I watched my nanny move efficiently as always, in constant motion while her eyes remained so sad. I had the urge to comfort the woman who had been in love with the man who just died but didn't know what to say. Struggling with my own unexpected grief, I ended up not speaking at all as I dressed in black out of respect for my faux-father's death.
Nell didn't dog me out the door like I expected, another sign of her profound grief.
I went to the barn and stepped inside, breathing in the scent of horses, leather and hay. The smells were comforting, and I paused to rub the foreheads of a few horses before leaving the barn and circling it.
I went to the well. Its whispers were faint enough I barely registered them until I was in physical contact with the stone wall. I sank to my knees beside it and closed my eyes, focusing on the images.
Fractured visions floated through my mind, and I grappled with the message the stones were trying to give me. A woman with blond hair falling. The form of a man peering into the well more than once. It was dark when he came both times, his form and features hidden by the night.
One of the women had survived the fall and died slowly, I realized as I watched. There was a stream of memories illustrating the passing of day and night, of shadows that crept down one side of the well as the sun rose and up the other side as it set.
Three nights, I counted. The woman had lasted three nights and days before the memories stopped.
Stricken by what I saw, I took a break to ground myself before I closed my eyes and sought the memories for a second round. My hands trembled, and it took all my willpower not to let my thoughts dwell on what it would be like to lie, broken, at the bottom of a well for three days.
The form of a man was present only one of the streams while the other two girls were pushed from behind and never saw their attacker.
I focused hard on capturing what I could from the image of the man.
It wasn't Taylor. At least, there was no sense of familiarity from the girl peering up at him, and all three had met him. I didn't know why I was so relieved. How he was involved, I didn't yet understand.
Carter's text jolted my out of the recollections of others. I relaxed and wiped my face, exhausted and distraught. I checked my phone.