Uncle Victor and I caught up to Jasmine at the front door. She read the welcome mat and obediently wiped her bright yellow rain boots against the coarse material.
“Anything happens, you call me right away,” Uncle Vic said as he rang the doorbell.
I bit my tongue against my sarcastic retort. He knew that we knew. He was just nervous.
“Nothing’s going to happen.” Jasmine rocked forward onto the balls of her feet, fisted hands bouncing against her thighs in anticipation. “I have a good feeling about today.”
Uncle Victor’s apprehensive look vanished when Dinah opened the door. Pulling his shoulders back, my uncle managed a halfway-genuine smile. “Good afternoon, Ms. Hagan.”
“Detective Campbell,” she said in her usual stiff manner.
“May I introduce my niece, Jasmine?” He gestured to my sister.
“Nice to meet you, ma’am. Thank you so much for letting me visit your lovely home.”
I grabbed a handful of the back of her jacket when I thought she might curtsy.
Dinah smiled. It was small and a little strained, but it was definitely a smile. I knew it was rude but I couldn’t help staring. People said smiling took away years from someone’s face. I never gave it much thought until now.
“It’s nice to meet you, Jasmine. Won’t you come in?” The older woman stepped back to allow us access.
Esmer was limping down the last few stairs and looked up as we entered the house. She wore a very short, dark green sweater dress. I stared at her milky-white legs. My heart might’ve seized up a bit. I forced myself to look up at her face. She was wearing the earring I made for her. It looked good.
She looked good. Really good.
Jasmine aimed a sly smile my way. I rubbed the back of my neck, pretending to be more interested in the rest of the room.
“Esmeralda,” Dinah snapped. Then, with a quick glance at us, she softened her tone. “How many times have I told you to take the chair lift? Your knee won’t heal if you continue to push yourself.”
“It’s a’ight. I’ve got a system.” With tremendous care, Esmer lowered herself down onto the hardwood. Then she grinned. “See?”
“Nevertheless, I’d feel better if you used the chair lift from now on,” Dinah said, waving her over. “Come introduce yourself.”
Jasmine met her halfway, throwing her arms around Esmer’s shoulders as if they’d known each other all their lives. “No need for introductions. You’re all Charlie talks about. We’re practically friends already.”
I tugged at my collar, uncomfortably warm and pissed at my sister. I expected a raised eyebrow or a smirk from Esmer and was pleasantly surprised when I received neither.
“That’s funny. I was about to say the same about you,” she said with a laugh. “Sorry I can’t hug you back.”
“Oh, that’s okay.” Jasmine stepped back, beaming. “Glad to see you’re on the mend. Won’t you show me around?”
“Sure.” Esmer and Jasmine loped away. My sister tugged off her raincoat and draped it over her arm, already asking questions.
I glanced from Esmer to Dinah. What was with them? Why were they being so nice? It was weird.
I didn’t have too much time to dwell on how surreal this felt. As soon as Esmer turned her back to me, I was greeted with more pale skin. The back of her dress swooped down in a loose V. Her shoulder blades shifted as she limped along on her crutches, making a fiery red tattoo slide in and out of view. From the way it curved out from her spine, I assumed it was a bird’s wing. But curiosity made something inside my gut tighten. The urge to tug the material aside and see the rest of her tattoo had me shoving my hands in my pockets.
“Any word on the sentencing for those hooligans who attacked my niece?” Dinah asked.
Uncle Victor nodded. “Esmer should be summoned very soon to wrap up the trial. A buddy of mine who works for the court believes everyone will rule in her favor and sentence the assailants to prison time.”
“Good,” the old woman said with a huff.
I barely registered the conversation. I was trying very hard not to salivate.
Esmer glanced over her shoulder at me. “Coming, Charlie boy?” The question was light enough but there was nothing innocent about the look she was giving me.
I swallowed hard. Jesus. She was doing this on purpose, wasn’t she?
“See you later,” I murmured to my uncle.
“I’ll be back by dinner time,” Uncle Vic told Dinah as I walked away. “Thanks again for letting her visit.”
My joints were stiff, like I’d been cramped into an awkward position for too long. I forced one foot in front of the other, keeping a neutral expression despite my pinging thoughts. Maybe she wasn’t messing with me. Maybe it was just my effing lack of experience. Maybe I was getting worked up over nothing. Esmer was my friend. My only friend. I wasn’t going to ruin that by reading into everything she did.
Resolve renewed, I focused on my sister. Jasmine walked around the long dining table, smiled up at the wallpaper, ran a finger over the place settings, leaned in close to see the china pieces in the ancient wooden hutch. We might as well have been in a museum by the way she peppered Esmer with questions. She listened to each answer with rapt attention, even when Esmer didn’t have a real answer. I was tempted to be embarrassed by her enthusiasm but I knew how much this meant to her.
I think Esmer understood because she humored Jasmine all throughout the tour. She didn’t bat an eyelash when Jasmine walked into the giant wardrobe in one of the guest rooms and shut the door; or rambled on about spirits while tiptoeing through the attic; or started singing Be Our Guest while we walked through the library; or marveled at Esmer’s vast collection of makeup products like they were priceless treasure pieces.
“Can you teach me how to use this stuff?” Jasmine asked, unscrewing the cap of a tube
