Episode Recap: A Strange Vessel

Incredibly, Lily has walked all the way to grandmother's house, and neither Mike nor his wife (who left Lily with her sister) knows why…or how. When pressed for answers, Lily references Candle Cove. She finds a pirate doll — creepy — that Eddie made as a kid and hid in the family piano. When her dad asks her how she found it, Lily evades the question, and says she's not Lily. Even creepier. Then where's Lily? What's she doing? The strange girl answers, "She's dreaming this." Creepiest. Then who are you, strange girl? "Eddie."Eddie-inside-Lily tells Mike how he can send him where he belongs. Whatever he must do, it won't be easy. Creepy checkmate.

Meanwhile, acting-sheriff Amy is on the hunt to investigate a group of middle school kids who've been making a ruckus in town (stabbing dolls, acting like zombies, the usual). She speaks with the Principal of the school, who directs her to Mrs. Booth's class, where all the kids she's looking for are. But Mrs. Booth has sent the very same kids to the Principal's office. Either there's some screw up with communication, or Mrs. Booth is hiding something from Amy. It's the latter. See, Mrs. Booth's son Jacob was one of Eddie Painter's victims way back when, and she's had a taste for vengeance ever since Mike Painter returned. When Amy finds the kids, they're playing pirates in the school gymnasium after school…without adult supervision!

Jessica helps Mike follow through with his brother's wishes, which will send him back to whatever next life he's visiting from. First, she needs to get him access to the morgue where Eddie's skeleton is chilling. She uses Gary's keys for that. Then together, they inter the skeleton in a funeral pyre in the backyard, and light that bunch of bones up. This alliance would seem a little incredible were Jessica and Mike not middle school sweethearts, back in the day when Eddie started his murderous rampage. These two got a lot of chemistry.

Speaking of chemistry, standing Sheriff Amy has just wrapped up a coital encounter with one of her deputies when she's jolted awake by her conscience. She has a weird feeling about Mrs. Booth, and decides, even though she has no warrant, to poke around the teacher's home. When she arrives, Booth isn't there, so she ventures into the basement. There, Amy finds a few Candle Cove dolls, some bric-a-bracs, and, oh yeah, Daphne's dead body oozing blood being lapped up by a vampire cat. That's some body of proof.

And when Jessica returns home from her funereal fun with Mike, she's surprised by not one but a whole gang of masked middle-school intruders. They're brandishing weapons: knives, the fishhook, elastic bands, etc. When Jessica tries to extricate herself from the ambush, the killer kids each take turns stabbing her — at least they learned how to share — until escape is impossible. Who's there to watch this whole melee go down but Mrs. Booth herself, beaming with pride at how well her students follow directions. And back at Marla's, Eddie has been seemingly banished from Lily's body, allowing the young girl to reclaim her consciousness. Mike's relieved…but just wait until he hears about Jessica.