Misplaced (65 page)

“Excuse me, but doesn’t Emma dri
v
e a red Ferrari?”

“W
el
l
y
es
,
a
Ferrari
.
An
d
a
Bentley
,
whic
h
sh
e
dro
v
e
into
the
lake
one
day
after
I
said
I
thought
she
looked
plumper
than
usual
.
She’
s
th
e
mos
t
spitefu
l
ca
t
I’
v
e
e
v
e
r
known
.
I
suppos
e
that’s most of her charm,” she chuckled.

V
ictori
a
an
d
Khar
a
exchange
d
glance
s
fille
d
wit
h
misgiving.
Celest
e
explaine
d
tha
t
sinc
e
sh
e
rarel
y
ha
d
company
,
the
cabin
had
been
taken
o
v
er
by
three
to
fi
v
e
cats
that
found
the
main
house
not
to
their
liking—mostly
because
of
the
shameful
w
ay
Emma
treated
them.
Khara
and
Celeste
chatted
about
the
difficul
t
t
emperamen
t
s
ca
t
s
w
er
e
pron
e
t
o
,
leavin
g
V
ic
t
oria
feeling like
Alice in Wonderland.

“E
v
erything
should
be
there,”
Celeste
assured
them
as
she
led
them
across
the
stone
patio,
stopping
e
v
ery
now
and
then
to
examine
a
new
leaf.
She
unlocked
the
cabin’s
door
with
a
set
of
keys
she
wore
around
her
neck.
“There’s
a
bedroom
on
the
upstairs
floor
with
two
beds
in
it,
or
you
can
use
the
bigger
bed
downstairs
.
Jus
t
mak
e
sur
e
th
e
cat
s
ha
v
e
someplac
e
comfortable
to sleep.”

Of course,”
V
ictoria said dr
y
ly.

Chapte
r
Twenty-eight
Vic
t
oria

Sh
e
bolte
d
uprigh
t
fro
m a
chillin
g
drea
m
i
n
whic
h
she
trie
d
t
o
ru
n
bu
t
foun
d
he
r
leg
s
trappe
d
i
n
oily
,
gre
y
sludge.
Gian
t
locust
s
s
w
arme
d
abo
v
e
her
,
an
d
the
n
cam
e
togethe
r
i
n
the
shap
e
o
f a
hideou
s
blac
k
demon
.
He
r
scream
s
w
er
e
drowned
out by the deafening noise of their wings as they
lifted Khara and flew
a
w
ay with her.

W
ipin
g
s
w
ea
t
fro
m
aroun
d
th
e
bac
k
o
f
he
r
neck
,
V
ictoria
w
as,
at
first,
completely
disoriented.
The
e
v
ents
of
the
last
days blurred together in a series of Daliesque images. She rose from the couch and
w
ent into the bedroom to check for Khara, but
foun
d
i
t
empty
.
A
n
intens
e
flam
e
o
f
pani
c
engulfe
d
her
,
an
d
she
pushed open the screen door. She
w
as met by a lush stillness
and
,
littl
e
b
y
little
,
he
r
spiri
t
quieted
.
V
ictori
a
practice
d
th
e
deep
breathing she
’
d learned in yoga class.

Earlier, darkness had pre
v
ented her from seeing the charm
i
n
th
e
w
eathere
d
coppe
r
roo
f
o
f
Celeste’
s
home
,
ho
w
the
downstairs
window
boxes
spilled
o
v
er
with
y
ellow
and
purple
pansies
.
Shamroc
k
reste
d
o
n
th
e
bac
k
porch
,
w
armin
g
her
crooked
bones
in
the
sun,
surrounded
by
cats.
When
a
tortoise—
shelle
d
calic
o
nuzzle
d
her
,
th
e
do
g
wit
h
th
e
viciou
s
gro
wl
closed her e
y
es contentedly.

O
n
a
b
enc
h
painte
d
th
e
sam
e
luxurian
t
gree
n
a
s
a
nearby
be
d
o
f
ferns
,
V
ictori
a
sa
t
dow
n
nex
t
t
o
a
blanke
t
tha
t
seemed
t
o
ha
v
e
bee
n
lef
t
ther
e
intentionall
y
an
d
pulle
d
i
t
o
v
e
r
her
shoulders.
The
fawn-colored
throw
felt
w
eightless,
and
softer
than anything she
’
d e
v
er laid her hands on.

“It’s
just
your
color,”
Celeste
called
as
she
shuffled
to
w
ard
her
,
dresse
d
i
n
a
sil
k
kimon
o
tha
t
V
ictori
a
suspecte
d
w
as
authentic.
The
soft
peach
flo
w
ers
of
the
gown
could
not
ha
v
e
suite
d
anyon
e
mor
e
perfectly
,
an
d
th
e
remainin
g
ligh
t
gilded
Celeste’
s
stil
l
mostl
y
blond
e
hair
.
Th
e
animal
s
immediately
jumped up to accompany her. “I trust you
’
re feeling better?”

“How long did I sleep?”

“Mos
t
o
f
th
e
day
.
Tha
t
frien
d
o
f
yours
,
though—she’s
b
ee
n
u
p
an
d
aroun
d
fo
r
hours
.
Afte
r
discussin
g
e
v
er
y
plant
i
n
th
e
garden
,
I
w
a
s
afrai
d
I
’
d
ru
n
ou
t
o
f
thing
s
t
o
kee
p
her
entertained
,
bu
t
no
w
she’
s
foun
d
th
e
stables
and I
fea
r
w
e
may
ne
v
er
see
her
again.
May
I?”
She
motioned
to
the
empty space on the bench.

V
ictori
a
m
ad
e
room
.
“It’
s
suc
h
a
lo
v
el
y
place
.
Ho
w
long
ha
v
e you li
v
ed here?”

“Thirty
y
ears
or
so.”
She
paused.
“Bea’s
ne
v
er
said
a
word
about me, has she? Sometimes I think I embarrass her.”

“She
mentioned
that
you
w
ere
married
once
and
that
you
ha
v
e too many cats.”
Celeste’s blue-grey e
y
es danced.

“
I
me
t
Car
l
Szab
ó
whil
e
tourin
g
th
e
Italia
n
countrysid
e
afte
r
college
.
Bac
k
then
,
I
didn’
t
kno
w
anythin
g
abou
t
anything
.
I
ha
d
dream
s
o
f
spendin
g
m
y
lif
e
insid
e
a
greenhouse
,
bu
t
life
had
other
plans
for
me.
Y
ou
ne
v
er
saw
a
man
so
beautiful.”
She
stoppe
d
t
o
savo
r
he
r
memorie
s
an
d
pe
t
he
r
dog
.
“Ha
v
e
you
e
v
er been in lo
v
e?”