Homecoming

Jess falls asleep in Nora’s bed, and the book falls into the trash can. When she picks it up, she finds a solicitor’s letter, and realizes that it is the one that upset Nora. The letter is from Marcus Summers; he wanted to speak to Nora on a client’s behalf about Thea Turner’s death. Since it is too early to call him, Jess goes up into the attic.

When she was young, Nora forbade her from going into the attic, saying it was too dangerous. As a result, Jess spent many hours playing up there. Now, as she climbs the stairs, she is hit with a wave of grief. She searches the attic but finds nothing important. When she calls Marcus Summers, he tells her that he has evidence that Thea was not taken from the picnic by dingoes, as is popularly believed. Jess decides to drive to Tambilla the next day and meet with him.

Jess arrives in Tambilla in the afternoon and drives out to Halcyon. The gate is padlocked, so she climbs over it. The long-abandoned house is elegant and grand. The scene is oddly familiar after reading the book, and she finds the remnants of the