Mel looked around the tables they pushed together in the middle of the coffeeshop. It was Sunday morning and business was supposed to be closed but her bosses called a meeting. And it was all her fault.

Not that it was a bad thing. It was because so many people were in on trying to solve her mystery. Today she knew more about the shadowy figure she followed in her nightmare. The moon was full, and the stars were bright. Dr. Elizabeth shared something on her visit at the beginning of October which helped her fight the dream on her terms.

Interesting. She asked her one question.

"It's your dream, why aren't you changing it? Are you aware you are dreaming in it?" Dr. Elizabeth's eyes met hers like she was absolutely serious. This was not a trick question.

"Of course, I know it's a dream. It's my nightmare."

"Then try to change it. Try running ahead of the figure. Try yelling at it. Follow it instead of stopping at the edge of the forest."

"But I'm so scared in the dream," Mel protested.

"Did it say something before?"

"I don't know."

"With what we know now, it could have been your Uncle Hans, or perhaps one of your older cousins. The oldest boy, maybe?" Mel's plump Doctor stood up to pace a bit. She never did that.

Mel pursed her lips. She tried it. And maybe, just maybe, it was going to be the end of the dream.

Around the tables there were nine chairs. How did she collect that many people who cared? And someone was banging on the door.

"Go see who that is. Everyone we invited is here," Peggy said.

"I'll go see," Ralph said, and strode over to the door. He turned to the rest of them and exclaimed, "It's Agnus. What does she want?"

"Let her in," Anson said. "She's a crime reporter. She never believed Mel was guilty either. The paper published a piece pointing out the injustice of it all a year after the fire."

"We couldn't get a new trial because Mel wasn't talking yet," Lana Cooper explained. "Let her in. I actually forgot she interviewed me."

Ralph flipped the dead bolt open and undid the lock on the doorknob, letting the reporter in.

"I hope you don't mind me crashing this meeting," Agnus said. "I'll leave if anyone objects, but I overheard you planning it the other day, and I have all my notes and the article I wrote with me."

"You're welcome here," Mel said. "Join the gang. I can't believe how many of you want to help me."

Agnus dragged a chair with her and the rest of them made room for her.

Mirabelle rapped her spoon on the table in front of her, and said, "Before we get going, does anyone want anything. Coffee's ready and I can put together tea if you want it. Elena brought muffins and egg's benedict samosa's."

"I'll take a samosa," Greg said. "Do you feel like making our vanilla-cinnamon latte's, Mel?

"Not a problem. It won't take me more than a few minutes."

She memorized the rest of the orders, except for the tea and went behind the counter to put the coffee orders together. She barely had to think about what she was doing, and she wondered if other baristas went on automatic like this too.

Ralph gathered the muffins, placing them on one of the big display plates. Blueberry and banana-walnut joined the carrot-ginger special flavor Elena was testing. He piled a dozen samosas on another plate and gathered napkins as Mel loaded her tray with the drinks as she finished each one.

"At least there's no power cord to trip on this time," Mel said ruefully.

"Ha! That was the best thing to happen to you so far," Ralph insisted.

"Talk about a silver lining. Bad luck changed everything for the better for a change. Sometimes I have to pinch myself."

Mel picked up the tray and went over to deliver the drinks. Who knew Dr. Elizabeth had a secret love for double espressos? Lana took her usual black Brazilian brew, and Agnus liked a mocha, half coffee half hot chocolate. She made herself a hot chocolate and smiled when Ralph placed a triple chocolate brownie beside it. He remembered.

It might be weird for breakfast, but with all the chocolate in her choices, it was more than enough caffeine to keep her going until almost supper time.

Mirabelle came over with tea for herself, Elena, and Ralph.

"Peggy, did I miss your order?" Mel asked.

"No. I need to cut back on the caffeine. Getting too jumpy and jittery. My doctor said to get off it. Not happy with the headache though." She opened a bottle of apple juice as she spoke.

"It's the worst, isn't it?" Elena said.

Ralph nodded. "I was so addicted in high school I ended up in hospital from it. Caffeine overdose isn't pretty, and they had to sedate me because of the headache. I feel for you, Peggy."

Mirabelle pushed his little teapot across to him and said, "Thank you for telling us, Ralph. No more teasing you about being a barista and not liking the product."

"Doesn't bother me. I kind of think it's funny too." Ralph giggled as he spoke. "I love all the different herbal blends you can put together."

"Okay, time to get this meeting going," Greg said before he bit into his samosa. A low hum of pleasure followed as he chewed.

"I'll start then," Anson said. "We tracked down Deloras Elaine Durant-Williams. And I have a lot more information on her. Hans Obrecht is not her first husband. She never changed her name from the one she took from her first marriage. I found the licenses for both in the records at Fort Collins Courthouse. More interesting records of note. Her oldest son is from her first husband. He is Garth Johnathon Williams. He never changed his birth name either."

"There are two more children, right?" Mel interrupted. Another thing she remember recently.

"Yes. They have the Obrecht last name. Helga and Herbert. No middle names, exactly like their father," Anson concluded.

"I can confirm, Garth. I tried to interview him when I was researching the article after the fire. His mother told me he was visiting his grandparents. I tried to find him again, about three years later and he wasn't in the census records for Fort Collins anymore. No one from that family was," Agnus lifted her mocha to sip. "This is perfect, Melinda."

"Mel now Agnus. I like it better. And thank you." It was getting easier to accept compliments.

"Which confirms my last bit of info," Elvin said. "I had the bright idea to search the records at the land registry. I found a large acreage purchased by Deloras outside Telluride. Also, the change of ownership for her home here and Mel's as well. The sales were lucrative to say the least. Well over a million."

"More than enough to make for a motive. Or was she protecting one of her children?" Lana's question brought nods from everyone.

"We need to know more about her first husband. Who was he?" Mirabelle asked.

Anson turned a couple of pages in his police notebook. "Johnathon Abbot Williams. Abbot was his mother's maiden name from what I found out. Garth was Johnathon's maternal grandfather's first name. There were several Garth's all over that family tree. Not much originality in naming the boys."

"Does anyone know if there have been any unsolved arsons in and around Telluride?" Ralph asked.

"Logical question," Agnus said. "Something I can look into. If Hans, or any of the others in the family had a fascination with fire, then there should be several. Probably smaller things like dumpsters, or even a couple of big ones that are unsolved. Arson is a compulsion, a serious illness from what I understand."

"It is," Dr. Elizabeth agreed. "Trying to cure it, even in a child who displays signs of pyrophylia to an extreme is difficult. The best we can do in most cases is instill a serious respect for the destructive nature of fire. Add it to other issues like sociopathy and an arsonist is born."

Silence reigned for a few minutes as everyone munched on their food. Mel picked up her brownie taking her first bite and savoring the intensely bitter shock of the dark chocolate chunks Elena used in her recipe.

"So, does anyone want to know what I figured out. And what I have remembered?"

Ralph reached under the table and squeezed her hand. He knew, and that was when he asked if he could join the meeting. It was good to have a friend around her own age with her.

"Go ahead Mel. It's really important," he encouraged her.

"Give me a minute," Elena stopped the beeping of her watch. "I'll be right back. I have to deal with the sourdough bread that's rising upstairs. I'm testing a new rye bread for a new lunch menu item."

She disappeared toward the stairs with her braid swinging.

"I'll wait for her," Mel said with an impish grin on her face. "It'll wouldn't be right to leave her in the dark."