She dropped the fuzz, flipped off the pigeon watching her from the roof of the garage across the alley, and tried to remember what Auntie Jane had said about the bears.

Mostly they’d spoken about the creature who’d been holding them. She’d asked if she was in trouble for taking him out and Auntie Jane had told her not to be ridiculous, that he was nasty piece of work.

“Once they’ve started on bears, the world is a better place without them.”

She fumbled her phone out of her pocket. Auntie Jane’s number had moved into the top spot in her contacts list. Charlie shifted her weight from foot to foot as it rang. Four. Five. Six. Seven.

“This had better be important, Charlotte. In case you hadn’t heard, the world is about to end.”

“Why is the world a better place without them once they’ve started on bears?”

Auntie Jane sighed and turned away from the phone. “Thank you, Meredith, I’d love a tea. Christie is with Arthur again.”

Auntie Meredith’s voice was a quiet background rumble.

“I know the ritual is still five days away, but if she wears him out, I will charm her knees together. Bears, Charlotte, in the last hundred odd years . . .”

“And some of them were very odd.” No rim shot. Charlie frowned.

“. . . have come to symbolize the security of innocence. Did you know emergency services give teddy bears to children in accidents to comfort them?”

“I didn’t.”

“Did you know it works?”

“I didn’t.”

“Don’t ever underestimate the power of an agreed-upon symbol, Charlotte. The only reason red lights stop cars is that we have agreed they will.”

“So the old guy in Vermont, he was removing innocence and security from the world?”

“As you didn’t bother to check before you blew the seals, we have no way of knowing for certain, but, given that we know he was a nasty piece of work, it’s a valid assumption. Now, as thrilled as I am that you’re actually asking questions, however after the fact, I need to deal with Mary and her belief that allspice will substitute for . . . Back away from the spice cabinet, Mary!”

Charlie slid the phone back into her pocket and headed downstairs.

It took her the rest of the day to find what she needed—and not only because the twins kept calling to tell her about spiders. And snakes. And Australians. So far, at least four of the Australians were as athletic as advertised. Four of the Australians, and six of the spiders.

*   *   *