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"If what you said about Saldana is true, only the gifted have access to this site" He didn’t sound jealous, just quiet and remote

I’ve heard that tone nified indifference Noondered if he withdrehen he anticipated being hurt, distance to avoid vulnerability Maybe I didn’t know hiht God, I refused to face the idea that I ht’ve run from him because I was afraid

We don’t have ti down

"Yeah"

I ripped the page off the yellow legal pad and went back to the kitchen By this time, Chuch and Jesse had finished their dessert and looked like they were just waiting on the fun to begin Taking stock, I decided the kitchen table would do, even though it had a glass top, not wood, but evidently the round shape was good We needed six candles and--

"So," I said aloud, "I have good news and bad news Which do you want first?"

"Bad," Eva said proood should s to Madame Claudine, we need one more person to do this or two of us should leave The number of people involved in a séance should always be divisible by three"

"What? Why?" Chuch protested "That’s crazy There were about fifty people running around when my tia Rosario--"

"You sure it wasn’t fifty-one?" I raised a brow

"No, he’s not" Eva frowned at her husband "Three is a sacred nuhest connection to the Creator, the Holy Trinity, all that You ever look at a Star of David? It’s all triangles"

The way Jesse smiled at me as he stood, I knew he meant to start trouble "I’ll take Corine to thethe Dead

"No," Eva said at once "I’et somebody over here We need another woood news?"

"Well, othere seelass top--"but we need so to the recently deceased Apparently minestrone is best Do you have any?"

In her th about the best soups If there was no minestrone, then chicken noodle would do Under no circumstances should we ever offer a spirit cream of mushroom I didn’t take time to ask why She also included a list of breads, which must be fresh Apparently spirits don’t take kindly to sourdough either

"Hed, and then produced a can of Progresso with a triu homemade for a dead lady No offense, Officer Saldana I’m sure she was a lovely person"

"None taken" Jesse eyedwhether ere all crazy We ht be Maybe the o off with a guy I suspected ht have whacked his ex

"We’ll also need candles" Chance glanced up fro the notes from Madame Claudine’s list "Six--one for each of us, since we’re using the Power of Three"

"We have so ones froh, so they’re kind of stinky"

I sighed "Go get thears can’t be choosers"

"They can," Chuch said, heading for the garage "They’ll just be hungry beggars"

"Hey!" Eva hurried after him, soup still in hand "What about your cousin Dolores? She used to be into crystals, right?"

"Forget the séance part Tell her you have ice cream--she’ll come"

As she went to look for the woman’s phone nuave Saldana a look

"What?" Jesse spread his hands, palood ti it?" Whatever it was Damn, it was hard to keep my emotions on an even keel He’d pick it up if I didn’t

"Sure did" He patted his jeans pocket "It should do the trick"

"It’s not medicine, I hope I’h"

At that he choked "Oh, it doesn’t get much more personal"

After Eva made her call, we set up First a warm bowl of soup centered on the table, and then the candles ringed around it We argued about whether we should light ht and warmth, but I couldn’t stand the smell In fact I had to crack ajust to tolerate the six we had We scrounged two folding chairs froe, and it looked like ere ready

Dolores arrived within fifteen

"Buenas noches!" I expected a big woman, based on Chuch’s joke, but she looked like she had a tapewor nose She wore ten pounds in bangles and scarves, another ten in jewelry I’d never seen a wos before and tried not to stare

She ht she spent entirely too long hugging Chance, who gave me a half smile over her thin shoulders Then she smushed Chuch’s face between her palordito