In the Angel's Keeping

A Killian Kendall Expanded Universe Short Story

By Josh Aterovis
Copyright 2026

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Chapter 3

Judy recovered before I did. She stood and took the remaining steps in one graceful leap. She looked up and down the hall almost frantically, waving the phone's beam back and forth.

"She's gone."

I realized that the hairs on my neck and arms had settled back to their normal state. I knew without question that Amalie really was gone, at least for the time being. I pushed myself to my feet and joined Judy in the now empty hallway just as the lights flickered and came back on.

Judy looked closely at me. "You saw her too, right? I didn't imagine that?"

"I saw her."

"I don't understand. I thought she wanted us to follow her, but then she was gone when I got down here."

I hugged my arms around myself. "Can we go downstairs now?"

She agreed and we rejoined the others where they were waiting in the ballroom.

"You missed all the excitement!" Steve exclaimed as we walked through the door.

I snorted. "I seriously doubt that."

"The electricity went off and then we heard footsteps," he plowed on. "We thought it was you at first, but whoever it was kept going down the hallway. Next thing we knew, we heard a door slam shut. Before we could go investigate, the lights came back on. We were trying to figure out what happened when you came back downstairs, so we knew it wasn't you."

I looked at Judy. "Amalie? Do you think she came down here after we saw her?"

"Where were the footsteps heading?" Judy asked, a sharp intensity in her voice. "Could you tell which door slammed?"

"Wait a minute! You saw her? What happened up there?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, we saw Amalie again, but she disappeared before we could follow her."

"You both saw her?" Adam asked.

"Yes. But where did the footsteps go?" Judy persisted.

"It sounded to me like they stopped at the door to the basement," Steve finally answered, "but I can't be sure."

"The basement?" Judy repeated. "Show me."

Steve led the way to the door tucked away under the staircase in the hallway. The rest of us trailed behind like ducklings. I knew the house had an old-fashioned, dirt-floored cellar, but I'd never been down there. From what I understood, once all the safety regulations were met, not much else was done to it.

Steve opened the door and flipped on his flashlight. "The light is at the bottom of the stairs," he explained, "so we'll have to use this going down."

"Anybody else want to wait up here?" I asked hopefully.

Everyone wordlessly filed down the stairs, so I heaved a sigh and fell in behind Micah. The four of us gathered at the bottom of the stairs while Steve pulled the chain that lit the single dim bulb hanging from a rough wooden beam.

Except for the wires and pipes passing overhead, the basement must have looked much the way it did when Captain Marnien built the house. The dirt floor gave off an earthy, dank smell, and moss covered the brick walls. Someone had constructed a wooden, bench-like counter along the back wall — for vegetable storage in the days before refrigerators, I guessed. As damp as it was, it wasn't a suitable place for storage, so it didn't take long to realize that there was nothing much to see.

A collective sigh of relief went up. I hadn't even realized I'd been holding my breath.

We all stood around staring at each other uncertainly until Micah spoke up. "What now?"

Judy sighed. "No sense standing around here all night. If Amalie wants to communicate with us, she'll have to try a little harder. Why don't we set up our sleeping arrangements while we still have power? This storm seems to be settling in for the long haul."

We trooped back up the stairs, and Steve closed the basement door before asking, "Where should we sleep?"

"What room was Amalie's? Do we know?"

Steve jerked his head toward the second floor staircase. "I'm assuming the largest bedroom, although whether or not Amalie actually slept in there, we have no way of knowing. But that room has furniture in it already. I don't think there's room for us to spread out. Are we all sleeping in the same room?"

"Yes!" I answered emphatically. Everyone turned to look at me. "Safety in numbers, remember?"

"I suppose it doesn't really matter," Judy said. "How about the ballroom, then?"

The decision made, Steve pulled out a wooden card table and some folding chairs and we all sat down to snack on the chips and salsa he'd thoughtfully brought from home. While we nibbled, Steve demanded to know exactly what had happened in the cupola. We quickly filled him in, then chatted for a while about everyday stuff, dropping the subject of the supernatural by unspoken mutual consent. After a while, Micah pulled out a deck of cards and we played Rummy for a few hours.

"I have to pee." I announced a little before midnight.

"Thanks for the newsflash. You know where the bathroom is," Steve said.

"I don't want to go by myself." I turned to Micah. "Come with me?"

He grinned. "What? Are you afraid Amalie will catch you with your pants down?"

I smiled and batted my eyelashes. "Maybe, but if a certain big, strong man would protect me..."

"Oh please," Judy groaned. "You're making me nauseous."

We all laughed, but I was relieved when Micah followed me from the room.

As I emerged from the bathroom, he grabbed me and gave me a gentle kiss. "Mmm. I've been dying to do that all night."

"Interesting choice of words," I said softly, and he gave an ungentlemanly snort. "So, what do you make of all this ghost stuff? Do you think I'm crazy?"

"It's been interesting, I'll give you that. I definitely don't think you're crazy. I kinda hoped I'd get to see her."

"Believe me, it's not all it's cracked up to be."

"Still, I'd like to experience it for myself, at least once."

"How about if I give you my next experience for free? You think they're transferable?"

"You seem pretty confident you'll have a next experience."

"According to Judy, it's inevitable. I'm a sensitive, remember?"

"Ah, yes. Killian the Great—Seer of Wonders, Friend of the Dead," he teased with a dramatic flourish.

I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Hey, on the bright side, at least we get to spend the night together for the first time," he added, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"With two chaperones," I added.

"It's a start."

I smiled. "Yeah, it is that."

"Have you ever spent the night with a guy before?"

"Um, I...uh..." I looked away, feeling awkward.

Micah caught my chin in his hand and made me look him in the eye. "You don't have to be embarrassed to mention your ex around me, Killian. I understand you had a life before me, just like I had a life before I met you."

I eyed him with interest. "Was there ever anyone special?"

It was his turn to look away. "Yeah."

"Will you tell me about him?"

"Eventually, yes. Maybe not right now. It's...not easy to talk about."

"So, are you saying when you came out of the closet you left some skeletons in there?" I asked lightly, trying to brighten the mood.

Micah frowned. "You could say that."

That piqued my curiosity. I hadn't expected a serious answer. "Like what?"

"Like I said, I'd rather not talk about it right now. Sometime, I promise, just not right now."

I nodded and leaned in for one last kiss before we rejoined Steve and Judy. Just then, a thin, low sound made a shiver run down my spine. I jerked away as if I'd been shocked.

"Did you hear that?" I hissed.

"Hear what?"

Before I could answer, it came again, louder this time, and unmistakably the sound of an infant crying.

As the chilling sound washed over me, every fiber of my being was screaming "run," but my feet were frozen in place. Micah seemed similarly affected as he didn't move so much as a muscle. The sound of clattering footsteps broke our immobility. Judy burst into the foyer looking remarkably like a dog straining to locate the source of a noise.

She charged down the hall and skidded to a halt in front of us. "Do you hear that?" We nodded in unison.

"Come on, Killian," she called and darted off in the direction the noise was coming from.

I stared for a moment at Judy's retreating back before pulling away from Micah and following her with a little more caution. I found her standing in front of the basement door, her gaze fixed intently on the knob as if willing it to open of its own accord. I didn't want to open it either, so we both stood there listening to the crying that was inarguably coming from the other side.

With a sudden flash of movement, Judy yanked open the door. The crying stopped immediately. I looked at Judy, who was staring intently down the dark stairs. "Are you really going down there?"

She glanced over her shoulder at me, then turned on her phone flashlight and started to descend. I heaved a ragged sigh before following her.

At the foot of the stairs, she pulled the chain and the dim bulb came on, swinging eerily without doing much to dispel the gloomy darkness. It was enough, however, to show that nothing had changed since we'd been down earlier.

Despite the normalcy of the appearance, I felt a tightness in my chest that threatened to choke me. It was the same thing I'd felt earlier with Amalie. I gasped.

"You feel it too?" Judy asked. I nodded and eased myself onto the first step as she said, "Something here is connected to the cupola stairs. The pain feels familiar, but I can't figure it out. There's a sense of...fear and...and helplessness. I can't quite explain it."

"You don't have to. I feel it too. I felt the same way upstairs with Amalie."

Judy turned to look at me. "What happened up there?"

I shook my head. "I don't know. I just...felt a connection to her. She wants our help."

"I figured that much. Do you have any idea what she wants us to do?"

"No. It wasn't anything that clear, but it must be linked to the basement as well as the cupola."

Judy nodded. "I think you're right. Come on, I've seen enough down here." I breathed a sigh of relief and took the remaining steps two at a time.

Micah was waiting in the hall. "Find anything?"

I shook my head. "Nothing concrete," Judy confirmed as she shut the door carefully. "Just some almost indescribable emotions. It's difficult to put them into words."

"So what do we do now?"

Judy smiled. "We go to bed, just as planned. I'm hoping we'll get some messages in our sleep. The planes tend to converge in dreams."

"I'll be lucky if I can sleep at all," I complained, and Judy gave me a comforting pat on the back.

We made our way back to the ballroom, where we began to get ready for bed. Judy and Steve set up in opposite corners of the room, and Micah followed their lead, choosing the third corner.

I was in no mood to be off by myself in the fourth corner, though, so I unrolled my sleeping bag right next to Micah's. Nobody commented, but Micah gave me a warm smile.

Steve stood by the door until everyone settled in, then turned the light off. He made his way to his own spot using his phone flashlight as a guide and tucked himself in.

After his flashlight flicked off and complete darkness settled over the room, I reached out my hand and fumbled for Micah's. His strong fingers laced with mine, and I instantly felt comforted. Almost without thought, I found myself snuggling into his chest. His arms wrapped around me and, much to my surprise, I soon dozed off.

Strange and disturbing images filled my dreams, but when I awoke the next morning, only two of the odd visions remained with me.

In the first, I found myself standing in the backyard at night, except everything looked different. The trees around the house were much smaller, and the forest surrounding the property was much deeper. All of the trees were bare, as if it was winter.

As I watched, a small rowboat glided silently up the inky-black creek. Its lone occupant was shrouded in a heavy, hooded wool cloak that concealed his face, but, I knew, with that unexplainable certainty that dreams sometimes bring, it was a man.

He secured the boat to the rough wooden dock and hurried toward the house, its windows dark except for the faint glow of light emanating from the cupola.

A knot of dread twisted in my stomach, though I couldn't say why.

The second dream was far more disturbing. A woman was on her knees in the dirt, digging frantically with her bare hands. Her thick dark hair hung down, covering much of her face. She was surrounded by utter darkness, except for the flickering light of a single candle stuck in the earth. It was obvious she was distressed. The candlelight suddenly reflected off something on her bosom, and I recognized the intricate gold brooch that Amalie had worn in the portrait. As I watched helplessly, I realized that there was something just on the edge of the candle's light — a baby, wrapped in a blanket.

I was lying half asleep, still thinking about the haunting image from my dream, when I remembered that I wasn't in my bed at home. Then I realized who was attached to the arm draped across my body. I sat up with a jolt, waking Micah in the process.

He blinked up at me with bleary eyes as I looked wildly around the room. Steve was still asleep in his little nest of blankets, but Judy's was empty.

"Good morning," Micah greeted with a sleep heavy voice. He reached up and gently pulled me down for a kiss, then asked, "Did you sleep okay?"

"I had some strange dreams. I need to go find Judy and tell her about them."

"Okay. I think I'll just lie here and rest some more." His eyes fell shut.

I kissed his forehead and made a quick detour to the bathroom. After that, I began looking for Judy. I found her in the backyard, staring out at the creek.

"Good morning," I said quietly, not wanting to startle her as I walked up.

She glanced back at me with a small, half smile. "Did you dream?" I nodded. "Tell me about them."

"I only remember two."

"Then those are the important ones. Tell me yours, and I'll tell you what I saw."

I took a deep breath and related the dreams as well as I could recall them. When I finished, she stood thoughtfully for a few seconds before speaking.

"It's all coming together now." She spoke so softly I almost had to lean in to hear her. "The second dream connects to what I saw. The first...well, I don't understand how it fits just yet, but I'm sure it must."

"What did you see?"

"I saw Amalie. She was in the cupola and she was holding a baby in her arms. The baby was crying, and she was trying to comfort it.

"The next part of the dream is confusing. I feel as if I'm missing a part, because she was suddenly rushing for the stairs. She was very frightened. She must have stumbled, and then suddenly she was falling down the stairs with the baby under her. I woke up at that point, but the baby was almost certainly killed in the fall."

"Oh my God!"

We stood for a while in a kind of horrified silence. Judy was the first to break out of her reverie. "So now we know what happened, or at least part of it. Let's go tell the others what we've pieced together."

I wasn't entirely sure we had pieced together anything — and I was supposed to be the detective — but I followed her back into the house. We found Steve and Micah in the foyer, on their way out to the cars with a load of blankets and sleeping bags.

Steve gave us a sunny grin as we entered the room. "Who's up for some breakfast?" He stopped when he saw our expressions. "Is something wrong?"

"We have an idea of what happened," Judy told him.

"You do? How?"

"Killian and I saw some visions last night in our sleep. I believe they were images of what happened in this house over a hundred and fifty years ago. I think Amalie became pregnant and had a baby here in the house, possibly while the Captain was out to sea."

"If the Captain was out to sea, whose baby was it?" Micah asked.

"She could have been pregnant when he left, and they simply didn't know it. Or it wouldn't have been that uncommon for a beautiful young woman left alone for much of the year to have a lover. There's no way for us to know, although maybe that has something to do with Killian's first dream."

She told them about the man in the boat, and then finished up with the big news. "My dream and Killian's second dream are the ones that really brought the picture into focus. One night, after the baby was born, it seems Amalie was up in the cupola for some reason, perhaps watching for the Captain's return. She fell down the steps while holding the baby. We think the baby died. Killian saw her digging a hole, probably to bury the baby in."

"Holy shit," Steve hissed.

Micah wasn't quite ready to accept what she had told him. "How do you know this really happened and isn't just a bunch of dreams brought on by circumstances?"

While Judy had been explaining our dreams to Steve and Micah, several pieces of the puzzle had fallen together for me. "It fits the facts we know and the feelings Judy and I have been having," I spoke up. "Actually, I think she buried the baby in the basement."

"What?" Micah and Judy exclaimed at the same time. Steve stared at me in silent horror.

"Why would she do that?" Micah gasped.

"It was winter, probably very cold outside. The grounds might have been frozen, or maybe she just wanted her child close to her. I got the impression she wasn't thinking very clearly."

"Killian's right," Judy said thoughtfully. "The baby I saw was very small, obviously not very old, and postpartum depression isn't a new phenomenon, even if they didn't call it that back then."

"So...you're saying there's a baby buried in the basement?" Steve sounded shaky, and he looked as though he might keel over at any second.

"It seems likely."

"How does this explain Amalie's haunting?" Micah asked.

"Usually what we call a ghost is really a spirit caught in this plane, unable to move on for whatever reason. Maybe by choice or maybe because it doesn't fully realize it's deceased. Often a great trauma is to blame, and what greater trauma is there than losing a child?"

Micah shook his head. "But I thought Amalie didn't die right away. Would she still be that...emotional about the death of her baby months or years later?"

"Her baby died in her arms. She probably blamed herself," I suggested. "That would be hard to get over."

"You never fully get over losing a child," Steve said quietly, and I suspected he was referring to Adam.

Micah still wasn't convinced. "But what's her unfinished business?"

Things were still falling together in my head. "Maybe she didn't intend to leave the baby buried in the basement. The stories say the captain found Amalie dead when he returned. Maybe she died before she could rebury it. The captain might not have known about the baby or, if he did know she was pregnant, he might have assumed she miscarried. That happened a lot back then, right? So he buried her in the cemetery, but she couldn't stand to leave the baby alone. Maybe that's what she's been trying to tell us. She wants us to know about the baby."

The words had barely left my mouth when the sound of door after door slamming shut began to reverberate through the house. It continued for several seconds before a sudden silence descended.

Steve's eyes were as wide as mine felt. "Was that a sign?"

A creaking sound from behind us caused us all to spin around in time to see the basement door slowly swing open.

We looked at each other in silence, fear and shock mirrored in our expressions, before Judy finally nodded slowly. "I think we can assume it was."

A few days passed before Steve caught me on my way to work one morning. “Why don’t you invite Micah over for dinner tonight,” he said.

“Um, sure, but why?”

“I have something I need to discuss with everyone. Judy is coming too.”

“Let me guess. This has something to do with Amalie and the baby.”

Steve gave me a wan smile. “You got in one, bucko.”

“What's going on?”

“You’ll see. I’d rather wait and explain it once.”

“Ugh. You know how much I hate not knowing what’s going on!”

Steve laughed. “You'll live.”

I quickly texted Micah with Steve’s invitation, and Micah agreed to come. His curiosity was every bit as piqued as my own. Journalists and private investigators were more alike than different.

When I came home from work, I bugged Steve to tell me what he had up his sleeve until he banned me from the kitchen, where he was busy preparing enchiladas for dinner. Finally, Micah and Judy arrived, and they joined Adam, Kane, me, and Steve around the kitchen table.

“So what’s this all about,” I asked before anyone had even taken their first bite.

Steve rolled his eyes. “Obviously, I’d better tell you all now or Killian will never let us eat in peace.” Everyone chuckled.

“I have to admit I’m curious as well,” Judy said.

“Me too,” Micah chipped in.

Kane shoved half an enchilada in his gullet. “Not me,” he said around his mouthful.

Adam shook his head. “I’ve done such a great job raising you.”

Kane showed his half-chewed wad of food and crossed his eyes.

“Anyway,” Steve said, regaining our full attention, “I spent the last couple of days making phone calls concerning our discovery this weekend. I’ve decided to excavate the basement.”

Everyone froze, forks stopped in midair.

“What?” Kane was the first to react. “You’re digging up a dead baby?”

“Assuming there really is a baby,” Adam said. “I mean, I have no reason to doubt what Killian and Judy saw in their dreams, but we don’t know anything for sure yet. I mean, they were just dreams, after all.”

Judy opened her mouth to argue, but Steve rushed in. “You weren’t there, Adam. Amalie made herself pretty clear. And if there is a baby buried down there, we can’t just leave it under the basement floor. I mean, it seems like that’s what Amalie has been trying to tell us. Maybe this will help lay her spirit to rest.”

Judy nodded. “I think that’s likely, depending on what you do with the baby after it’s exhumed. Do you have a plan?”

“Yeah, I do. Tell me what you think of it. The first thing I did was check on the local laws concerning human remains found on private property. I found out that we’ll have to arrange for the county coroner to examine the bones to determine how old they are, whether foul play was involved in the death, and if they are Native American or not. He gets forty-eight hours to look them over, and, as long as he rules that the bones are old but not native, they’ll be returned to us for reburial.”

“Returned?” Kane asked, aghast. “Why do you want them back?”

“I want to rebury them in the private cemetery on the property, next to Amalie.”

“I think that’s a great idea," Judy said.

“So when were you thinking about doing all this?” Adam asked.

“Well, here’s the crazy part...”

“You mean digging up the basement of the house you just bought because a ghost told you there’s a dead baby buried there isn’t crazy?” Kane commented dryly. “This oughtta be good.”

Steve ignored him. “I want to do it before the grand opening. Hopefully, this will put Amalie to rest and she’ll just be fun story to tell guests instead of an actual spirit haunting their rooms.”

“So, when are you thinking?” Adam asked.

“The coroner said this weekend is the only time he’d be available for the next two weeks.” Steve turned to me. “You’ve been awfully quiet through this whole thing, Killian. What are you thinking?”

I took a deep breath. “I think reburying the baby is probably the right thing to do. But I’ve got to admit this whole thing freaks me out a little.”

“Nobody has to be there, but I’d like it if you were. After all we’ve been through, it just seems appropriate that we’d see it through to the end together. What’s freaking you out exactly?”

“I mean, I’ve never seen a dead person dug up, let alone a baby. Do I really have to go?”

“You're an adult. I can’t force you to go if you really don’t want to,” Steve said. “But as the person who seems to have the closest connection with Amalie, it would be nice to have you there in case she makes an appearance.”

Kane frowned. “Well isn’t this shaping up to be a fun little party? Will we be serving refreshments? Maybe baby carrots? Or baby corn? Oh! How about baby back ribs? I’m sensing a theme coming together here...”

“Kane...” There was a sharp warning tone in Adam’s voice. Kane wisely shut up. “Maybe we should just leave him home.”

“I’d really like everyone to be there,” Steve said.

“What time is this supposed to happen?” I asked.

“The medical examiner is free any time after six in the evening, so he agreed to meet us there around 6:30 on Saturday.”

On Saturday, we divided into two cars — Adam, Steve, and Judy in one, and Micah, Kane, and I in the other. Once at the house, Adam and Kane waited for the medical examiner, while Steve, Judy, Micah, and I went down to the basement to set up the lights for the dig. We were borrowing four 1000-watt light stands from the contractor who'd been working on the house. After we’d set one up in each corner, it made the small room as bright as day.

Once that was done, Judy turned to me. “Do you remember where Amalie was digging in your dream?”

I shook my head no. “It was too dark to tell.”

“Well, we can’t just start digging up the whole floor. Do you think you can pinpoint where the baby might be?”

“How?”

Judy gave me a sheepish look. “I’m not really sure, to be honest. Just trust your instincts, sweetie. And your gift. Maybe walk around, see if any place draws you. Maybe you’ll feel a pull.”

“You make it sound like divining,” I said, a bit more testily than I intended.

“Sort of the same thing? I’m just grasping at straws here. This is far outside of my own experience.”

“Well, it’s far outside of mine, too. Not to mention, also far outside of my comfort zone.” I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I stood still, just sort of listening, waiting for something to indicate where we should look. Nothing happened.

I looked up to find three sets of eyes watching me expectantly.

“So, uh, I think maybe I’d perform better without an audience. Would you guys mind waiting upstairs with Adam and Kane?”

“Oh, of course,” Steve said quickly.

Micah gave me a hug of encouragement, and then the three of them tramped up the stairs.

And then I was alone.

At least the room was much less intimidating as brightly lit as it was. I walked around a little, but still felt nothing. I was beginning to think it wasn’t going to work. Then I had an idea.

I felt a little silly, but it was worth a try. “Amalie? We want to help but we don’t know where to look. Can you show me where you buried your baby?”

The silence stretched out until I began to feel even sillier. I really was losing my mind. What was I thinking, trying to talk to a ghost?

I was just about to give up when I felt her before I saw her. The hairs stood up on the back of my neck and, a few seconds later, there she was, standing stock still, arms hanging at her sides, eyes locked on mine.

Just as quickly as she appeared, she vanished. For a moment, I wondered if I'd imagined her. But as I stepped toward the spot where she’d been standing, the room seemed to waver, like a ripple across the surface of water. For the briefest instant, it was as if I were seeing two versions of the room overlaid like a double exposed photograph, one current and one long past. I saw Amalie, but not as a ghost this time. She was alive, crouched on the floor and digging frantically, just as I’d seen in my dream. And then the effect ended as suddenly as it had began.

I crouched down where I’d seen Amalie and touched my palm lightly to the ground. Somehow, I knew with certainty that it was the right spot. Using my fingertip, I drew an X in the dirt.

With that finished, I tuned in to the voices upstairs. I heard several people talking, including a voice I didn’t recognize. I went upstairs to let them know we were ready.

“Ah, this is Killian,” Steve said when I appeared. “Killian, this is Dr. John Jones, the medical examiner who’s doing us a huge favor tonight.”

I shook Dr. Jones’s hand. The ME was as bland as his name, short and dark with an egg-shaped, shiny bald dome sticking up out of a thin ruff of graying hair. He looked to be in his mid- to late-fifties, and was definitely on the portly side. He wore a bored expression along with dung brown polyester pants and a beige button-up shirt.

“Are we ready to get started?” Judy asked me, and I nodded.

“Great!” Steve clapped his hands together nervously. “Then let’s head down.”

As we followed Steve down the stairs, I suddenly wondered how Steve had gotten the ME to agree to this. What had he told him? We think there’s a baby buried under our basement floor? The obvious question would then be, what makes you think that? If he’d told the truth, I doubted the doctor would have been there. He would have simply called the men in white coats to cart us all away.

Once we were all in the basement, Judy noticed the symbol I’d drawn. “Is this where we should dig?” she asked.

I nodded. “X marks the spot.”

“How should we do this, Dr. Jones?” Steve asked.

Dr. Jones frowned. “I don’t have a clue. This is all rather unusual. When you said you’d discovered something that led you to believe there was someone buried in your basement, I assumed you’d already found bones.”

“Ah, no. Just some...information.”

Dr. Jones shook his head. “If you dragged me all the way out here for nothing, I’m going to charge you for my time.”

Steve gave him a half-hearted smile. “Only one way to find out. I guess these will have to do.” He picked up two small trowels from the bench and offered one to me. “Killian?”

“No thank you!” I said quickly, holding up my hands as if to ward off a blow.

“I’ll help,” Judy said, stepping forward and taking the second trowel.

“If you actually find anything, I’ll step in and assist,” Dr. Jones said in a tone that clearly suggested he didn’t expect us to find something.

Judy and Steve knelt on the ground on either side of my X. We all watched in tense anticipation as the two of them carefully began scraping away the packed earth. We didn’t have to wait long, Amalie hadn’t buried the baby very deep. The collective gasp at the sight of the first tiny bones, shockingly white against the dark earth, was easily audible in the oppressive stillness. For a few heartbeats, silence reigned, thick and unyielding. Then, a shuddering gust of wind swept through the silence, as if the house were heaving a sigh of relief.

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