“I opened the box.” Lizzie turned her eyes back to the ceiling.
Esther’s pulse picked up. She should reprimand her sister, but curiosity took over. “What was in it?”
Lizzie’s eyes jumped back to Esther. “Aren’t you going to yell at me?”
“I probably should.” She waited.
“I unwrapped it, looked inside, then wrapped it in packing tape again.”
Esther clutched the sheet with both fists as she sat perfectly still. “I didn’t even notice the tape wasn’t aged anymore likeI did when Naomi first gave it to us.” She paused. “Shame on you for doing that. Now, what was in it? I asked Gus if it containedimportant papers, and he said no.”
Lizzie closed her eyes and shook her head. “Nee, it wasn’t papers.”
“Don’t make me keep guessing.” Esther relaxed her grip on the sheet. “Just tell me.”
Lizzie didn’t sit up, but she turned to Esther. “An urn.”
“A what?” Esther tried to read Lizzie’s expression. Her sister looked tormented. “You mean, like an urn that—”
“Ya, with a person’s ashes in it.” Her eyes widened. “Why would Gus have someone’s ashes? And didn’t he miss them the past decadeor so?”
No one in Esther’s community believed in cremation. She wasn’t sure if that was true for Amish all over the country, but itdidn’t really matter. Gus wasn’t Amish. “That explains the grave expression on his face when I handed him the box—like heknew what was inside.”
“I think maybe I’ve been cursed for opening it.” Lizzie refocused on the dancing shadows as her bottom lip trembled.
“Ach, you’re not cursed.” Their people were superstitious, but this situation didn’t seem to warrant that type of concern.
“Ya, I am.” Lizzie spoke with strong authority. “Gus hates me, and I opened his box with a dead person in it. Those two things are a potent combination.” She held up a finger, moving it around until it was in the light so Esther could see. “I haven’t broken a fingernail in years. This one is ripped back below the quick.”
Esther huffed. “Lizzie, that’s probably from peeling the tape off that box.”
Her sister held up her other hand. “Nee, I used a knife. And I haven’t cut myself in years either. Look!”
Esther pulled Lizzie’s hand closer to inspect the cut on her thumb. “It’s not even a bad cut, and those two things certainlydon’t mean you’re cursed, just careless.”
Lizzie rolled onto her side, faced away from Esther, and lowered the flame of her lantern. “Nee. I’m cursed. I always knew Gus would kill me somehow. Now, he’s inadvertently done so.”
Esther extinguished the flame on her lantern, then lay down. “You are not cursed, and Gus would never kill you. The man isa lot of things, but he’s not a murderer. And just looking at an urn filled with ashes is harmless. Your only regret shouldbe opening a box meant for someone else.” Esther wasn’t so glad now that they knew what it was. “I wonder who it is.”
“I’ll never know. I’ll probably be dead by morning, cursed by the ashes of someone related or attached to Gus somehow.”
“You will feel differently in the morning when you wake up.” Esther finally got settled into bed, but she was wide awake.For over ten years, there had been a box with someone’s ashes in the small house their mother had lived in for a while. Why?Who?
* * *
Jayce had a bounce in his step as he passed the motor homes and limos. Jayce had loaded the equipment, but no one had emergedfrom the house. Gus was in his truck already, so Jayce got in.
“Kid, I ain’t in a good mood, so don’t give me any lip on the way to the caverns.” Gus had his hands gripped firmly aroundthe steering wheel as he glared at Jayce.
“Wow. What’s up with you so early in the morning?” Jayce wasn’t thrilled to be getting back on the boat today, but at leasthe knew he could do it. It wouldn’t be the same without Evelyn by his side, but Veronica would be there, and other membersof the crew. And his father would see that he’d pushed through this fear. He still wasn’t sure about elevators, but he figuredtaking baby steps was best. His stomach churned just the same, but he’d suffer through it.
Gus grumbled. He was looking a little scraggly this morning, more so than normal. He hadn’t shaved, his red-checkered shirtwasn’t tucked in, and he had dark circles under his eyes, almost as if he’d been crying, which seemed unlikely. How many red-checkeredshirts did the man own, or did he just wear the same one over and over again?
“That cat of mine is a floozy.” His face turned red.
Jayce grinned. “That black cat I’ve seen coming and going out of your place?”
“It’s supposed to be Naomi’s cat, but the critter took up residence at my place.” He looked at Jayce, his face glowing aneven darker shade of red. “And now she’s gone and gotten herself knocked up. What am I going to do with a litter of kittens?”
Jayce looked out the window when everyone started to come out of the inn and the motor homes. Then he turned his attention back to Gus. “Just give them away.”
“And rip a mother’s children away from her? That’s a bit coldhearted, wouldn’t you say?”
It would have been the last thing Jayce expected Gus to say. “Then keep them. Cats only have like four or five kittens, don’tthey?”
“How would I know? And that’s four or five too many.”
Jayce pulled his phone from his pocket and Googled it. “The average is four, but they can have as many as twelve.”
“Wonderful.” Gus lifted his hands from the steering wheel, returning them with a thud. “I’m sure that cat will reward me witha dozen.” Amusement flickered in his eyes. “If there’s a silver lining, I could take a few of ’em and throw them in Lizzie’sbedroom. She’s terrified of cats.” He belly laughed, and his jowls got to bouncing.
Jayce decided to change the subject. “I’m planning to go in
