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large; she didn't see how it could have gotten there. It was certainly too heavy for a person to carry.

And why would somebody want to carry it there?

Cassie turned away from the mound. The graves on this side of the cemetery were modern too; she'd seen them before. The writing on the tombstones was actually legible. Eve Dulany, 1955-1976, she read. Dulany was Sean's last name; this must be his mother.

The next stone had two names: David Quincey, 1955-1976, and Melissa B. Quincey, 1955-1976. Laurel's parents, Cassie thought. God, it must be awful to have both your parents dead. But Laurel wasn't the only kid on Crowhaven Road who did. Right here beside the Quincey headstone was another marker: Nicholas Armstrong, 1951-1976; Sharon Armstrong, 1953-1976. Nick's mom and dad.

It must be.

When she saw the third headstone, the hairs on Cassie's arms began to prickle.

Linda Whittier, she read. Born 1954, died 1976. Suzan's mother.

Died 1976.

Sharply, Cassie turned to look at the Armstrong headstone again. She'd been right-both of Nick's parents had died in 1976. And the Quinceys... she was walking faster now. Yes. 1976 again. And Eve Dulany, too: died 1976.

Something rippled up Cassie's spine and she almost ran to the headstones on the far side of the mound. Mary Meade-Diana's mother- died 1976. Marshall Glaser and Sophia Burke Glaser. Melanie's parents. Died 1976. Grant Chamberlain. Faye's father. Died 1976. Adrian and Elizabeth Conant. Adam's parents. Died 1976.

Nineteen seventy-six. Nineteen seventy-six! There was a terrible shaking in Cassie's stomach and the hairs on the back of her neck were quivering.

What in God's name had happened in New Salem in 1976?

Chapter Eight

"It was a hurricane," Diana said.

It was Monday, and Diana was back in school, still a bit sniffly, but otherwise well. They were talking before American history class; it was the first chance Cassie had had to speak to Diana alone. She hadn't wanted to bring the question up in front of the others.

"A hurricane?" she said now.

Diana nodded. "We get them every so often. That year it hit with practically no warning, and the bridge to the mainland was flooded. A lot of people got caught on the island, and a lot of people got killed."

"I'm so sorry," Cassie said. Well, you see; there's a perfectly reasonable explanation after all, she was thinking. How could she have been so stupid as to have freaked out over this? A natural disaster explained everything. And when Cassie had asked her grandmother about the mound at the cemetery last night, the old woman had looked at her, blinking, and finally said, was there a mound at the old burying ground? If there was, it might be some sort of bunker-a place for storing ammunition in one of the old wars. Again, a simple explanation.

Laurel and Melanie came in and took seats in front of Cassie and Diana. Cassie took a deep breath.

"Melanie, I went back to the cemetery yesterday to look for your crystal-but I still couldn't find it. I'm sorry; I guess it's gone for good," she said.

Melanie's gray eyes were thoughtful and serious. "Cassie, I told you that night it didn't matter. The only thing I wish is that you and Adam and Nick and Deborah hadn't run off without the rest of us. It was dangerous."

"I know," Cassie said softly. "But right then it didn't seem dangerous-or at least, it did, but I didn't have time to think about how dangerous it really was. I just wanted to find whatever killed Jeffrey." She saw Melanie and Diana trade a glance; Melanie surprised and Diana rather smug.

Cassie felt vaguely uncomfortable. "Did Adam tell you anything about what we were talking about out in the cemetery?" she asked Diana. "About Faye and Sally?"

Diana sobered. "Yes. But it's all ridiculous, you know. Sally would never do anything like that, and as for Faye... well, she may be difficult at times, but she certainly isn't capable of killing anybody."

Cassie opened her mouth, and found herself looking at Melanie, whose gray eyes now reflected something like head-shaking cynicism. She looked back at Diana quickly and said, "No, I'm sure you're right," but she wasn't. Melanie was right; Diana was too trusting, too naive. Nobody knew better than Cassie just what Faye was capable of.

Ms. Lanning was starting class. Laurel and Melanie turned around, and Cassie opened her book and tried to keep her mind on history.

That entire school week was strange. Jeffrey's death had done something to the outsider students; it was different than