Ghost
“No visitors,” the receptionist tells Hanna, with a frown. “Your friend isn’t to be disturbed. Doctor’s orders.”
Emily opens her mouth to protest, but Hanna silences her with a look. “I’ll wait in the car,” she announces. “You go ahead and visit your Aunt Rose.”
“Aunt Rose?” the receptionist asks, suspiciously.
“We just call her that,” Hanna breezes. “She loves flowers. Her real name is -”
“Dorothy!” Emily supplies, stealing a look at the guest book. “Dorothy Langford.”
Grudgingly, the receptionist waves her through.
Alison really is sleeping, or at least pretending to. Her eyes are closed and her hair is fanned out across the pillow. Seeing her takes Emily back to her sophomore year at Pepperdine.
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”I can see why you love it here,” Alison said, her fingers entangled with Emily’s. “The palm trees, the ocean. No wonder you never come home anymore.”
“I’m glad you’re here,” Emily said, truthfully. “It’s really good to see you.” And it was good to see Alison, it always was. In the two years since Emily graduated, Alison had kept in just enough touch to make sure Emily was okay, was happy, wasn’t dating anyone too seriously. She’d made a habit of showing up to visit Hanna in New York whenever Emily was there, swooping over to DC to take Emily clubbing whenever Spencer had some stuffy embassy party to attend. This latest version of Alison was sweetly affectionate, had no problem kissing Emily in public, liked to steal one of Emily’s old t-shirts every time they spent the night together. It’s wasn’t exactly dating, but it wasn’t exactly not dating either. It was close to dating, Emily thought. It was dating adjacent, like a house that isn’t quite on the beach, but has a view of it from the upstairs windows, maybe.
And now Alison had come to California. Hollis was on break, she wouldn’t start student teaching until next year, and she’d just called and announced that she wanted to visit, wanted to see Emily. This was one of the most hard to grasp elements of the new Alison, how direct she could be. The way she would forgo schemes and manipulations in favor of picking up the phone and asking for what she wanted.
Alison interrupted her train of thought by kissing her, a hand drifting slowly up her thigh. “Skip your afternoon classes,” she suggests. “Let’s head back to your place.”
“I can’t,” Emily said, knowing she would anyway. “I have physiology.”
“I’ll help you study,” Alison promises.
Three hours later, they were still in bed. Alison was sated and sleepy.
“What are we doing, Ali?” Emily had asked.
“I love you,” Alison said through half-closed eyes. “When you’re done here, I want us to be a family.”
“That sounds nice,” Emily said, drifting off to sleep.
When she woke up, Alison was gone.
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“Ali,” Emily says, shaking her shoulder lightly.
Alison blinks slowly. “Emily! I didn’t think you’d be able to get in.”
“Elliott ordered no visitors,” Emily explains quickly. “Hanna figured out a way to get me in. I don’t like this, he can cut you off from everyone, he can keep you locked up like a prisoner.”
“Did you give Spencer those files?”
“Of course. But that’s not the point.”
“It is the point. We need information. It’s been two days and I haven’t seen Elliott, not once. You need to figure out what he’s up to.”
“We’re trying,” Emily assures her. “I still want to set an extraction date for you.”
“I love it when you start with the military talk,” Alison murmurs, sitting up. “I can’t go yet. I haven’t found what I’m looking for.”
“This is serious, Alison. We might not be able to get in next time. How much longer do you need?”
“Two days? Maybe three?”
“Two days,” Emily decides. “Then we’ll take you home. We’ll break you out of here, if we have to. And you have to tell me what you’re looking for.”
Ali doesn’t hesitate, she puts her cards on the table. “I’m trying to find Charlotte’s diary.”
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Hanna’s in the parking lot, listening to the radio and making a list of possible ways to get information on Charlotte and Mary Drake. She’s also keeping one eye on the door in case Elliott or Emily comes out.
A figure emerges, wearing a nurse’s uniform, and Hanna gasps and drops her pen. She takes her sunglasses off to get a better look. She takes out her phone and zooms in to get a picture as she watches the woman walk over to a white Subaru and drive away.
Hanna is so deep in thought she actually doesn’t notice Emily until she’s opening the passenger side door.
“What’s wrong?” Emily asks immediately. “You look like you just saw a ghost.”
“Ali thought she was seeing ghosts,” Hanna replies grimly. “And now she’s in the looney bin.” She starts the car and guns the engine.
“Where are we going?” Emily asks, clutching the roll bar as Hanna takes a corner on two wheels.
“If we’re going to find out who’s under these masks, we need to make sure we know what masks we’re looking for.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means we’re paying a visit to that creepy-ass mask maker.”