Light as a Feather, Silent as the Grave

Chapter 5

Later that day after seeing the unsettling television program featuring the Portnoy sisters, Henry called me on the landline at home to share with me some research he'd done on what we might be able to do about the trees on the Simmons' property. He'd read that sometimes when a tree was suffering from some kind of disease, or if roots were disrupting the foundation of a building, it was possible to use a poison called Glyphosate to slowly kill them. It was a slow-going process and not nearly as obvious as simply cutting the trees down, so in a way, it was a perfect solution. He claimed Glyphosate could be bought at any major lawn and garden store. There was no shortage of those in our area of Wisconsin.

However, it was going to require someone to sneak onto the Simmons' property more than once to apply the poison in rows in between the trees. It was also definitely going to burn through the grass, making it abundantly obvious that someone was meddling with the landscaping.

And... it was most effective if applied when trees were in full bloom. Since the ground was still mostly frozen and the temperature barely reached thirty degrees Fahrenheit on a daily basis even though it was April, it was pointless for us to even take action on that plan.

"That's all great research, Henry," I said, wishing I sounded more convincingly enthusiastic about his findings. "I'm sure we can find some way or another to get onto the Simmons' estate and put that stuff around the trees. Maybe if we..." I tried to scheme for a way around making the application less obvious, but there was a dull ache in my head. Scheming had completely exhausted me. I'd done little more than sneak around, construct elaborate plans, and lie to my mother since September. This latest complication of Mischa taking her murderous curse on the road with her across the country was way over my head. When I even tried to think about her stepping off a plane in California, a bright light filled my head. "We could just spill the poison all over the yard, you know? In a bunch of spots. So it's not just around the trunks of the trees."

"Oh yeah. I never would have thought of something so simple, but you're right. Then it'll just look like something bad happened to the whole lawn."

I reached for the orchid pendant hanging between my collarbones with a potent urge to feel it swinging from its silver chain between my fingers. Back in January when we'd met Laura at the book store where she worked, she'd taught me how to manipulate pendulums for answers from the spirit world. The pendulum that Henry had bought for me as a gift in the store that day had become too dangerous to use; I had come to believe that the spirits that provided Violet with her powers were using it to track our efforts to find her in Michigan. Since the last time we'd laced a key onto the drawstring cord from Trey's hoodie sweatshirt to make a homemade pendulum on that trip, I'd resisted the urge to communicate with spirits. But now it seemed like an irresistible option for confirming that Trey was safe.

"Henry, I saw on television today that Amanda and Mischa are going to California to train for the Olympic trials this summer. They may have even already left town," I said. My mom and Glenn were in the living room and even though from where I leaned against the counter in the kitchen twirling the curled phone cord around my fingers, I was being mindful of their proximity. It looked like they were both engrossed in the movie they were watching, but I knew my mother was probably straining her ears to eavesdrop.

The other end of the line fell silent for a long moment. "Jesus," Henry said. "How many people do you think she's killed so far?"

Maude sauntered into the kitchen and looked up at me with a begging look in her eyes for a treat. She sat down at my feet and I twisted off the lid of the canister on the counter where my mom kept her bone-shaped doggie-chews. "No clue," I admitted. I tossed Maude a treat and she trotted back into the living room with it.