Elatsoe

Jay and Ellie meet in McAllen for lunch before heading to investigate the library in Willowbee. Ellie tells Jay that her full name is Elatsoe, which means “hummingbird” in Lipan, and she shares the same name with her ancestor, Six-Great. Al calls Jay and asks about the vampire attack near Dr. Allerton’s house. Al decides to investigate on his own and volunteers to talk to some “older, more connected vampires” (264) to figure out why so many of them were at Allerton’s. Ellie tells Jay about Lenore’s grief and how she seems to be trying to wake Trevor up. At the Willowbee Public Library, Jay warns Ellie that he “noticed that people were staring” (275) at them as they passed through town. In the bicentennial exhibit room of the library, Jay and Ellie discover that Allerton’s ancestor, Nathaniel Grace, is credited as the town’s founder. However, something about the timeline of the town seems wrong. To her shock, Ellie uncovers a letter penned by President Theodore Roosevelt, thanking the doctors of Willowbee for healing his leg after a bear attack. Jay insists that “Roosevelt was never mauled by a bear” (282), and Ellie suspects that there’s “a dark side to the miracles that are performed in Willowbee” (283).

Over ice cream, Jay and Ellie go over their findings from the library. They think Trevor witnessed a car accident on the night of his death, then pulled over and “offered to help” (286) the accident victim. They decide to start searching for evidence of “unexplained deaths near Willowbee” (286), and as they formulate a game plan, they notice that, once again, the citizens of Willowbee are openly staring at them. Jay decides to get more ice cream, and Ellie calls Ronnie. Ronnie asks if Ellie wants to be one of her bridesmaids, and when Ellie agrees, Ronnie adds her to her “starting lineup” friend group and declares that she and her friends “won’t let some rich jackass hurt [their] own” (293). Later, Ellie tells Jay that she “might have stumbled into the land of the dead” (295), and now she has to meet with one of her tribal elders. Unlike Ellie, who is still shaken by the experience, Jay is enthusiastic and even jokes about coming with her next time. Ellie knows that her mother wouldn’t approve, but she and Jay drive to Dr. Allerton’s clinic and decide to use their phones to live stream themselves as they investigate the premises.

As Ellie and Jay arrive at Allerton’s clinic, Jay begins the live stream. As they walk the grounds, they notice “the same small, white mushrooms” (303) all over the area and “a bronze plaque on the heavy wooden door” that shows “the symbol of a leech engraved into the metal” (304). The inside of the clinic is “disappointingly typical” (306), and there doesn’t appear to be anything sinister going on. Allerton’s clinic looks like a regular doctor’s office. They investigate the back of the clinic near the parking lot and discover the dumpster “secured by a padlock” (308). However, near the recycling bin, the air smells like beer, and Ellie thinks, “There’s a hundred old cans in [t]here” (309). Suddenly, Allerton appears and asks Jay and Ellie to leave. Ellie dares to ask him if he “usually drink[s] at work” (310), and Allerton gets a funny look on his face before saying no. Allerton suggests that his neighbors must be the ones putting beer cans in his recycling bin, and when he realizes that Jay is filming him, Allerton tries to offer Ellie money “for [her] family” (312). She refuses, and Allerton again tells them to leave the premises before returning to his clinic.

As Jay and Ellie drive away from Allerton’s clinic, they call Ronnie, who was watching the live stream. They wonder if “Allerton told everyone [they’re] troublemakers” (314), and that’s why the whole town seems to be watching them. Suddenly, Jay realizes that he has seen the white mushrooms around Willowbee before: they’re “a fairy-ring-forming species” (316). Later that evening, Ellie searches for Willowbee, Texas, on a satellite map. At first, “no results [load],” but finally, “the screen jump[s] from her zip code to the center of Willowbee, Texas” (317). Although she hopes to discover some pattern in the mushrooms, the resolution is too poor to be of any help. As she tries to zoom in on Allerton’s mansion, she notices that “the entire property [is] blurry, as if intentionally blocked” (318). She then zooms in on the road where Trevor’s accident occurred, and to her horror, she sees “the smudge of an upturned face” (319) and quickly closes her laptop. She does not see the face when she looks again.