Page 60 of The Women of Wild Hill
“They say your grandfather died of natural causes, but we both know that she killed him. What if your aunt Ivy was selling poison to women who were after their husbands’ money?”
Flora’s face flushed with anger. “You think that’s why women kill their husbands? Money?” she asked. “I can think of a million reasons that are far more likely. There are a lot of bad men in the world. Some of them deserve to be killed.”
“I agree one hundred percent,” Calum told her.
“STILL THINK CALUM WAS Acatch?” Phoebe asked her daughter.
“Here we go.” Brigid feigned a yawn.
“You two ready to admit I was right?”
“He hasn’t done anything yet,” Sibyl noted.
“Yet,” Phoebe said.
FLORA SAT ON THE FRONTporch, reading a copy of theNew York Times.The phone rang inside the house and Calum answered it. A few minutes later, he appeared on the porch.
“James passed away yesterday.”
“Oh no!” Flora put the paper down. “How did he die?”
“Heart attack, apparently. Down at the new building site.”
“Who was it that called to tell you?” Flora asked.
He could barely contain his excitement. “The board of AMN. They want me to come into town. The company IPO is just around the corner, and now that James is gone, they need someone to take charge right away.”
“You?”
“I know the business better than anyone.”
“Do you want to do it?” Flora asked.
“Of course. It’s what I always wanted. I’m going to hop in the shower and then drive into the city, if that’s alright with you.” He bent over to kiss her on the cheek.
“Sure,” she said.
Calum almost skipped inside. Once he was gone, Flora lifted the paper once more and resumed reading. The article was an obituary of James Calder, who’d only recently taken the reins at AMN, the company he cofounded. He’d agreed to the ouster of his partner after investors found Calum Geddes’s vision for the company “dystopian and disturbing,” one calling Calum “Machiavellian verging on sociopathic.”
“I FUCKING TOLD YOU!” PHOEBEsaid. “He’s going to kill her.”
“Oh my god,” Sibyl said when the next vision took them back to the attic.
FLORA SAT ON THE WOODENfloorboards of the attic with her mother’s carry-on bag in front of her. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then slid the locks to the side and opened it. She fished around in the bag, but only retrieved a single vial. Panicked, she emptied the case out on the floor and looked through everything. There was only one vial left in the bag.
“I’m sorry.” Bessie was standing by the window.
“He killed James Calder, didn’t he?”
“Yes,” Bessie confirmed.
Flora looked as though she might melt into the floorboards. “I thought the Old One brought us together.”
“She did,” Bessie said.
“Why would she do that to me?”
“Because she sees greatness in you, Flora. You need only embrace it. I can bring Calum back here, and you can resume the happy life you were leading together. Or I can show you a path that will change the world. Only it’s not yours. It belongs to your daughters and granddaughter.”
