Ayanna did not want to take away this woman’s ability to cope. She had clearly been through it. And Ayanna felt that as long as it wasn’t hurting anyone else—although she felt certain if she researched and watched this woman’s social media channels, there would be proof that this was not harmless coping—it was mostly fine to quietly believe in the things you needed to, to keep living and heal yourself.

“Let’s tour the home together,” Ayanna said.

They walked again in the cream-and-ivory downstairs rooms, Margot pointing out corners where she had seen something evil or wrong, kicking up a beautiful rug to show a stain on the floor that to Ayanna looked like maybe the wood’s grain showing through the paint, but Margot said it was an evil symbol.

Ayanna ran a hand over it, muttered to herself, then nodded at Margot.

Upstairs, there was more character to the house. Large white sculptural lamps made from paper, which Ayanna liked a lot but thought she would also find frightening alone at night in this big house, and patterned rugs that still fit the beige aesthetic but with glimpses of rust and black. There was a bathroom like a dungeon, a semihealthy monstera Ayanna felt was lonely and discomfited by the lack of bright colors, and one room that seemed to be almost a parody of the city’s heritage: velvet curtains with beguiling gold trim, a hurricane lamp, a fainting couch, the arched Spanish windows, bits of maybe the ornate metalwork that had originally been out of the house now framed. There was a large vase Ayanna was drawn to, and when she looked inside, a spirit was lodged in the bottom.

“Don’t worry about me,” it whispered. “I got this vase on a deal, and I never really got to savor it.”

“Do you interact with her at all?” Ayanna asked.

“No,” the spirit said, “she’s annoying.”

“You found something?” Margot asked.

“The vase is one of those positive forces. Sometimes, when you find an object someone made or they really cherished, it kind of just vibrates with good energy.”

“Oh,” Margot said. “I thought all of this was about, you know, banishing demons. Getting rid of dark forces.”

Ayanna adjusted her blazer. Wanted to touch the wig she was wearing, but always worried that doing so would emphasize how fake it was.

“If you’re uncomfortable with it, I’ll buy it from you. Or I can have it treated.”

Margot shook her head. “No, it’s fine.”

Ayanna was suspicious the instant she left the house, the vase would be smashed or tossed out into the night. It was unfortunate that the vase was too big to steal. “Let’s light some incense in here.”