The Last of the Moon Girls

Rhanna directs Lizzy to drive to the cemetery and stands in the rain at Heather and Darcy’s grave. The girls were buried together. Lizzy manages to get Rhanna back in the car. Rhanna confesses that she sees how people will die when she touches them, which is why she dislikes being touched. The visions started when she turned 14; the first one was of a little girl who died in a car accident. It made Rhanna feel responsible for the girl’s death. She didn’t tell anyone because she was afraid that they’d have her committed. She’s seen dozens of deaths since.

Lizzy thinks about how her gift with scents came when she was 14 as well. Rhanna admits that she got into alcohol and drugs because of the visions. She says that she saw Heather and Darcy in the pond before they were found there. Rhanna didn’t tell Althea because she was afraid that Althea would go to the police. Her book, The Book of Rhanna, is filled with drawings of the dead. While looking at the book, Lizzy notices how Rhanna became a better artist as time went on and is haunted by the drawings. Rhanna didn’t draw Heather or Darcy because she was afraid. Lizzy expresses sympathy to Rhanna for having such a devastating gift. She remembers that Althea’s book hinted at Rhanna having a secret.

Lizzy has used four of her eight weeks of time off. Since revealing her secret, Rhanna has been working in the shop and painting. Lizzy decides that she wants to make some perfume for Rhanna and Evvie. She goes to her workbench in the barn as Andrew arrives. He is checking on some repairs and is surprised to see her. She tells him about her perfume-making plans and her reconciliation with Rhanna. When Lizzy ignores a call from Luc, Andrew asks about their relationship. Lizzy admits that they were seeing each other but says that it was casual and ended. As a Moon, she’s not destined for traditional marriage.

Andrew flirts with Lizzy, assuring her that he’s okay with her being different. He confesses that he knows that the Moon women are on the Path and do magick. He thinks of the magick as a guiding light in the world, and it’s a big part of the reason why he has been attracted to Lizzy for so long. He confesses that he has been drawn to her since he was 18. They kiss. Eventually, Lizzy pulls away and apologizes, saying that she can’t handle “any more complications” (264). She tries to explain that she isn’t going to have children, so the legacy will end with her. She doesn’t want to burden another person with psychic gifts.

After Lizzy admits that she wants him, Andrew says that he will wait for her. He’s already waited 20 years for one kiss.

Lizzy regrets kissing Andrew and doesn’t want to ruin the best friendship she’s ever had. While Rhanna works in the shop, Evvie shows Lizzy the latest newspaper article about the fire: No fingerprints were found on the Molotov cocktails, and the church organist—Chief Summers’s wife, Miriam—says that the Moon Girl Farm is haunted. Lizzy expresses her concern that her investigation isn’t going anywhere. Evvie points out that Lizzy has discovered more than the police did. Lizzy wonders if it’s time to throw in the towel and go back to New York.

Luc texts, and Lizzy calls him. He pressures her to come back. She assures him that she’s meeting with the realtor and the bank the next day. He offers to pay the taxes on the farm if she’ll come back right away, but she turns him down. Luc is jealous of Andrew, whom Lizzy mentioned while describing the repairs needed to sell the farm. Lizzy says that Luc has no right to ask about her love life; their relationship is over. They argue about her coming back, and she ends the call by saying that she can’t leave right now.

Next, the realtor, Chuck, calls her and says that they should wait to put the farm on the market. After Lizzy prods him, Chuck admits that he doesn’t want to be involved because of the bad press. Lizzy realizes that he is not going to work with her, and they end the call.

Lizzy checks out all the products that Rhanna has made in the shop. Rhanna says that the soap is curing well and that they should make more. There have been a lot of requests for things from the shop. Lizzy tells Rhanna about the realtor backing out, and Rhanna says that she and Evvie will sell products at a new age festival to help pay the bills for the farm during the upcoming weekend. Ben, from the hardware store, is lending them an umbrella and other supplies for the festival. When Lizzy mentions that she thinks Ben and Evvie are romantically involved, Rhanna is pleased.

Rhanna and Lizzy talk about finding a way to celebrate when she’s done at the bank, and Lizzy mentions that a few things have changed in town. Rhanna recalls how Dennis and Hollis’s father grew cannabis; that’s how the two boys made friends. Lizzy says that Hollis died and that Dennis works for Andrew. Rhanna hopes that Dennis has changed.

Lizzy takes some of Evvie’s honey to the hardware store. Ben compliments Evvie and then gives Lizzy an envelope with the money that her last batch of honey made and a trellis to give to Evvie. Fred Gilman enters the store and walks past her with an axe. Fred follows Lizzy out to her car with the axe. Mentioning that his first wife died in a fire, he says that he is glad no one got hurt in the fire at the Moon farm. He cautions Lizzy to be more careful because it would be “a shame if someone got hurt next time” (280).

Lizzy drives to Andrew’s office and tells him what happened with Fred. Lizzy confesses her gift of smelling people’s emotions and says that Fred was feeling rage when he talked to her. Andrew tells Lizzy to go back to the farm while he goes and talks to Fred.

Andrew goes to Fred’s place and, while holding an axe, condemns Fred’s interaction with Lizzy. Fred says that Lizzy needs to be scared away from continuing her investigation. Andrew grabs Fred’s shirt. Fred cries, insisting that he just wants the commotion around the murders to be over. He denies being involved in setting the fire or delivering the doll. Andrew makes Fred promise to leave Lizzy and the Moon Girl Farm alone.

On his way to the farm, Andrew calls Roger, who suggests having the police get a statement from Fred. At the farm, Lizzy is drinking wine and counting fireflies. She tells Andrew that she had an argument with Luc about returning to work. Andrew relays what happened with Fred and tells Lizzy that he does not believe Fred set the fire or delivered the doll. Lizzy asks Andrew to not tell Rhanna and Evvie about Fred. Andrew says that he always wants to protect Lizzy, even if they never become romantically involved. Then, he says that he has to go back to Boston for work soon. He considers kissing Lizzy but doesn’t because she’s drunk.

While Rhanna and Evvie are at the festival, something wakes Lizzy at two o’clock in the morning. She discovers that the power is off when she tries to turn on a light and sees a silhouette out the window. Lizzy runs to Andrew’s house and tells him about the intruder. Andrew takes care of her injuries from running through the woods and leaves her locked in his house to call the police and go to the farm.

The police are at the farm by the time Andrew gets there. Two officers, Ken and Jonathan, discover that the intruder cut off the power at the fuse box. They are dusting for prints. The intruder also left behind a breaking knife, which is used by butchers to sever bone. Andrew says that Lizzy will give a statement tomorrow and that she is staying at his place for the night. Then, he heads back home.

Lizzy is asleep in a chair but wakes up when Andrew comes in. He tells her that she needs to stay the night, and she agrees. Lizzy worries that the intruder is the murderer.

Andrew gets Lizzy set up in the guest room. She takes a shower but then can’t get back to sleep, so she asks Andrew for something to read. His books are packed up because of the renovations, so he offers her a magazine, Old-House Journal, and says that she can read it in his room. Lizzy reads for a while, stares at Andrew, and thanks him for all he’s done for her. He says that she doesn’t have to thank him and that he’ll wait for her. Lizzy admits that she’s been pushing him away for years. He says that he wasn’t trying to rescue her all those times but hoping to get the courage to ask her out. Andrew thinks they should try pursuing a romance.

Lizzy asks if he’s ever been in love. Andrew was with someone from college named Dianna, but he ended things because he wanted to be with Lizzy. After he admits that he’s been in love with her for a long time, he asks her to stay with him that night. She agrees, and they have sex.