“Does this happen a lot? Getting random visions?”
“Sometimes.” Cassie hated questions like this because she never had a satisfactory answer. “It depends on the day. I think Mom gave it to me.”
“Really?” Laura looked toward the kitchen where she could hear their mom on the phone. “How did she give it to you? Why?”
Cassie shrugged. “I think I picked up on her emotions. She was pretty upset. When I touched her shoulder, I felt what she was feeling, and then it pulled me in. I’m guessing it wasn’t too noticeable.”
“You looked like you zoned out for a minute. I thought maybe you had a flashback or something.”
“Or something.”
Laura pushed her curls out of her face. “Mom’s going to be so upset.”
“Think she’ll blame me for being too realistic?”
“No.” Laura rolled her eyes. “But you could use a little more tact. Is this how you talk to the people who’ve lost their loved ones?”
Cassie’s cheeks reddened. “I have tact. I’m full of it. I’m just off my game today. I’m at half tact.”
“You better figure out a way to refill the tank, otherwise this trip of ours is going to be a disaster.” Laura picked up her coffee, took a sip, and made a face. “Gross.” She set the coffee down and looked up at Cassie. “So, what does this mean? Do you have to investigate what happened to him?”
“I had the vision for a reason, but I don’t know anyone around here. Usually, I’d go to David, and he’d put me in touch with someone if he wasn’t working the case himself. Otherwise, the authorities usually reach out to me. I’m not really sure what to do.”
“You mean walking up to a random cop and saying you had a vision doesn’t usually work?”
“Believe it or not, I’ve never tried.”
“First time for everything, I guess.”
“I’ll make that Plan B. I’ll see what David has to say first.”
Cassie pulled out her phone and sent him a text asking if he knew anyone in Charlotte. His response was curt and immediate.
No.
She cocked her head at her phone, waiting to see if he’d ask how she was doing or how the trip was going. But when he didn’t expand on his response, she sent him another text.
How’s it going back home?
A minute passed. Then another. Rather than waiting for an answer that might never come, she tucked her phone away and turned back to Laura.
“Want to help me go through all my childhood toys? Maybe it’ll dredge up some embarrassing memories, and you’ll get to make fun of me.”
Laura’s eyes brightened. “Deal.”
12
Cassie leaned Mr. Brownie up against the closet door so he could watch them go through the remaining two boxes. The musty smell from earlier still hung in the air, but it was less potent now, and her nose didn’t tingle quite so much.
“Do you have a preference?” Cassie asked, pointing between the boxes.
“Dealer’s choice.”
Cassie pushed one box toward Laura and pulled the other one closer to her. When she opened the flaps, a layer of cassette tapes from her favorite artists greeted her. “Oh my God. Spice Girls. N*SYNC. New Kids on the Block.”
“Do you still have that Eminem CD we used to hide from Mom?”
Cassie saw the edge of it against the side of the box. She pulled it out with a flourish. “I used to be so scared of getting caught with this.”
“And it was the explicit version.”
“We thought we were so badass.” Cassie kept digging. The next layer was made up of knickknacks wrapped in newspaper. “What’s in your box?”
“A couple of McDonald’s happy meal toys. A couple of t-shirts from choir.” She held them up with a grin. “You were so bad at decorating these.”
“Yeah, yeah. Have your fun now. Next, we go through your boxes.”
“Oh, no. I did that a couple years ago. Got rid of three of them.” She pointed to the ones remaining in the closet. “There was a lot I couldn’t get rid of.”
“Yeah, I think I’m going to be the same way.” She felt better knowing their mom had forced Laura to throw away her old toys, too. “I’ll probably never touch any of these things again, but I can’t just give them away.”
“I want to look back through them when I’m eighty.”
“Pass them along to my kids.”
Laura frowned. “I’ll never have kids.”
Cassie was halfway through unwrapping the figurine in her hand. “Why would you say that?”
Laura shrugged. “Just a feeling.”
“I’m the only one around here allowed to have feelings, and my feelings say you’ll have kids. Just wait.”
Laura laughed. “I guess. I just feel like I’m getting old.”
“Okay, now I’m offended.” Cassie huffed at her sister. “I’m five years older than you, and I’m still single. And I’ve got a lot more problems than you do. You’ll have a much easier time finding a husband.”
“Maybe I don’t want a husband.”
Cassie tossed the newspaper to the side and looked over one of her Precious Moments collectible figurines. It was a woman dressed like a nurse. She cast Laura a sideways glance. “A wife?”
Now it was Laura’s turn to huff. “Maybe I don’t want a wife either. I don’t know. I want a person. Someone who’s nice and smart and funny and super hot.”
Cassie picked up another newspaper-swaddled item. “You’re a beautiful woman. You’re a psychologist. You live in California. It’s only a matter of time.”
“Oh, look! Beanie Babies.”
Cassie gasped. She dropped the figurine she’d been unwrapping into her lap and reached for the Beanie Baby in the form of a calico cat. It didn’t quite look like Apollo, but it was close enough. “Chip the Calico Cat. I’m definitely taking this one home. Maybe Apollo will adopt it as his child.”
“Or bite its eyes off.” Laura lifted another one from the box. It was a bear with angel wings and a halo. “You should look these up. They might be worth something now.”
Cassie snatched the bear from Laura. “Sell them? You monster!”
Laura rolled her eyes. “What about those?” She
