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.Pa s shouts rang in thedistance.He d probably figured out Iwasn t in the shed by now. When we reached the top of the hill,we sprinted behind the lighthouse and Ihad Anna duck down to stay out of viewwhile I retrieved the key from where I dhidden it behind a loose brick in theretaining wall.We pressed flat against theback of the lighthouse and crept to thefront.The metal door opened easily andn.t s shouts I pulled Anna in with mebefore locking it tight.The walls of thelighthouse were thick enough to drown outPa s yelling.In the complete darkness,Anna s fast-paced breaths mingled withmy own over my hammering heart. Wow.You went all James Bond onme there, Leem, she whispered.I had no idea who James Bond was,but the sound of her breathy whisper was entrancing.And she was close.If I hadleaned forward, we would ve madecontact.I took a small step back to preventwhat would have been a certain disaster. How long do we have to wait here? she asked. Not long, I answered.Soon, ourbreathing slowed and her nearness was nolonger painful.Surely Pa had given up hispursuit and had returned to the harbor bynow.I felt my way around the brick roomuntil I found the wooden ladder to theobservation deck. Where are you going? shewhispered. Up.Follow me. I can t see you. Follow my voice.I m over here. I kept talking until her hands met my chest. There s a ladder behind me. With onehand still on my chest, she felt for theladder. Got it.Going up. To my surprise, sheclimbed up into the darkness withouthesitation. I m at the top.Now what? I was right behind her on the ladder. There s a trapdoor above you.There sno lock.It s a bit weighty, though. She grunted and then light burst throughthe widening crack of the hatch as shepushed it open.I admired her gracefulascent into the now-perfect square ofsunshine.When I emerged, she was sittingon the deck, leaning back against thecasing that used to hold the lamp when thelighthouse was operational. If we stand, we ll be spotted, I said,joining her.She flashed a gorgeous grin. No duh.Leave the Sherlock Holmes stuff to meand you stick to Bond, okay? You re making pop culturereferences.I m not familiar with thosemen. I peeked over the edge just enoughto see Pa staggering down the final hill tothe harbor.She folded her legs under her. Is hegone? Yes. I leaned back against thecasing. So dish. I beg your pardon? Her blue eyes appeared endless in thesunshine. Why do you run from him? You told me he hit you when we talked in thestore, but there s more to it than that, isn tthere? Yes. She waited, but I was unwilling toreveal more.Her eyes narrowed and she crossed herarms over her chest. Oh, no way.Youdon t get off that easy.You said you dexplain why you bolt every time he raiseshis voice. A gull screeched in the distance, barelyaudible above the sea wind. Pa has aterrible temper and doesn t approve of mein any way. That was kind, actually.Hehated me. When he drinks, he.he s nothimself. I d hoped that would satisfy her, but it didn t. And.? And I d rather not end up at thebottom of a cliff like Connor MacFarley swife. Though I was sTho="1sure theentire island would applaud that outcome.She brushed aside some hair that hadblown across her face. My God.Youthink he d kill you? I knew he would. Perhaps, but that snot an issue now.You said you needed myhelp. Yeah, well, that seems unimportantnow.I don t have a crazy guy out to killme. Nor do I.He s gone.Please tell mewhat s troubling you. She hugged her knees to her chest, put her chin on her knee, and closed her eyes.She said nothing for a long time so long,I thought she had dozed off.Finally sheopened her eyes and spoke. I think I mgoing crazy. The wind whipped her hairacross her face again and I resisted theurge to pull it aside.Poor Anna.Shelooked so tired. Honestly, I think I mlosing it. Dòchas will do that. She pulled her hair back and held it. What? What does Dòchas do? How?Why? Her eyes pooled with tears. Why? My own eyes stung in sympathy. Idon t know why. In her case, it made nosense. What s happening that leads you tobelieve you re going mad? She released her hair and it blew in alldirections, obstructing my view of herface. I m hearing stuff voices andscreaming. Her shoulders rose and fellwith a deep breath
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