It wasn’t true. She had kept so many secrets from Jessica since she had come back from the other place, but she was glad Jessica had never been aware of that lack of trust. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you I was really—” She shook her head. “Okay, I don’t want Travis to get too interested in the Wind Dancer.”
“Why not?”
“He’s like a steamroller. Once he sets his sights on something, he won’t stop.”
“That’s not always a bad trait.”
“It can be. Sometimes people get swept along into places they shouldn’t be in. All it takes is one push and it sets things toppling . . . like dominoes.”
“And what does that have to do with the Wind Dancer?”
“That’s what Cassie is trying to find in the tunnel.”
Jessica went still. “You’re sure?”
“Oh, yes.”
“But that’s a good thing to know. We can build on that. Maybe Travis’s idea about using the Wind Dancer isn’t too bad if we can figure out a way to —”
“No.” Melissa tried to temper the sharpness of her tone. “You don’t understand. It’s not . . . it’s a bad . . . feeling. Delving into it might hurt Cassie.”
“She’s afraid of it?”
She didn’t answer directly. “You don’t want to open that can of worms.”
“I know you’re concerned for Cassie, but you don’t understand all the psychological ramifications of her condition. You’ll have to trust me to work it out.”
“Forget about the statue.”
“I can’t forget anything that might help Cassie. You can’t either, Mellie. We have to work together.”
“Half the time you don’t even believe what I tell you about Cassie’s nightmares.”
“So I have a few problems in that area. But I do believe what you say about Cassie trying to find the Wind Dancer, because when I showed her the photograph, she—”
“You told me you didn’t actually see a reaction.” She smiled sardonically. “What are you? Some kind of spook like me?”
“Not fair. I’ve never called you a spook.” She paused. “The Wind Dancer is the only lead we have. We have to pursue it, Mellie. I want you to promise me that you won’t reject Cassie if she opens up the subject.”
Melissa was silent.
“Please.” Jessica sighed. “We have to help Cassie, and I don’t know which way to turn.”
What difference did it make? Melissa thought wearily. The dominoes were falling and she couldn’t stop them by pretending they didn’t exist. “I won’t encourage it, but I won’t reject it. Is that enough?”
“That’s enough.” Jessica leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “Thank you.” She stood up. “Now I’ve got to check on Cassie and then go to bed. Are you coming in?”
“Pretty soon.”
“Don’t study too late.”
“I won’t.” She leaned back on the swing. “Have a good night.”
“Let’s hope we all do.” Jessica went into the house.
The conversation had been a complete bust, Melissa thought in despair. She had hoped that if she introduced a hint of a threat to Cassie, Jessica would veer away from the Wind Dancer. She hadn’t counted on Jessica’s total obsession with bringing Cassie back. If Melissa had just left the subject alone, maybe Jessica’s interest would not have been piqued.
Or maybe it wouldn’t have mattered. Fate?
To hell with fate. That was defeatist thinking. Travis certainly wouldn’t rely on a whim to shape his destiny. He was already trying to find a way to have his cake and eat it too. Now, thanks to Melissa’s own clumsiness, she might have driven Jessica into his camp. In her heart Jessica would always consider Melissa the dependent child she had been all those years ago.
The lights were on at the gatehouse. They often stayed on most of the night. She had learned in the past several days that Travis seldom got more than four hours’ sleep a night and that he was a great reader. Was he delving into that pile of books she’d seen delivered yesterday afternoon? Insatiable curiosity and a thirst for knowledge could be dangerous qualities in an enemy.
It was the first time she had acknowledged to herself that Travis could be an adversary. She had been wary of him, but she hadn’t believed he offered any challenge she couldn’t meet. In a weird way, she had felt a kind of bond with him. Crazy. It was probably a carryover of Cassie’s trust in him and view of him as a savior. But she had enjoyed their battles of wits and admired his sharpness and intuitiveness.