Ashlyn Greer was on the hunt. This time in the messy back room of a vintage boutique two blocks from An Unlikely Story, the rare bookstore she'd owned and operated for nearly four years. She'd received a call from Kenny Patel, the boutique's owner, about a man from Rye who brought in several cartons of books, one of which contained hardbacks, recent bestsellers of Steel, Chamberlain, and Garrett—esteemed authors, but hardly rare. The second carton offered a more eclectic mix, including several health and nutrition books, one guaranteeing a flat tummy in thirty days, another touting the benefits of a miraculous diet.

She worked quickly, careful not to hold on to any books for too long, but it was hard not to pick up subtle vibrations as she returned them to the carton. They had belonged to someone who was sick, afraid, and worried about running out of time. It was a gift Ashlyn had since she was twelve, like a perfumer's nose—the ability to sense the echoes attached to certain inanimate objects, especially books. She didn't know how it worked. After a fight between her parents, she had paddled to the cramped bookshop, her safe place. The owner, Frank, greeted her with a taciturn nod. He knew about her troubled home life but never mentioned it, offering her a quiet refuge instead. It was a kindness she'd never forgotten. It was there she first experienced the strange sensation of shock and sadness, when she picked up The Water-Babies.