Writing All Wrongs by Ellery Adams Page A

thousand years of natural history are about to be filled in, dug up, and paved over. It’s all over. Everything I care about will soon be gone. The island is about to become a place none of us will recognize. Its best parts will exist only in our memories.”
    Jan buried her face in her hands andcried.

Chapter 5

    One need not be a chamber to be haunted;
    One not need be a house;
    —E MILY D ICKINSON
    T he library was thrown into chaos by Jan’s announcement and her subsequent hysterics. Half the patrons were either crying or shouting, and Olivia decided that it was time to go.
    “I wanted to say hello to Emmett, but I can catch up with him later.” Olivia pulled Harris out of his seat. “The conservancy people in attendance have every right to be upset, and I don’t think they feel particularly warm and fuzzy toward outsiders at the moment.”
    In the parking area, Olivia pointed at her golf cart and frowned. “I’m penned in.”
    “This is why you should play video games,” Harris said. “One of the lessons you learn while gaming is to always park your getaway vehicle in an accessible spot. Tanks, Ferraris, Apache helicopters, golf carts—it doesn’t matter. Be ready to leave in a hurry.”
    “I’ll keep that in mind,” Olivia said, hopping into Harris’s cart.
    Harris had just merged onto the narrow strip of road whenpeople began pouring out of the library. As they raced to their golf carts, Olivia heard one man yell, “Let’s get him!”
    “I wouldn’t want to be in Silas Black’s shoes,” Olivia said, gesturing at the throng. “They don’t look like the peaceful protestors from last night’s nature walk, do they?”
    Harris glanced over his shoulder. “With those angry expressions, they remind me more of an army of Klingons.”
    “Can this thing go any faster?” Olivia asked. “They’re following us.
All
of them.”
    “Us?” Harris’s eyes widened. “No. Not us. They’re going to the lodge in search of Silas. I just hope there aren’t any loose torches or pitchforks lying around.”
    When none of the drivers turned off at Land End Lodge, Olivia’s anxiety increased. “They’re still behind us.”
    Harris tapped the rearview mirror. “I know. If this weren’t so weird, it would be funny. What kind of mob travels by golf cart? What’s next? Clown cars? Ice cream trucks?”
    Olivia saw no humor in their situation. She steeled herself as Harris turned down the driveway leading to Lifesaver, and then exhaled noisily in relief when the rest of the golf carts drove by.
    After parking his cart, Harris cocked his head to the side and listened intently. “They’re going to your neighbor’s house. Is Black staying next door?”
    Olivia shrugged. “I have no idea. It’s a huge contemporary with floor-to-ceiling windows. Someone must be in residence because I’ve seen beach towels on the chaise lounges, but I haven’t run into anyone on the beach.”
    “We should approach from that direction. From the beach, I mean.” Harris jumped out of the cart. “We need to warn whoever might be inside.”
    “Can you text Rawlings while I get Haviland? He’ll want to know what’s happening.” Olivia unlocked the side door and whistled for Haviland. She heard the click of his nails on the floor as he rushed toward her and smiled inwardly.It was a sound she never tired of. “Are you ready for some fresh air?” she asked her poodle.
    Harris, Olivia, and Haviland hurried down to the beach. The ocean glittered in the late morning light, and the tide was out, revealing a seemingly endless pathway of shells.
    “Looks like we’re not alone,” Olivia said and pointed at the stretch of sand in front of the enormous house next door. Two men stood facing the water. One appeared to be speaking into a cell phone while the other idly traced designs in the sand with a stick.
    As Olivia and Harris drew closer, the man with the stick grinned at Haviland and said, “I bet you’d have fun with this,