Richland Court

Richland Court is a short street in Anniston, ending at the Saco River. Its residents’ report of a small but tangible tremor turns this otherwise ordinary street into a clue in the search for Abra: the disturbance may have been caused by her psychic power, and the street gives Rose the Hat a more exact location to investigate.

Setting and Reported Tremor

A newspaper account describes the tremor as occurring late on a Tuesday afternoon. Residents said it rattled windows, shook floors, and sent glassware tumbling from shelves. Dane Borland, who lived at the end of the street, pointed to a crack running across his newly asphalted driveway as evidence of what he had felt. The physical damage was minor, but the report made the disturbance concrete enough to attract attention beyond the neighborhood.

The Geological Survey Center in Wrentham, Massachusetts, reported no New England temblors that afternoon. Its Andrew Sittenfeld suggested that a surge of water through the sewer system or a military plane breaking the sound barrier might explain the shaking. Matt and Cassie Renfrew instead treated it as an earthquake and hosted a party attended by most of the street’s residents. Their cheerful response gives the incident a local, almost festive aftermath even as its cause remains unresolved.

A Local Incident Becomes a Clue

Jimmy finds the newspaper item while searching online for news about Anniston and Fryeburg, two towns Rose the Hat has been examining. Rose reads the report twice and recognizes its possible significance. She suspects that Abra caused the shake, though she is not completely certain. The report thus changes Richland Court from a detail in a local news story into evidence that Abra’s abilities may have produced a disturbance detectable at a distance.

A Street to Focus On

For Rose, the article’s value lies partly in its precision: it identifies not merely Anniston but a particular street. She believes that having this specific place to focus on will make it easier to seek Abra psychically that night. Richland Court therefore functions as a geographic lead rather than a confirmed location for Abra; the suspected connection between her and the tremor remains an inference, but it gives Rose a concrete point from which to pursue her.