Timepiece (Hourglass 2)

Discovered the spindles that connected the top and bottom of the base weren’t ivory but bones. What looked like human bones.

The base was formed from carvings of tiny skulls, each one with black, gaping eye sockets and a wide-open mouth. The mouths seemed to be moving. Seductive whispers in my head grew louder and louder. I raised my hand to touch. So close.

“He’s coming.” When Lily took my arm, real voices overtook the imaginary ones. She opened a narrow slatted door, pulled me inside, and shut it behind us.

Five seconds later, Poe and a dark-haired woman walked into the office.

Lily leaned against the wall in a half-sitting position. A stack of boxes ended at the back of her knees. She couldn’t stand up straight. I didn’t know how long we’d be stuck in the closet, but she couldn’t hold that position forever, especially if we needed to run once we got out.

o;You feel people’s emotions by tasting them.” She didn’t sound convinced.

“Kind of.”

“What does Poe taste like?”

“The one time I met him? Despair.”

She thought for a moment and then shrugged. “Better than gym shorts.”

I laughed, in spite of the situation.

“Why can’t you track Jack, then?” she asked.

“There are a few reasons. I’m not close to him physically right now, but I was never close to him emotionally. And my dad and I both think Jack could’ve found a way to block me.”

“Why?”

“I thought I couldn’t feel what he and Cat were up to because I wasn’t paying attention. Dad says he’s sure Jack had found a way to keep me from reading him. It would’ve been very difficult for Jack to operate otherwise. I’d have known something was up.” I tried to make myself believe it on a daily basis. If I’d known, things would be different now. We reached the end of the alley. “Which way?”

“Do I get to come with you?”

“Lily.”

She lifted her chin in defiance. “Either agree or you can sniff around for Poe’s despair.”

“Okay, okay. Which way do we go?”

She turned left. We were facing the Mississippi River.

And Poe was climbing onto the Riverfront trolley.

Chapter 22

We ran, working our way through the crowd, and managed to get onto the same trolley car as Poe. He headed toward the front and slid into a red leather seat. I followed Lily to the back.

“What’s he doing?” I asked softly.

She held on to one of the silver standing poles and swung to the left a little. “Not enjoying the ride like everyone else. He’s looking at his phone, texting.”

“Now that we’re on here,” I asked her, “what’s your plan for when we stop?”

“Just act like you know what you’re doing.” She said the words through her fake smile while pretending to point out the window at something in the water.

I grinned back, sure it looked more like a painful grimace. “How about you act like you know what you’re doing, and I’ll stand behind you?”

Her body tensed, and her eyes darted to the side. “Crap.”

I’d turned my back to hide from Poe, and I didn’t like what I could feel coming from the other end of the trolley car. “Is he looking at you?”