Tessa shook her head, absolutely thunderstruck. “You... know about the Polys? How?”
“I had a few turns with them — in my younger days.” Ellie sighed. “That Jakob! Always wants to do everything himself. He should have told you the truth long ago.”
“Tell me about it! I never met anyone so stubborn. But...” Tessa stared at Ellie thoughtfully. “You must know him pretty well. Joe said he’d spent a lot of time at your place.”
She smiled serenely and didn’t contest this. “Let me show you something.” Ellie lifted the mirror and exhaled on the glass. When the fog cleared she placed the mirror on the table between her and Tessa.
Instead of the expected blank reflection of the ceiling, Tessa looked upon a tiny vignette — a woman, pacing back and forth in a bare room. She bent over some kind of bo
