“Hey, man,” he said, getting off his stool. “I thought no one was going to come in today. Except maybe the holdup guy. You know three convenience stores have been held up in this area?”

“I read that in the county paper. I’d be surprised if the holdup man came in here. Not enough business.”

“That’s for damn sure. Some days I’m fairly busy, but today I haven’t seen anyone since Olivia gassed up early this morning. If I have to do this job much longer, I’m going to go crazy.”

“Any end in sight?”

“Yes, praise God and hallelujah.”

Though Joe could tell Teacher didn’t really mean those words, it felt good to hear them. “So you heard from headquarters?”

“Yeah, man, finally! There’s a guy who’s interested in taking it over. They’re reviewing his background. If his financials and everything else check out, he could be moving in next month.”

“He would live in the same house that the Lovells had?”

Teacher shrugged. “I guess. I don’t care where he lives, as long as he takes this place over soon.”

“You didn’t have to take it on,” Joe said mildly.

“But the money was so good.” Teacher looked rueful. “Pays well enough to where I didn’t feel like I could turn it down, with Madonna and Grady to feed.”

“I think Madonna takes care of the feeding,” Joe said.

Teacher laughed. “I don’t hear you tell a lot of jokes, Joe,” he said.

“Not a funny world,” Joe said, after he’d thought about Teacher’s statement. “Have you felt a little strange today?”

“Strange? How? Naw, I feel bored, and I feel restless, but I don’t feel strange.” Teacher looked from side to side, as if he might spot something odd creeping between the bags of potato chips and the dishwashing liquid. The fluorescent light in the store bounced off Teacher’s dark skin, giving him shadows where there should have been none. “You feel strange? Like, weird?”

“Yes,” said Joe. “I do.”

“Does that mean something? I never would have asked that before we moved here.”

“Why did you move here?” This was not a question you should ask in Midnight, but Joe had a great suspicion that the Reeds were not truly Midnighters.

“Well . . .” Teacher floundered. “The café was open to rent, Madonna thought she could run a place so small, and the man who sold it to us threw in the trailer. I don’t know if you’ve ever been in the house on the other side of the Rev’s, that’s the house we could’ve taken, but it’s in terrible shape. Madonna said it was bad enough me going out to work every day to fix other people’s houses, she didn’t want me coming home to work there, too. The trailer is in great shape.”