The Visitor (Graveyard Queen, #4)(25)

“Mott was your sister?”

“She was so much more than that, Miss Gray. We were born conjoined, you see. She was a part of me. Closer even than a mirror twin.”

I swallowed past the foreboding that bloomed in my throat. “Mott is such an unusual name. I don’t believe I’ve ever heard it before.”

“When we were little, I couldn’t pronounce Maudette so she became Mott and I was Neddy. We lost her many years ago.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Thank you, but in some ways it was a blessing. We had a difficult childhood, you see. Shunned and bullied because we were different. But...” An apologetic smile flashed. “That was a long time ago and, as Louvenia said, it has no bearing on why we’ve come to see you today. Besides, I’ve rambled on long enough and I think she’s ready to leave.”

I glanced down the path to where Dr. Shaw and Louvenia still lingered. She scowled in our direction as though worried about what her sister might tell me.

Nelda leaned in suddenly and put her hand on my arm. For a breathless moment, the scent of cloves overwhelmed me. “Come see me when you get to Isola. There are things about that cemetery you should know before you agree to the restoration.”

“What things?”

“Not here. Not with him watching.”

I thought at first she meant Dr. Shaw, but then I noticed a young man just inside the gates. He stood with arms folded, back resting against the wall as he stared down the path to where we stood talking. I felt a chill go through me as our gazes connected, and I could have sworn I saw him smirk.

He looked to be just shy of six feet and so slender he might have seemed delicate except for the undercurrent of violence that belied his angelic visage. His hair was a strange silvery gold and his eyes were so light they appeared transparent from a distance. His unusual features were at once arresting and unsettling, and I couldn’t seem to tear my gaze away.

“My great-nephew, Micah,” Nelda said softly. “You’re not the first to fall under his spell. He has a way about him, does he not?”

“He’s very striking,” I murmured.

“He was born with the face of an angel, but looks can be deceiving.” She was still holding my arm and I felt her grip tighten. “You should know that Micah is not at all in favor of a restoration.”

“Why not?”

“Not here,” she said again. “Just promise you’ll come see me in Isola.”

I nodded, sliding my arm away as the hair on the back of my neck lifted. So many images swirled in my head as I watched her shuffle away.

The stereogram of those strange girls...

The arresting young man at the cemetery entrance...

The hunchback entity I’d seen in the shadows... The noises in my wall... The nesting in my cellar...

I had no idea how these events were connected, but like Nelda Toombs, I didn’t think any of them a coincidence.





Fourteen

“That was certainly an odd visit,” I said a few minutes later when Dr. Shaw had rejoined me. I moved off the trail into the shade.

“Wasn’t it, though?” He chuckled as he followed me underneath the tree. “They are quite the eccentric pair,” he said, without a trace of irony. “It’s been a few years since my dealings with Mrs. Durant, so I was quite surprised when they turned up at the Institute this morning without an appointment. I hope you don’t mind that I invited them here to meet you.”

I swatted a mosquito on the back of my arm. “I don’t mind. But are you telling me they just showed up out of the blue? Right after we had that long conversation about Kroll Cemetery?”

“The timing is curious,” he agreed. “But I don’t see how it can be anything other than happenstance. I never mentioned that conversation to anyone. Did you?”

“I told Devlin. I had to. My house was broken into last night and I thought it might be related to the viewer.”

“Related how?”

“Before I came to the Institute yesterday, I took the stereoscope to a place on King Street called Dowling Curiosities. I was hoping they could be of some help in tracking down the owner since the piece came from that shop. The man I spoke to was named Owen Dowling. Probably my imagination, but I thought I saw him again later at the hospital.”

“Hospital?”

“There was a bit of a scuffle during the break-in, but I’m fine.”

“Was the suspect apprehended?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

“Owen Dowling,” Dr. Shaw said thoughtfully. “What did he look like?”

“Tallish and slender. Dark blond hair. Midthirties. Why?”

“A young man accompanied Mrs. Durant and Miss Toombs to the Institute this morning. He didn’t come in, but I saw him pacing in the parking area when I walked them out to their car. He was younger than the man you described. Early twenties, I would guess, and his hair was very pale.”

“I know who you mean. He was here just a few minutes ago. You didn’t see him at the entrance? Nelda called him Micah. He’s her great-nephew, which would make him Louvenia’s grandson, I suppose.”

“Ah. Then that makes sense. Mrs. Durant mentioned earlier that her grandson had been away for a number of years but had recently returned to live with her on the farm. I gather he thinks a restoration would be a waste of her money.”