Despite what we had accomplished, Echo was still frightened when we arrived at the house. I could see it in the way she looked about and at the front door. I imagined she was wondering if her mother and Skeeter could somehow have managed to return here.

I put my arm around her shoulders and "We'll be all right now." I promised. "They're not coming back. Don't worry." The sign for worry required a bit of acting. The right fingertips were to be drummed against your forehead and you were supposed to frown and looked very concerned.

She laughed at my signing and we went into the house. I checked to see what we could have for our dinner. I thought we'd have an early one since we had really skipped lunch and breakfast. Shortly after. I heard the doorbell and went to greet Detective Temple. She was accompanied by another detective, a tall, lean, dark-haired man she introduced as Lieutenant Hampton.

"I hate to put you through it again," she told me. But we need to have all the information, details, and evidence.'"

"It's okay." I said, and led them upstairs to the guest room and the closet where I had been imprisoned. The wires, the sock were all where we had left them. Detective Temple looked at me closely as I described the details and then she suddenly took my hand, nodded at Lieutenant Hampton, and pulled me aside.

"What else did he do to you?" she asked. I started to cry.

"I know how hard it is for you. I've been involved with a number of rape victims. What I want to do is have him locked up and the key thrown into the Pacific."

I nodded and described what he had done and tried to do while I was bound up in the closet. I explained how Echo had interrupted it. but I didn't mention Destiny. I thought that would only confuse her. She took notes. Lieutenant Hampton took pictures of the room, the closet, and then they went into Rhona's room and searched their things. Apparently, they found drugs and information that made them happy.

"We'll have your car back here before morning," she promised. "We know where it is and with whom it is. We've been watching these people and the investigation is all coming together now."

"Is Rhona really part of all that?" I asked.

"She's a.s.sociated with them and certainly involved to some extent. My guess is she'll get frightened enough to turn on them. It usually happens.

Her mother is not going to be there for her this time.

I'm sure."

"Nevertheless. I'm sure Mrs. Westington would have preferred to have been able to be there for her," I said.

"Yes. I suppose so. Any mother would rather that. Get some rest. We'll be talking to you again over the next few days,"

She and Lieutenant Hampton left and I suddenly felt like I would keel over if I didn't get some rest. I told Echo, who was just as tired as I was.

She was still frightened and insecure. I ended up sleeping in her room beside her on her bed with Mr.

Panda between the both of us. Just for a few seconds.

I hesitated. remembering Rhona's accusations. but I wouldn't let her twisted, dirty mind stop me from giving Echo comfort. The truth was I didn't mind her being beside me. We were comforting each other.

"Wait," she signed just as I started to close my eyes. I watched her get out of bed. She turned and smiled back at me at her closet door.

Of course. I thought.

She opened the door and I joined her quickly to bring Destiny out. Echo wanted her watching over us as much as I did. I set her in the chair to the right of us. Echo then crawled into bed.

"Thank you. Destiny," I said.

I didn't have to throw my voice through her. I heard her in my mind.

"You're welcome."

I got into the bed and then Echo said. "Wait,"

again.

What was it this time? She rose quickly and went out of the bedroom. When she returned, she had the dream catcher we had put in Rhona's room.

"Very good," I said, attaching it above us. If there was ever a night we needed it, it was this night, I thought..

Echo smiled again and finally closed her eyes. I brushed some hair back off her eyes just the way my mother would brush mine. And then I lay back on the pillow. I fell asleep so quickly, I don't think I turned over once after I closed my eves.

When I woke, it was dark outside and Echo was not beside me. For a few moments. I was terribly confused, but it all quickly came back and with it, a new panic. Where was she?

I sat up. It was so quiet in the house. Then I heard what I was positive was someone talking. I heard a laugh and my heart nearly bounced into my throat.

I slipped off the bed, put on my shoes, and scrubbed the fatigue out of my cheeks. Incredibly. I gazed at myself in the mirror and fidgeted with my hair. Female vanity, I thought. There was no way to get away from it.

I descended the stairway and walked to the living room. Sitting beside Echo was Tyler Monahan.

He looked up quickly when I appeared in the doorway. To me he looked like a frightened puppy cowering with its tail between its legs.

"Hi, how are you?" he asked quickly. "I'm all right," I said.

"Everyone is talking about what happened up here. People came into our store to tell us because they knew I had been tutoring Echo."

I nodded and folded my arms under my b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

I saw he was uncomfortable, but I wasn't about to be so forgiving so quickly.

"You know why Rhona was able to threaten me and blackmail me, don't you?"

"I figured that out after my mother told me what she had told her. I'm sorry about... about what I did. I didn't know Rhona would use it against you like that. I let my mother know she had done a bad thing, too."

"Uh-huh."

"No, really. I did."

I stared at him. He looked at Echo, who was smiling with such admiration at him.

"You should have. I'm glad."

"I made a decision," he said. "I've decided I shouldn't waste my education and my skills."

"What does that mean?"

"I called the school that we want Echo to attend and as it turns out, they have an opening and a need for someone like me. so I'm taking a job there. I was just explaining it to her," he said.

"Really? That's wonderful, Tyler.'

"I think so," he said. "I told my mother I would be showing her more respect by using the gifts she had given me. She understands now. At least. I think she does," he said.

"If she doesn't, she's a fool." I said, I wasn't in the mood to candy-coat anything. In many more ways than I thought. I had turned into my sister, my tough, compet.i.tive sister.

He nodded meekly. "How's Mrs. Westington taking all this?"

"She doesn't know any of the nifty-gritty details and we're not letting her know until the doctor gives the okay, but she's pretty smart and knows we went through something very unpleasant."

"Yeah," he said, looking down. "I'm sure you did. I'm sure it was horrible.'

"We're okay," I said firmly, 'Both of us are okay."

"That's good." He raised his eyes and then smiled at Echo and stood up. "Well. I just stopped by to see how you two were and to tell you my plans.

Everything's still on go for her and the school. right?"

"I'm sure it is." I said.

"Something smells pretty good." he said. and I suddenly realized there was something cooking on the stove. I hadn't done it, of course.

I signed to Echo and she signed back that she had put up a ca.s.serole her grandmother had made and left in the freezer.

"I guess I slept through it all," I said. "I guess she's capable of a lot more than everyone thinks.'

"She is and she'll grow even more so when she enters the school. By this time next year, you won't recognize her."

"I won't be here that long. Tyler."

"No. Of course not," he said.

"But I'll come visit."

"Sure." he said. smiling.

We stared at each other for a moment. "I'm sorry," he said. "I really acted-"

"Let's stop apologizing. Tyler. I'm hungry." I said, and he laughed. "Echo," I said, turning to her and signing, "should we invite Ty to dinner?"

She nodded so quickly and emphatically. I thought her eyes would roll.

"Then let's set the table," I said.

We all went to work. It felt good to be happy, to joke and to enjoy ourselves. Moments after the table was set, the doorbell rang and we greeted two police officers. Looking past them. I saw my car.

They asked me to sign that I had received it and then I thanked them and they left.

Just as we sat at the table to began to eat, the phone rang. Tyler and I looked at each other, both holding our breath. I rose and answered it in the kitchen. He remained at the table with Echo.

"h.e.l.lo." I said. Every time this phone rang, it made my heart pound.

"It's Doctor Battie, Just wanted to let you know that we will be doing the pacemaker tomorrow morning. She's not exactly where I'd like her to be, but we decided not to wait any longer on it."

"What time?"

"Early. It should all be over by eight o'clock,"

he said.

"We'll be there," I told him.

"Okay. And how are you two doing?"

"Much better," I said.

"Good. Don't worry," he said.

I thanked him and hung up.

Don't -worry?

I gazed at my reflection in the kitchen window and then signed to myself: right fingers on my temple and that over-the-top grimace.

The strings that tied us all together were wobbling. I only could pray they wouldn't snap in the morning and put Echo into that limbo I had been fleeing ever since my parents died.

15.

Encore .

Tyler didn't want to go right home after I told him about Mrs. Westington's surgery in the morning.

We of course agreed Echo should not yet be told. In the morning I would take her to the hospital pretending it was just another visit. We decided we'd amuse her until she was tired enough to fall asleep and that way keep her from thinking about the bad things that had happened and could happen. Actually, it did the same for me.

Tyler helped me bring all Uncle Palaver's magic tricks down and carried Destiny down as well so I could perform a magic show in the living room. I returned to the motor home and brought in more of the illusions that we used in the road shows. We had Echo sit on the sofa and Tyler stood to my right and signed and explained everything I said.

I began by pretending to hypnotize a handkerchief so it would straighten up on its own in my hand. It was an easy illusion because a flattened straw was sewn in the hem of the handkerchief and I just pressed on it to make the handkerchief rise.

Using Destiny. I went through card tricks, disappearing ball tricks, and a variety of coin and mirror tricks. Tyler sat in a chair while I magically pulled a handkerchief through his head and then levitated him a few inches off his chair. Even he was amazed and impressed. I ended up with the answering pendulum trick, which was as close to real magic as anything I had seen. At the end of a string, Uncle Palaver had a small fishing weight. He then would have a member of the audience ask a question and the ball would either swing in a straight line for a yes response or swing in a circle for a no.

"How does it do that?" Tyler asked me after I had Echo ask a question. She asked if the ca.s.serole she had heated up for us was delicious. It went into a straight line. She clapped her hands and then asked if she would have any nightmares tonight and it went m'

to a circle.

I shrugged. "Uncle Palaver couldn't explain it either. He said it was like an old-fashioned divining rod. Maybe it's our subconscious thoughts that influence it." I smiled. "And then again, maybe not."

Tyler nodded. He gazed at Destiny, who had her arms raised as she shook her head, and he laughed.