Samantha put a hand to her head. The facts all fit. Lucinda had disappeared five years ago, the same time as Samantha. Her parents were dead. As for the age, the reverend had probably given her some fountain water to make her younger and thus easier to control and of course her second dousing of fountain water had made her even younger.
She reached into her shirt to pulled out the necklace. She held the pendant up to the fire. "Did Lucinda have one of these?"
"How did you know that?"
"I…I think I'm Lucinda. I think I'm your niece."
"That's impossible. Lucinda would be seventeen by now. You said you're only twelve."
"But I don't really know that. It was just a guess."
"You said you didn't think your name was Lucinda."
"But I don't know that either. Everything else you said fits, though. Tell me just one thing: how did Lucinda's parents die?"
"A drunk driver."
"Were they coming back from Disneyland when it happened?"
The cigarette fell from his mouth. He made no move to try and retrieve it. "Holy…cow. You really are her."
Samantha leaped to her feet. She ran around the fire pit so she could throw herself against Mr. Delgado-her Uncle Hector. She made sure not to step on his broken ankle as she hugged him. After a moment he hugged her back and then stroked her hair. "It's going to be all right now, sweetheart," he said and she believed him.