Four
Melissa woke up early, blearier than usual, and out of sorts. She blinked out the window. The sky, cold and pale, foretold winter. Birds squawked and chirped fretfully. With a cautious fingertip she traced dots of dried blood, the claw tattoo decorating her leg. Why had the cat been afraid of Beck? It reminded her of movies about aliens, the way domestic animals always sense an extraterrestrial before the people clue in. Beck’s bee fantasy was ludicrous, so obviously an invention, but she didn’t doubt his confusion, or that he wanted her. He had sought her out to listen to speculation that he had been spirited away by dark forces, and held against his will, all the while wanting to come home. It was the naive scenario she clung to about her father. One day, Charlie Makepeace would ex
