'Don't know. I just know what I've seen,' he said confidently and continued to the bedroom.
When we entered with the brighter light from the kerosene lamp, the room looked larger. When Jack started to put the lantern down on the vanity table, I spotted something on the bed.
'Wait!' I cried. 'Bring the lantern closer to the bed.'
He followed me. We both stared down between the two pillows.
'What the heck is that?' Jack asked. 'I didn't see it before, did you?'
'No.' I reached for it slowly. 'It's a mojo,' I said.
'A what?'
'The leg bone of a black cat that's been killed exactly at midnight. Powerful gris-gris,' I told him. 'My mother was definitely here! Either we didn't see this when we were here before or she came back after we left to go to the trailer.'
When I turned around, Jack was standing there with his mouth open. 'Leg of a black cat?'
'My mother's old cook gave her this mojo. She was the woman who died and came back with the warning my mother never got because she was at a party celebrating her new art exhibit. That's one of the reasons she blames herself for what happened to Jean,' I explained.
Jack gazed at me as if I were crazy. 'This woman died and came back?'
'I don't really believe any of this,' I said. 'I told you my mother's having some sort of emotional breakdown.'
He nodded and then looked around the room. 'Sure you want to stay here?' he asked again, a little tremor in his voice now.
'Positive. My mother might return.'
'But what if she's off doing something weird someplace else?' he asked.
'The only way to be sure is to stay here and wait,' I said, more determined than ever. He sensed the resolution in my voice and stopped trying to talk me out of staying.
'Okay. You want to sleep on that mattress? It's a little dusty, but if I put this blanket over it and this one over the pillow . . .'
'That'll be fine,' I said. 'Thank you.'
'I'll fix myself a spot over there,' he said, nodding toward the settee.
He prepared my bed and then went to prepare his own, placing the kerosene lamp between us.
'You all right?' he asked, after sprawling out.
'Yes,' I said. 'It's really nice of you to help me like this.'
'No problem.'
'How old are your two sisters?' I asked. Now that I was lying down in Mommy's old bedroom in the empty mansion and the darkness had closed in around us, I felt the need to keep talking. Besides, I was interested in Jack's life.
'Daisy's twenty-two and Suzanne is twenty-nine. She's married with two kids, a boy, three, and a girl, four. Her husband runs a canning plant.'
'What's Daisy doing?'
'She just finished college in Baton Rouge and got engaged. She's getting married in two months to a fellow over in Prairie. His family has a furniture business. They met at college.'
'Did you go to college?' I asked.
'Me? No,' he said. 'I barely finished high school before I went to work with my father on the rigs.'
'You said you were working when you were twelve.'
'I was, but I couldn't collect a salary yet. How did you remember I said that?'
'I just did,' I said quickly, happy he couldn't see me blush.
'No, I got my schooling on the job,' he said. 'I read a lot, though. We have lots of time to ourselves.' 'What do you like to read?'
'Mostly about nature. The other guys call me Einstein because I always have my nose in a fat book. I think it's great that you want to become a doctor. 'Course, I've never been to a real doctor, just a
'My great-grandmother was a
'I know. She's kind of a legend around here. You got magic in your hands, too? Oh, I forgot, you don't believe in anything that isn't logical.' He laughed.
'Sometimes people get better because they believe so strongly in someone. That's logical,' I said.
He was quiet a moment. 'I guess it is. You're pretty smart, huh?'
'I get good grades.'
'How good?'
'Good enough to be valedictorian of my class,' I said.
