure that you and your boyfriends”—she nodded to Reed and Finn—“stay out of trouble and out of my way. Cheers, Maddie.” She raised her glass and turned abruptly, striding across the makeshift dance floor to a large group of impeccably dressed women.

It was nearing the end of the night, and Maddie needed some fresh air. She made her way over to a dark, quiet spot of the tent that overlooked Marblehead and Children’s Island. Children’s Island didn’t hold as many negative memories for Maddie as Misery Island did, but there was still the ominous presence that hung over the island like a dark, misty cloud. Tess had told her about the legends. That the island was used as a place to treat patients with smallpox in the 1700s and then became a sanitarium for afflicted children in the 1800s. Even though it had been taken over by the YMCA in the 1950s—the pool and athletic facilities built on the exact site of the hospital that had been torched in the nineteenth century—it still gave certain people the ominous feeling of being deserted, forgotten, shunned. When Maddie was a child, Tess tried to explain the sadness that Maddie often felt when she returned home from summer camp on Children’s Island.

“Most people on that island knew that they would never return to their homes. They were sick with a contagious disease. They would never be accepted back into their communities,” Tess said, trying to help Maddie understand why she felt a sense of despair each day when she boated out to the island and the relief she felt upon her return home. “The problem is that the children that were sent out there didn’t understand why they were sent away. They couldn’t understand the abandonment by their families. That’s why their souls are still out there. They are waiting for someone they love to bring them home.”

Tess was speaking the truth. The rumors and legends of Children’s Island being haunted were known by everyone who grew up in the area. It was one of those campfire stories told over and over again, especially when the campouts were actually on the island itself. Even though Maddie never came across one of the restless spirits that so many people claimed to have seen—specter children running naked across the shore, crippled women soaking their limbs in the tidal pools, nuns wailing over the loss of the babies in their care, children with tiny crutches hobbling across the rocks—Maddie felt the oppressive nature of the place, even from a safe distance.

It was quiet on this side of the tent, the part that connected to the ruins of the old casino. Not too far from that spot was the last place she’d ever seen Cordelia. She wondered if she was the only one that night to realize the significance of the party’s location.

Who am I kidding?
Maddie thought.
Kate did all of this on purpose. She wants to show us all that she’s moved on and feels no remorse for that night out on Misery Island
. She stared at the lights of the quaint town of Marblehead—a town so similar to Hawthorne and the other picturesque towns of the North Shore—and noted how it was lit up like a Christmas tree. She heard the waves churn beneath her at the jagged outcroppings of rock and wondered about Luke. And then she thought of Cordelia. She was lost in a slight wine buzz and the gentle warm hum of the electric heaters working at full blast when she sensed a person standing behind her. She felt warm breath on the back of her neck. If it was Finn, she decided she’d have to repay him somehow for shielding her and her mother from the spotlight. He probably expected some major sucking up.

“Maddie.” The husky voice said from behind her. She could hear the restraint in the voice. The hesitation and the desire.

It was Reed.

“Reed,” Maddie said quietly. She had noticed him throughout the night, moving about the party, looking uncomfortable as Bronwyn clung to his arm, laughing and chatting with well-heeled partygoers. His handsome face seemed weathered, almost defeated, as if Hawthorne had finally put him in his place and he was dutifully accepting the consequences. Every time she looked to see where he was, his eyes inevitably found hers. There was an invisible cord that seemed to tether them together as they circled each other like sharks throughout the night.

She turned to embrace her former teacher, her schoolgirl crush. Only now that he was no longer her teacher, it didn’t seem so strange that she would suddenly have the urge to kiss Reed Campbell, again and again and again. But she knew he was with Bronwyn, who was somewhere in the party looking exquisite: long blond hair swept up in a chignon, designer dress, four-hundred-dollar shoes. Who could compete with that?

“I’ve been thinking about something you said,” he said in a hushed tone.

“About the tarot cards?” She leaned in and could smell the sweet scent of his aftershave mixed with alcohol. He shifted his eyes back and forth from her eyes to her lips. He may have had too much to drink, which wouldn’t have been difficult that evening. His close proximity and the look in his eyes made Maddie feel even more tipsy than she already was.

“No, something you said before you left for Stanton. About waiting…for you.” His voice caught a bit when he said those last two words.