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"Amelia" Stella shivered, despite the dry clothes and the brandy Roz had insisted on "Her nalass of the door just before she vanished She wasn&039;t going to hurt the theether sane"
"You&039;re all right?" Logan stayed crouched in front of her "You&039;re sure?"
She nodded, but she drankto take a little while to come down from it, but yes, I&039;m okay"
"I&039;ve never been so scared" Hayley looked toward the stairs "Are you sure all the kids are safe?"
"She would never hurt the broke her heart, and her mind, I think But children are her only joy"
"You&039;ll excuse , and completely crazy" Mitch paced back and forth across the floor "If I hadn&039;t seen it withto need all the data you can put together, once I&039;, stared at Roz "I can&039;t rationalize it I saw it, but I can&039;t rationalize it AnI&039;ll call it an entity, for lack of better An entity was in that room The room was sealed off" Absently he rubbed his shoulder where he&039;d raainst the solid air "And she was inside it"
"It was ive you on your first visit," Roz said, and poured him another cup of coffee
"You&039;re very cool about it," he replied
"Of all of us here, I&039;ve lived with her the longest"
"How?" Mitch asked
"Because this is my house" She looked tired, and pale, but there was a battle light in her eyes "Her being here doesn&039;t change that This is my house" She took a little breath and a sip of brandy herself "Though I&039;ll adht shooklike what happened upstairs"
"I have to finish the project I&039; you have seen" Mitch&039;s eyes scanned the rooht, we&039;ll see about arranging that"
"Stella ought to lie down," Logan said
"No, I&039;lanced toward the monitor, listened to the quiet hu In her, in me The dreams, the blue dahlia"
"Blue dahlia?" Mitch interrupted, but Stella shook her head
"I&039;ll explain when I feel a little steadier But I don&039;t think I&039;ll be having therow there because I got through to her And I believe, absolutely, it was because I got through rew up in this house She never tried to block et married when your sons were still children," Stella announced, and watched Logan&039;s eyes narrow
"Haven&039;t you ed a weary smile "Not any important ones, apparently As for the Bride, nant by a lover who deserted her, or I don&039;t know I can&039;t think very clearly"
"None of us can, and whether or not you think you&039;re fine, you&039;re still pale" Roz got to her feet
"I&039; to take you upstairs and put you to bed"
She shook her head when Logan started to protest "You&039;re all welcoht" Understanding his cue, and his duty, he got to his feet "Can I get anyone another drink?"
Because she was still unsteady, Stella let Roz take her upstairs "I guess I am tired, but you don&039;t have to come up"
"After a trauan would like the job, but tonight I think a woet undressed now," Roz told her as she turned down the bed
As the shock eased and ue, Stella did what she was told, then slipped through the bathrooht "I was so afraid So afraid I wouldn&039;t get to er than she was You&039;ve always been stronger"
"Nothing&039;s ever ripped at me like that Not even" Stella moved back to her rooht Kevin died, there was nothing I could do I couldn&039;t get to hi him back, stop what had already happened, no ht you could do so, and did Women, women like us at any rate, we do what has to be done I want you to rest now I&039;ll check on you and the boys ht on?"
"No, I&039;ll be fine Thanks"
"We&039;re right downstairs"
In the quiet dark, Stella sighed She lay still, listening, waiting But she heard nothing but the sound of her own breathing
For tonight - at least for tonight - it was over
When she closed her eyes, she drifted to sleep