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you’ll practice somewhere else,” Nick said, and felt his voice rise.
    â€œAsk me in a few years. Maybe I’ll think about it then. For now I’m going to make espresso and sell birdhouses at Poke Around.”
    This was a nightmare. “Have you told Delia?”
    Aurelie didn’t answer. She looked overheated in her black linen suit with wide crop pants and flat shoes.
    â€œHow long before you’ve got to get back to work?” Sarah asked, apparently happy to have the youngest Board big-brain hanging out among the butterfly barrettes, ant colony kits and the glass aardvarks for which the shop was particularly known.
    â€œEileen’s really glad I could start today at all. She doesn’t mind me being gone for a couple of hours,” Aurelie said. “Look, why don’t we save time by talking right here. Nobody thinks anything about seeing us together and we can’t be overheard.”
    Nick looked at Sarah, who nodded, yes.
    â€œWhen the thing in California broke we knew we had to decide if I should go back there,” Nick said.
    â€œWe wanted to go, too,” Aurelie said.
    â€œJust let me spit this out. Today they announced there weren’t enough bones in that mine.”
    Both women stared at him. “Not enough for what?” Sarah said.
    â€œFor thirty-three people. Not enough. One adult human skeleton has 206 bones, 300 until some early-childhood bones fuse together. They recovered most of the bones for thirty-two people and none—with the exception of some small animal contributions—that didn’t belong to those thirty-two.”
    Aurelie’s blue eyes turned glossy. “Why aren’t all of the bones there—for the thirty-two, I mean?”
    â€œDo we have to go into this?” Sarah moved closer to Nick and rubbed his arm. “This is so hard on you.”
    He gave her a quick smile. “Thanks.” All his efforts not to think of his mother as a “tangled skeleton” hadn’t worked, but he appreciated Sarah’s empathy. “Some of the bones would be dragged off and gnawed—by rats and such. More pieces may be found.”
    Neither woman spoke.
    â€œThey listed all the names they’ve got on pieces of ID. I recognized them all.”
    Aurelie made a small noise.
    â€œMy mother’s was there and so was Colin Fox’s.”
    â€œHow awful,” Sarah said. “Poor Mary.”
    â€œI ought to get in touch with Billy Meche about this,” Nick said, referring to the local police chief. “That’s what the California cops would want.”
    â€œThey would,” Sarah agreed.
    â€œYes.” Aurelie studied his face. “But would it help anything? I mean, really help? Or just mean we say goodbye to having any peace again? Sheesh, I feel selfish for even thinking about that.”
    â€œWhy?” Nick said. “All three of us are thinking it. And what about Delia? You know how she felt when she read that piece in the News . She felt terrible, and sad, but I don’t think it crossed her mind that we’d consider blowing our lives apart in public.”
    Sara slipped a hand under his arm. “This isn’t our biggest problem.”
    â€œNo,” Nick said. “But we know what is.”
    â€œIf you want to go, you go,” Aurelie said. She tipped her hat forward to shade her face. “You have the right to take care of…of Mary. We’ll stay here with Delia.”
    â€œI’m not going,” Nick said. “Not now and maybe never. If I did, I could be putting targets on our backs.”
    â€œI know I’m a coward,” Sarah said. “But I feel sick, I’m so frightened. I ought to do better than that.”
    He felt her tremble.
    â€œWell, you’re not doing any worse than I am,” Aurelie said, reaching for their hands and joining the three of them in a tight bunch. “Do you really think the missing person