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as possible away from him in the passenger seat.
    “She the one who killed her kid?” Eugene asked.
    Maggie shrugged. Kurt didn't realize how badly he could hurt her with his words, the tone of his voice, the way he'd act all displeased and angry with her.
    “Maybe she burned the place down on purpose,” Vanessa said, giggling. “Maybe she's a pyromaniac
and
a killer.”
    “You gotta admit, she's got one hell of a touch,” Kurt said. Although Maggie was staring out the window, she caught a glimpse of him reflected in the glass. He'd glanced her way. That made her feel a little better. She turned her head toward him slightly. The bottle came around again, and Maggie took a swallow.
    “My dad said she acted real strange at the fire,” Eugene said. “She ran back inside, and everyone thought she was going after a kid or a dog or something, but they carry her out and she's holding a paper bag or something. Guys could have gotten killed, and for what? A paper bag? Probably had her jewelry in it or something.”
    “Rich bitch,” Vanessa said.
    “The freaky giant, Mr. What's-his-face Devlin, ended up going in after her,” Kurt said.
    “The jolly green scarface,” Vanessa said.
    “I mean, who gives a flying fuck if she wants to kill herself?” Eugene asked. He took a long slug, then burped. “Serves her right, after what she did. But those guys are out there risking their lives for a kid killer and her jewelry?”
    “Can we please talk about something else?” Maggie asked quietly.
    “Hey, your aunt ruined our party spot,” Vanessa said, jabbing the back of Maggie's shoulder. “The least you can do is give us the gory details. Tell us what she did to her kid.”
    “It was an accident,” Maggie said.
    “That's not what the papers said,” Vanessa said. “Or the TV news.”
    Sometimes Maggie hated Vanessa so much she couldn't stand it. Didn't the idiot ever listen to herself? Like anyone would consider the TV news an authority on anything.
    “I distinctly remember hearing that it was way more than an accident,” Vanessa said. “Like murder. What are you defending her for? I thought you hated your family. Just admit she killed your cousin, and get over it.”
    Karen. Maggie thought back to last August, when Anne, Matt, and Karen had come out to the island for their usual summer vacation. Everyone knew you couldn't drag Maggie to a family thing, but it was different when the Davises were around.
    Especially Karen. Maggie hadn't known a little kid could be so smart and funny. Better company than anyone she knew. She had found herself hanging out with them all the time, babysitting for Karen at night when their parents would head into town. Maggie and Karen were like sisters, really. At least, that's how Maggie felt and it's what Karen had said.
    Just thinking about it, Maggie used the knuckle of her right index finger to wipe away tears.
    “All choked up?”
    “Shut up, Vanessa,” Maggie said.
    “Just tell us. Where does the news get off calling your aunt a murderer if she's not one?”
    “There was an investigation. That's all. There's always an investigation when someone dies.”
    “Your aunt was the only one there, though. And everyone saw her looking out, even before the kid hit the ground. That's sick. She must have seen the whole thing.”
    “I didn't know about that part,” Kurt said, looking over at Maggie. “Gross.”
    Maggie couldn't stand thinking of Anne seeing Karen die. She closed her eyes, as if she could block the image from her mind. But that only made it more vivid. Her eyelids flew open, and she looked wildly around at the landscape flying by. Red barn, snowfield, power lines, lighthouse way off in the distance. She watched the light flash red, white, red, white, red, white for a few seconds, until she felt calm again. She reached back for the bottle.
    “Not till you tell,” Vanessa said, hugging the nearly empty bottle to her chest.
    “She fell out the window,” Maggie said.