Kate was at her desk going through correspondence when her phone rang. When Kate glanced at it, annoyed by the interruption, she saw that it was Sarah calling. Her secretary had been with her for several years now; she was invaluable and Kate had come to rely on her extensively. Sarah knew she needed some uninterrupted time to work so if she was calling it was for a good reason.

Kate picked up the handset. "Yes, Sarah?"

"Detectives O'Neill and Jackson are here to see you," Sarah said. "They have the file you asked for."

That would be the file on the Terri Leoni case, Kate knew. The story was still in the headlines a day later, though the next dramatic crime--never far in the future in Hudson City--would drive it off the front pages and out of the nightly news. There had been no new information released overnight, but Kate wanted to see what the police had assembled so far. "Thank you, Sarah. Send them in."

Kate laid the letters back in her In box. She belatedly remembered her reading glasses when she saw the knob of her office door start to turn. Kate whipped off her glasses and hastily tucked them into the center desk drawer.

Sarah preceded the detectives as they filed into her office. Sarah was over fifty, a stocky woman with curly dark hair and dark eyes. Her hair was graying but she made no attempt to hide that fact. Detective Rick O'Neill probably approved, given that his own short hair was more salt than pepper anymore. He was probably older than Sarah but still fit, and Kate felt a flash of annoyance that he'd no doubt be described as 'distinguished' looking whereas Sarah--or Kate, eventually--would simply be seen as 'old.'

Sarah quietly left the office, closing the door behind her. "Mornin', Kate," O'Neill said.

"Detective," Kate said with a nod. She glanced at his partner. "Detectives," she corrected herself. Mike Jackson, the junior partner, was about forty, with thick brown hair and glasses. He was carrying a case file. "That's the file on the Leoni case?"

Jackson nodded and moved closer to her desk. "A copy, anyway," he said, holding it out to Kate. She took it but didn't open it yet. "Would you gentlemen like some coffee?"

Jackson perked up at the offer of coffee but O'Neill shook his head. "We can't stay. We're on our way out to Stewartsburg to question one of Hudson City's many upstanding citizens. Just wanted to get you this file--and ask what your interest is in it. The kid killed herself. You can't be thinking about prosecuting."

Kate shrugged and laid a hand on the file. "Just gathering information," she said. "I wouldn't wish this on anyone--not even the Leoni family. But on the other hand, you never know when you'll stumble across some information that could be useful. Better to know than not," she said. That was Jim Sutherland's mantra when he worked for the paper, and it had enabled him to break more stories than Kate could count. If it was good enough for dad, it was good enough for her.

O'Neill made a noncommittal noise and nodded. He didn't seem entirely convinced, but he didn't push either. "Well, we really need to be hitting the road. If you find anything useful, let us know." He paused, thinking for a moment. "Take a look at the interview with Meredith Masters, you get a chance," O'Neill said. O'Neill and Jackson left.

Kate waited until the door was closed, then retrieved her reading glasses and opened the file. For only being an active case for a little over twenty-four hours it was remarkably thick. There were written reports from the first officers to arrive on scene, as well those of the SWAT team who had arrived when it was determined that hostages were involved. Plenty of crime scene photos, as gruesome as ever, but nothing Kate hadn't seen plenty of before. Transcripts of the negotiator's attempts to converse with Terri--to no avail. There were write-ups of interviews with family and friends of Terri Leoni, her classmates and teachers, most of whom had nothing useful to offer. None of them could recall anything to suggest that Terri was anything but a stable, well-adjusted ten year-old girl.

In fact, as best Kate could determine, she was entirely ignorant of her family's criminal connections. The Leoni family made a point of keeping wives and children--daughters, at least, and sons until they were older--out of the family business. No doubt, Kate thought derisively, out of some bizarre mafia "code" that they used to help themselves sleep at night.

The psychologists' reports made a lot of guesses but couldn't really rule anything in or out. Based only on second-hand testimony, Terri might have been drugged or drunk (though the coroner said no) or under some kind of severe psychological stress..or mentally ill...or not. Her repeated references to the great and terrible black bird suggested some kind of fixation, but nothing definitive.

The interviews with Terri's surviving classmates looked like more of the same. Most were too shaken, or their parents too protective of their children, for the police to learn much. They all agreed that Terri was in tears, seemingly distraught over her actions. She'd claimed--they said--that she had to take them hostage and kill several classmates and a teacher. Why? the police had asked. Because otherwise the great and terrible black bird would kill them all.

Kate found the interview O'Neill had mentioned. Meredith Masters was--had been--Terri's closest friend. Her statement paralleled all the others, save for one thing. She had noticed Terri's behavior change. She'd claimed to be hearing music frequently, though Meredith reported not hearing anything. Or if there was music from a radio it wasn't what Terri said she heard. Terri had also seemed worried or jumpy for the last couple of days.

The detective who'd interview Meredith had wanted to press for more details, but Meredith had broken down and her parents had swooped in to hustle her away. His notes indicated that he intended to re-interview her in a few days, when she was less frightened and more likely to speak--and to remember details of Terri's behavior in her final days. Kate closed the file and thought about it for a few minutes. Then she reopened the file long enough to find and memorize Meredith's address.

* * *

Meredith looked up from her book when her parents entered her bedroom. "Can't I--?"

"No, Merry," her father said. It was kinda weird to have dad here too, putting her to bed. Usually he just popped his head in to say goodnight after mom had tucked her in. But they'd hardly let her out of their sight since...the other day. Meredith steered her thoughts away from that.

"We've already let you stay up half an hour past your bedtime," her mother said. "You agreed to turn out the light and go to sleep with no complaints, remember?" Meredith recognized the tone in her voice. It was her 'happy talk' voice, the one she used when she was being nice but wasn't going to be swayed by pleas or complaints.

Meredith sighed theatrically (she didn't dare argue, but that didn't mean she couldn't make her displeasure known), closed the book and put it on her bedside table. She squirmed down under the covers until she could lie back. Her parents came and sat on the edge of the bed and just looked at her for a minute. It was weird. And for a moment, Meredith thought her mother was going to cry.

Instead, mom leaned over to kiss her on the forehead. "I love you, sweetie," she said. She sat up and tucked the covers up around Meredith's shoulders. Meredith saw her dad squeeze her mom's shoulder. "We both love you," mom said. "Very much." Her dad chimed in with his agreement.

"Me too," Meredith said. She looked at her mom and dad and that weirdly intense scrutiny they gave her made it impossible not to think about the other day. About...Terri. And Peter and Claire and Simone and Miss Parrish. Grief enveloped Meredith then and her own eyes burned suddenly and she sniffled. She'd never see Terri alive again. Never share confidences with her, never giggle or argue over boys or...anything.

Looking at her parents then, it occurred to Meredith for the first time that they might be thinking the same thing. They might be scared by the idea that they might never have seen her again, even if she'd never told anyone about Terri pointing the gun at her before shooting Peter. Probably somebody else did. The stupid police had asked her the same questions over and over and over and over. Like they thought she was stupid, or lying. She'd been very glad when her dad yelled at the cops and talked about his lawyer and the cops let her go home finally.

Meredith sat up abruptly and hugged her mother tightly for a long time, and then her father. Eventually she lay back again and her dad tucked her in again. They walked to the door and turned to say good night once more. Meredith said, "Dad?" and indicated her closet with her eyes.

"Of course," dad said. One side of the double door of her closet was open. He closed it.

"Thanks, dad," Meredith said. She hated it when the closet door was open at night. She always imagined things lurking in that dark empty space, watching her. The storage boxes under her bed meant there was no place for things to lurk there, and her bedroom door was in a corner, so when the door was open it was against the wall. Leaving no place for things to hide.

Or so Merry had always thought. But she watched her parents stop in the doorway, look back at her and say good night. She watched them turn off the overhead light, leaving only a small nightlight glowing from an outlet across the room. Merry watched them close the door quietly behind them.

So Meredith saw the shadows stir behind the closing door. She saw the monster from the closet emerge from the shadows and step into the room even before the light from the hallway was cut off by the closing door. She saw the monster smile and raise one finger to its lips in a shushing gesture.

Meredith sat bolt upright, eyes wide, terrified by the apparition. She drew a breath to scream when the monster looked surprised then annoyed and crossed the distance between them in an instant. It settled on the edge of her bed and grabbed Meredith, one hand cupping the back of her head, the other pressed over her mouth, stifling Meredith's scream. Meredith sucked in a desperate breath through her nose and tried again to scream.

The monster maintained its hold on her. Meredith sat trembling, eyes tightly shut, clutching her covers, waiting for the monster to do something monstrous. It simply continued to hold her motionless, one hand over her mouth. Nothing happened. Meredith heard the monster say quietly, "I hate this."

Meredith opened her eyes. The only sound in the room was her own rapid breathing. The monster looked like a woman. A small woman with black hair and dark eyes, wearing a long black dress. She opened her eyes again and and looked at Meredith. "I'm not going to hurt you, Meredith," the woman said. "I just want to talk to you.

"Will you do that, Meredith? Will you talk to me?"

Meredith stared at the woman. Eventually she nodded once. The woman looked at her, then very slowly released her grip. Meredith stared at her. The woman stared back. Meredith's breathing was still the only noise in the room but it was slower now. She didn't feel like she was about to pee all over herself anymore.

"Tell me about Terri, Meredith," the woman said.

Meredith looked down, away from the woman's face. She didn't want to talk about Terri. Not to the police, not to her mom and dad, and not to this stranger. She was afraid to say that so she said nothing.

The woman sighed. "You told the police that Terri didn't want to do what she did," the woman said. Meredith studied the pattern on her bedspread, saying nothing. "Is that true, Meredith?" Meredith remained silent.

"Or did Terri lie about that?" the woman asked. "Maybe she did want to do those things. Maybe Terri wanted to kill Peter, and Claire, and--"

"No she didn't!" Meredith objected. She looked up, forgetting her fear in her sudden anger. "She didn't!"

"No, of course not," the woman said. "She said she didn't, and you believed her." Meredith nodded, glaring at the woman still. "I believe her too," the woman said.

"You do?" Meredith asked. She peered at the woman sidelong, suspicious of this sudden agreement.

"I do," the woman said. "And I want to find out why she did it. If someone made her do it, I want to find that person and punish him. You want that too, don't you?"

"Her," Meredith said.

"What?"

"Raven," Meredith said. "Terri's dad says it was Raven. He says Raven m-made Terri do--that. He was really mad. He called her a--" Meredith leaned close to whisper it. "--a 'murderous bitch.'"

Meredith shivered at the memory. Mr. Leoni had yelled at the police, at the reporters, at everybody. She'd never seen anybody that mad before. It had scared Meredith and her dad had told her it was because if he didn't get mad he'd cry instead. That didn't make a lot of sense to Meredith but Mr. Leoni left with a bunch of other people so it didn't really matter after that.

"Yes, well--he has reason to dislike Raven," the woman said slowly. "But it wasn't her."

"How do you know?" Meredith asked.

"I just do," the woman said. "Did Terri say or do anything to make you think it was Raven?"

Meredith didn't like that answer. She frowned at the woman but she thought about it. "No," she admitted. "But...."

"But what?" the woman prompted her when she didn't continue.

"Do you think she's a ghost?" Meredith asked, her voice barely above a whisper. The woman had to lean closer to hear her.

"Who?" she asked. "Raven?" When Meredith nodded, the woman shook her head. "No, she's not a ghost."

"Are you sure?" Meredith asked. "How do you know she's not a ghost?"

The woman just looked at her for a long moment, lifting one eyebrow. Meredith felt renewed alarm widen her eyes and knot her stomach. "It's you!" she said. "You're her!"

"Yes, I'm Raven," the woman--Raven--said.

Meredith pressed herself back against the headboard of her bed, watching the woman cautiously. She didn't know much about Raven. Grownups didn't talk about her around kids. Kids talked, though. Meredith looked at her. The woman wasn't covered in gore. She wasn't wearing a blood-soaked wedding dress or carrying a meat cleaver. Meredith glanced around her room anxiously, but there was no army of rats or bugs visible. Raven didn't have fangs or claws, and she was sitting on the bed like a normal person, not crouching on a wall or the ceiling like a spider.

"Why is it important that I'm not a ghost, Meredith?" Raven asked. "Did Terri say something about a ghost?"

Meredith nodded slowly. "Terri said--" she began, but her throat tightened with grief and guilt. She tried again. "Terri said she had a new f-friend. She s-said..." Raven blurred as tears filled Meredith's eyes. "She said it was a g-ghost," Meredith said, her lower lip trembling.

"I didn't believe her!" Meredith confessed, and began crying.

Terri had told her! She'd told Meredith that she had a new friend--a ghost--and Meredith hadn't believed her! When Terri said the ghost was frightening her, Meredith hadn't listened. Now Terri was dead and Meredith felt terribly guilty. If she'd listened maybe Terri and Peter and Claire and Simone and Miss Parrish would all still be alive. Now that she'd admitted her secret, Meredith sobbed.

Meredith half expected--half hoped, if she were honest--that the strange woman would comfort her, hug her or hold her or...something. Tell her she was blameless. Anything. But Raven did none of those things. She simply sat and watched and waited. Meredith's tears dried up and her sobs died out under Raven's pitiless gaze.

"It wasn't your fault," Raven said when she finally spoke. "You couldn't know what was happening to your friend. But Meredith, you can help now. Nothing will bring Terri back, but I can see that whoever or whatever killed her is punished. Will you help me with that?"

Meredith sniffled and nodded.

"Good," Raven said, and smiled at her. "So tell me, did Terri say anything else about this ghost friend of hers? Did the ghost tell her to do things?"

"No," Meredith said slowly.

"Are you sure? You don't sound sure."

Meredith wasn't sure. She hadn't believed Terri about the ghost so she hadn't paid attention. But she didn't think the ghost told Terri to bring a gun to school, or kill anybody. "I don't think so."

Raven asked Meredith a lot more questions. Mostly Meredith said, "I don't know." It made her feel stupid. There was so much she didn't know, so much she couldn't say. So she volunteered something she did know. "Terri said she heard music."

"Yes," Raven said, "I read that in the police reports. Did you ever hear it when Terri was around?"

Meredith shook her head, not because she hadn't heard it but because she didn't want to think about it.

"What happened, Meredith?" Raven demanded. "Did you see or hear something? Tell me."

Meredith squeezed her eyes shut, but it didn't help. She flashed on the scene at school. The coppery smell of blood filled her nostrils again and Meredith almost expected to see Terri lying dead on the floor of her room. Terri had shot herself and--it wasn't like it was on television. It wasn't neat or bloodless. Meredith screamed, remembering what an awful mess she'd made. Terri didn't look like Terri anymore. She didn't look like a person anymore.

"She shot herself!" Meredith cried. "She shot herself in the head!" It had been horrible, and Meredith hadn't clearly remembered that moment until now. She didn't want to remember it. Terri's blood was everywhere then, and Meredith heard the music then. "I heard it," Meredith whispered.

The knob of her bedroom door rattled, then Meredith's father yelled for her to open the door. Meredith felt Raven's hand on her chin, drawing her attention back to Raven. "It--it went into me," Meredith said. "I felt it. It went into me and--and I heard it. It talked to me!" Meredith repeated what she'd heard, imitating the voice. "You should believe your friend's secrets."

She saw Raven look startled. "Say that again," Raven told her. Behind Raven, Meredith heard her father hammering on the door, heard both of her parents shouting. Nonetheless, she repeated herself.

"You should believe your friend's secrets."

"Do you still hear the music?" Raven asked, raising her voice to be heard over the clamor. Meredith heard wood splinter. "Meredith!" Raven said sharply, regaining Meredith's attention. "Do you still hear the music?"

Meredith shook her head vigorously. "No," she said. "It left. I only heard it that one time."

Raven looked frustrated. She glanced over her shoulder for an instant. Meredith looked as well and saw that the door jamb was splitting. "Who's in there?" Meredith's father shouted. "Stay away from our daughter!"

"Looks like it's time for me to go," Raven said. "Is there anything else you can tell me?" she asked Meredith. "Anything at all? I need more to go on to find whoever did this to Terri."

Meredith nodded. "There was another girl who said she heard music like Terri. Nobody likes her, but she's really smart." Maybe they didn't like her because she was really smart, but Meredith didn't say that.

Raven leaned forward. "Who is it?" she asked. She snapped her fingers and Meredith's nightlight went out with a tiny pop. "Meredith, who is it?"

"Emily Eisele," Meredith said--as her bedroom door flew open. Her parents burst into her room, shouting.

For just an instant Raven was silhouetted against the light pouring through the open door from the hallway. Then the hallway light flashed brightly and went out. A moment later the overhead light came on. Her mother stood with her hand on the light switch and her father was in the middle of the floor, looking around frantically. Raven was gone.

* * *

Outside the Masters house, Raven listened to the commotion inside for a moment. Then she took to the air. She had another clue to follow. It wasn't much--only a name. Emily Eisele. But it was something.