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Chloe wasn't so sure that Phoebe had the type of personality to just ignore the dead. Especially Jenna. Chloe experienced a swell of anger toward Lilith for allowing Phoebe to believe there was something wrong with her all these years. There was already a fracture in their relationship, and there was no telling what something this profound would do to what remained between mother and daughter.
"You never really answered my question, Aunt Trish," Phoebe followed up in a sharp tone. "You believed Nana, didn't you? And yet you stood by and let Mom drag me from one psychiatrist to another. You knew that Jenna was real to me, yet you stood aside and did nothing."
"I didn't think you were the one to inherit the gift," Trish finally blurted out, her frustration getting the best of her. Billy was rubbing his forehead in disappointment, and Chloe once again had to remind everyone to keep their voices low. "I thought it was Jenna since she was the oldest. I could tell she was antsy in the weeks before her death, and I even broached the subject with your mother. Lilith wouldn't even consider that Jenna might be like our mother. When Jenna died and you…well, when you said you could see her, Lilith’s grief morphed into anger. Anger at losing Jenna, anger at your grandmother for putting ideas into your head, and anguish over not being able to help you. I'm not sure Lilith would have gotten through that time if I wasn't there to support her. Phoebe, I needed to support her. Surely, you can understand that."
Chloe caught Billy's gaze, and it was obvious that he understood nothing his wife disclosed during this conversation could erase the hurt that such past decisions had caused Phoebe.
Unfortunately, the damage had already been done.
"Pheebs, maybe we should—"
Chloe had been going to suggest they grab their dinner and walk back to her apartment, but Phoebe's attention had been drawn to something over Chloe's shoulder.
She resisted the urge to turn around. She wouldn't catch sight of anything or anyone anyway, not that such a deficit made her at ease.
The mere thought that the veil between life and death was extremely thin didn't sit well with Chloe. One would assume since she had a near-death experience herself that she would be more receptive to the idea of the afterlife, but that wasn’t the case.
Energy was energy.
Chloe truly believed that said energy could be manifested for good…or evil.
She didn't want to know anything about the latter.
"You see her right now, don't you?" Trish whispered in awe as she turned in her seat. The strand of blonde hair that she had tucked behind her ear fell over her cheek, while Billy shifted with unease next to Phoebe. It wasn't every day one got to witness someone who could see the dead. "Does she…talk to you?"
Phoebe eventually turned her attention to her aunt, but that wasn't necessarily a good thing. There was a hint of disgust in her eyes that couldn't go unnoticed by those at the table.
"Jenna has been talking to me for eleven years." Phoebe abruptly stood, though she never took her gaze off Trish. "Eleven years, Aunt Trish. Maybe if you and Mom had been honest with me, I would have actually listened to her."
Chloe observed Phoebe's departure, as well as most of the other patrons. They were clearly curious as to what had just transpired between the Burrow women.
Hopefully, the locals would never know the truth.
"What does Jenna say to her?" Trish asked quietly, her eyes filled with tears. When Chloe didn’t reply right away, Trish focused on her husband. "Oh, Billy. What have I done?"
Chloe could have told them that Phoebe had been speaking figuratively, but it wouldn't have changed anything. The rift between the Burrows had only gotten wider this evening.
To make matters worse, Phoebe had truly believed that if she could prove Jenna was murdered and bring her killer to justice that the visions would stop. The unnerving truth of the matter was that there was a really good chance that Phoebe would always see the dead.
"I should go," Chloe murmured before she stood from the seat. She hesitated a moment before giving the two of them a piece of advice. "You might want to give Lilith a heads up that Phoebe knows the truth. I don't know what happens from here."
Chloe would never have known that Simone Langley had been sitting at a table in the back of the diner had Betty not called out a reminder about the takeout bags on the counter. The waitress had been filling the mugs of those who wanted fresh coffee after their evening meal, but it was whose mugs she had been topping off that was of interest.
Ethan Turner sat across from Simone Langley, his gaze downcast toward the table. Chloe was confident that they hadn’t heard a word of conversation between Phoebe and Trish, but those two being together was cause for suspicion.
They had both been adamant about not talking to one another since high school.
Lies? Or had Ethan and Simone remembered something from all those years ago that could have led them to Jenna's killer?
Chapter Eighteen
Phoebe
The hallways of Bar Harbor High School were devoid of the usual hustle of teenage life. Such emptiness only seemed to enhance the sterile scent of the wax floors. Lockers lined both sides, their metal frames brandishing several dents and scratches from the constant use year after year.
"I'm so glad I ran into you," Phoebe said as she walked beside the janitor. He was a lean man, unlike the janitor who had been employed by the school many years ago. "Alice and I planned to meet in her classroom this morning, but I forgot to program her number into my phone. I could have been standing outside for hours."
"It's not a problem, Miss Burrow."
