“And they say the choir loft at First Baptist is haunted,” Aunt Martha added, pulling out another cigarette from her pack. “Although I think it’s just pigeons up there, and the janitorial staff isn’t doing their job.”

“You know, sweetie, now that you mention things disappearing, there was that man years back,” Aunt Jewel said, not looking up from her cards. “Real particular. Several people saw him lurking around town, dressed all in black, very suspicious. He was renting a room over at Janice Duff’s boardinghouse. One night, Janice hears this awful ruckus up there, and when she goes in, she swears up and down that she saw him dead on his bed with a big sword in him.”

My neck prickled as Aunt May nodded. “That’s right. I talked to her about it the next week at church. She said it wasn’t a regular sword either, it was one of those big curvy ones. Like in the old movies about sheikhs. What do they call those things?”

“Scimitars,” I croaked, my mouth dry.

“That’s right, a scimitar. Anyway, she calls 911, havin’ an absolute fit, but when the police get there, the man was gone.”

“And more than that,” Aunt May said, discarding a five of clubs. “There was no trace he’d ever been there. No blood, no clothes, no suitcase. Bed made up all pretty and everything.”

“Most everybody thought Janice was having a nervous breakdown. Happens when some women go through”— Aunt Martha dropped her voice to a whisper—“The Change.”

My hand was shaking as I poured myself another glass of tea. This time, I was pretty sure it wasn’t from the sugar. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and hoped The Aunts wouldn’t notice.

Not my problem, I tried to tell myself.

Aunt Jewel picked up a discarded card, and then turned a bright smile on me. “Anyway, does that answer your question, baby?”

I swallowed. “Sure does.”

Chapter 18

“I’M PREGNANT.”

“Huh?” Looking up from the pair of shoes I’d been pretending to study, I turned to face Bee. “What did you say?”

“Finally!” Bee said, tossing her head back with an exaggerated eye roll. “I said your name three times already, and when that didn’t grab your attention, I decided to go dramatic.”

Smiling, I tossed one of those little stockings you get to try on shoes at her. “Well, it clearly worked. I take it you are not actually carrying Brandon’s spawn, then?”

Bee snorted and lifted one foot, turning her ankle so that I could admire the shoe from all angles. “No, thank God. My mama would kill me. Now what do you think of these?”