First she told me nothing was wrong, but I didn’t believe her. You know Peggy—she can’t hide her feelings at all. And she was pretty upset.”
Carolyn sank into one of the twin love seats that faced each other in front of the window. “What happened?”
“Beth didn’t say anything?” Eileen countered.
Carolyn shook her head. “But I haven’t seen her. In fact, I thought Peggy was still with her, and they were out on the grounds somewhere.”
“They went for a hike,” Eileen explained. “Apparently yesterday Beth told Peggy there was something she wanted to show her, and today she showed it to her.”
“What was it?” Carolyn asked.
“That’s the thing,” Eileen went on, perching nervously on the couch opposite Carolyn. “From what Peggy said, it didn’t sound like anything. Just a sort of a depression in a little clearing somewhere down the hill. But Peggy says that Beth insisted that it was a grave, and that it belonged to some little girl who used to work at the mill.”
Carolyn studied Eileen for a moment, trying to decide if her old friend was pulling her leg. But Eileen’s eyes were serious, and her brow was furrowed with worry. “I … I’m not sure I understand,” Carolyn said at last.
“I’m not sure I do, either,” Eileen replied. “At first, it sounded as though Beth was playing a joke on Peggy—telling her a ghost story. You know Peggy—she believes everything anybody tells her. But when she told me what happened up there, she said it wasn’t as if Beth was even talking to her. She said it sounded crazy, that Beth really seemed to believe there was some kind of ghost living in the mill.”
“But that’s ridiculous,” Carolyn said. “Beth knows there’s no such thing as ghosts—”
“We all know that,” Eileen agreed. “And ordinarily I wouldn’t have thought anything about it. But Peggy was so frightened by the whole thing, that I thought I’d better come up here and tell you about it. And I guess I wanted to find out if it really happened.”
“I don’t know,” Carolyn replied. “But—well, I’m sure there’s a reasonable explanation for whatever happened.” Then, when Eileen said nothing, Carolyn had a sudden feeling that there was something the other woman wasn’t saying. “Eileen? What is it? What’s wrong?”
Eileen looked away, and when she spoke, her eyes were fixed on something outside the window. “Peggy said that the way Beth was talking, it sounded as though Beth was at the mill the night Jeff Bailey died. Peggy got the feeling that maybe Beth had killed him herself.”
“Oh, my God,” Carolyn groaned, suddenly understanding. Quickly she told Eileen about the dream Beth had had that night, and how real it had seemed to her. “That’s all she was doing,” she finished. “She was just telling Peggy about the dream.”
Eileen hesitated, then rose to her feet. “Well,” she said, “I hope you’re right—I hope that’s all it was. But I’m not sure there’ll be any convincing Peggy of that. I’m afraid—” She hesitated, then decided to go ahead. “Well, I’m afraid Peggy doesn’t want to see Beth anymore.”
“Not see her anymore!” Carolyn exclaimed. “But, Eileen, that’s crazy. They’re best friends. They always have been.”
Eileen stood silently for a moment, then shook her head. “They were best friends,” she said quietly. “But not anymore. Everything’s changed now, Carolyn. Things aren’t the way they used to be. I’m sorry.” As she started toward the door, Carolyn rose to her feet, but Eileen waved her back onto the couch. “I’ll let myself out,” she said.
Then she was gone, and Carolyn knew that she would never be back
But it had nothing to do with Beth. Of that, she was absolutely positive.
It had to do with the fact that she herself had married Phillip Sturgess, and Eileen, like all her other old friends, didn’t believe she hadn’t changed, didn’t believe she was the same Carolyn they’d known for years. They were sure that since she had married a Sturgess, she had taken on the airs of a Sturgess, and her daughter had, too.
Peggy’s story was just that—a story.
The real reason Peggy Russell didn’t want to play with Beth anymore, Carolyn insisted to herself, was nothing more than simple resentment of the way Beth lived now.
And there was nothing Carolyn could do about that. It was just a matter of time. In time, Beth would adjust to her new life, and make new friends.
Soon, too, there would be a new baby in the house. That would help. The baby