Page 23 (1/2)

Angela frowned "You think that Senator Holloas having an affair?" she asked incredulously

Maed then "His wife is a lost soul, and he’s a man in power Perhaps not an affair Perhaps he just saw another wo But I liked the senator less that day He hung up, and ca, but I think that he just wanted her out of the place He wouldn’t want people saying that his as trying to coh a voodoo priestess He calanced at o, please’ You could see that he was conteela tried to reconcile everything she had heard about the senator with this new infors His wife had been beyond consolation, and he had been trying to hold to himself, to his career and a semblance of life

He was human No man was perfect; no politician could keep every promise, be it to his family or to his constituency

She started to rise

Mama Matisse stopped her "May I have your hand, child?" she asked

Angela settled in the chair again and reached across the table She held Angela’s hand for a long e, Angela’s like snow against it Mama Matisse closed her eyes for a ," she said, "and you are sic losses in your life, and they have left you open to s, if you don’t learn to buffer your heart You have great poithin you because you have a great heart, and you see the suffering of others Spirits guide us…they es You es, but you hosts, ghosts of ties in tiic and even joyous And spirits remain in the in-betorld because they cannot or will not leave, because of what they know, or what they, in their wisdoela And Angela felt that the wo in her soul Mas, or dreamed them, but even in dreams, saw theela felt a chill And then, it seemed that warmth and power caan to travel all the way through her "You , and you must also trust in others," Mama Matisse told her, "because no edies of the past without the strength and vitality of life around theela’s hand She had finished; she had said all that she had to say She arose, arrow straight and thin and with incredible dignity "Now, if you ever needany of your friends Don’t worry if you believe in voodoo or do not believe in voodoo It is a religion, as many others We all see our paths in different ways A spirit ela and Whitney stood with her

"Thank you, Maravely "I will colad, and I believe you will Now, Whitney, child, give your Gran-Ma, and be on your way"

A few minutes later, they were out of the shop and on the street "Well?" Whitney asked Angela "Do you think that ina found out about it, and that was the last straw, and so she killed herself?"

"Whitney, we looked at the balcony, and we studied pictures of Regina’s body in situ, and it would have been impossible for her to propel herself so far--backwards! No She didn’t coela said

"But Jackson isn’t pulling the police in to point that out yet," Whitney said

Angela shrugged

Whitney studied her for ain that roo that will help us--not yet," Angela told her

"But you’ve seen soo and get in somewhere off the street My friend owns a place just down a few blocks Nice quiet courtyard at this time of day, and best pecan coffee you’ve ever tasted"

Whitney did know the little nooks of the city, certainly better than Angela did In areally delicious coffee and dining on her friend’s shriela had ever tasted

"Gran-Mama was really impressed with you," Whitney told her "And the way she held your hand…Gran-Mama can read people She knows that you have what is called ‘the sight’"

"Well, not really," Angela began to protest

But Whitney laughed "Why would you deny so like that? Mine is so lis you can find with fils Tothat your sixth sense is way superior to ing and set to be very good at it"

"But don’t you think it’s obvious? Adaether so that ould support one another Adahost His son, Josh He couldn’t see his son for years, and then, finally, he did And it’s the greatest corinned "Yes, which of course, is strange to people who don’t knohat he does--Adaift Josh did Josh was killed in an accident, but he handed on so very special to the friend ith him She was the first person Adao now Anyway, at first, Adaations He kept a very low profile But people in power began to know about him, and he knew about people here and there and he called on theether an actual teao about on soations"

Whitney spoke in a straightforward manner--as if Ada piecemeal jobs, and then had decided to open his own coreat deal about her, she was still certain that they looked at her as an anoh the academy, she was teased, some of the recruits tried to pick on her, but some friends also let the too-obnoxious know that she had suffered a loss, and she was tough and they ht with her