“Not mutually exclusive, Auntie Jane.” She stepped sideways, opening up a line of escape through the dining room and into the kitchen, but, for the moment, didn’t take it. “Maybe Auntie Ruby wants to cross over with her cousins, a part of the final chorus.” Even if they could branch the family again, Auntie Jane would be among those staying in Darsden East, tied too tightly to the place to leave. Every word Auntie Jane spoke resonated with that knowledge and not even Auntie Jane could be entirely unaffected by a countdown to death. Accept it, yes. Remain unaffected, no. The undertones were remarkably similar to Gary’s. With a little less bouzouki.

“Maybe,” Charlie added, “she wants to be a pain in the ass, one last time.”

“That,” Auntie Jane snorted, “I believe. Well, come on, then. Mary’s waiting in the kitchen. We’re canning some pumpkin before we start another set of pies.” She turned expectantly, so Charlie fell into step beside her. “Your mother’s garden had some lovely pie pumpkins this year. Stop by and see her when you bring Mary back. I’m trusting you to keep her away from David should Alysha’s boy babies scramble her mind.”

“Is that likely to happen?”

“Who knows? The women in this family have a complicated relationship with their boys. Scarcity adds value. An appalling number of us have the same attraction power, not to mention poor impulse control, the first of us did. That said, I assume Jack informed you that I want the two of you participating in ritual a week Wednesday. No fourth circle nonsense.”

Air quotes from the aunties were always frighteningly definitive. Mouth primed to say no, Charlie met Auntie Jane’s dark-on-dark gaze and heard herself say, “What?”

“We’re not leaving either your power or his out of a possible solution.”

Charlie stopped in the kitchen doorway and stepped back into the dining room, shooting an insincere smile and wave at the aunties, aunts, and cousins around the table ladling steaming pumpkin puree into jars. The asteroid had poked a stick into an anthill, and until the ritual freed them from hope, the aunties, aunts, and cousins were doing what Gales did when they had time to kill. “What’s this about a solution? You and Auntie Bea actually agreed—with each other—that the aunties can’t stop the asteroid.”

“Possible solution,” Auntie Jane repeated. “We don’t know what the whole family working together can do until we try. When this is over, however over ends up being defined, I want no one able to say that we didn’t try everything.”

She hadn’t been able to argue about that with Jack. Couldn’t argue with it now. “Okay. What if Jack stays in Calgary and I come here?”