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He gave Addie a push in the center of her chest, and she fell backward into an open grave, sinking down for what felt like forever, and far above, the King of Crows stood at the edge, laughing as he watched her fall.
HISTORY LESSON
At six o’clock, Madame Seraphina, Harlem’s number one banker and vodou priestess, opened the door to her basement shop and ushered Evie, Jericho, Henry, and Theta inside. Up and down the block, her loyal runners kept watch from stoops and street corners, ready to alert her with a whistle if it came to that.
“With Papa Charles gone, Dutch Schultz is trying to squeeze in on the Harlem numbers game. His
boys roughed up a Diviner, an Obeah man, over on Lenox Avenue a few days ago. I don’t go anywhere without protection now,” Seraphina said in explanation. “Not after what happened to Papa.”
She disappeared into a room hidden behind velvet drapes and reemerged a moment later with Memphis, Isaiah, and Bill in tow.
“Memphis!” Theta ran to Memphis’s arms and they held each other tightly. Theta kissed him—mouth, cheeks, nose, mouth again. She didn’t care who saw or if they were embarrassed by so much open affection. “Where were you? I was so worried.”
“The Shadow Men came after us. We escaped through the tunnel that leads from the museum.”
“We got stuck in the sewers! There was a ghost after us!” Isaiah exclaimed.
“A ghost?” Evie said.
“Sewers?” Theta said with a grimace.
“Good thing your auntie dropped off those fresh clothes for you,” Seraphina said. She laughed. “Wouldn’t bring ’em here, though. She made my runner go to Mother Zion to get ’em. That woman is pious. I will give her that.”
Sister Walker emerged from behind a curtained doorway. She appraised Bill coolly. “You promised me you’d look after Memphis and Isaiah, get them out of town.”
Bill puffed out his chest. “Wadn’t my idea to come back.”
“Will Fitzgerald paid with his life so you all could escape,” Sister Walker said.
“That’s why we came back. I had to know that everybody was okay,” Memphis said, holding Theta close.
A whistle came from outside—the prearranged signal from Seraphina’s runners. Everyone tensed as someone banged at the door.
“Shadow Men!” Isaiah said.
“Or Bible salesmen,” Henry whispered.
“Whatever you do, don’t let the Bible salesmen in,” Evie whispered back. “They’re harder to get rid of than murderers.”
Theta smacked Evie’s arm. “Stop joking around. This is serious.”
Madame Seraphina peeked out through the drawn drapes, then opened the door. Ling Chan stepped inside and took in the sight of everyone huddled together. “What?”
Theta let out her breath in a whoosh. “We thought you might be the Shadow Men.”
“I don’t think those fellas knock,” Jericho said.
“Come. Have a seat,” Madame Seraphina said, and Ling eased herself into a chair and rested her crutches against one of its velvet arms.
Henry was grinning at her. Ling exhaled in irritation. “What?”
“You’re ten minutes late,” Henry said, gleeful. “I didn’t know you could be late.”
“I had to ask my cousin Seamus for a ride. Do you know what he does?” Ling didn’t wait for an answer. “He eats corned beef for lunch, and then he breaks wind in the car with the windows rolled up. It’s a very long ride from Chinatown to Harlem.”
“I hope this won’t take too long,” Henry said apologetically. “I took a new job at the Ambassador Hotel.”
“Bellhop?” Bill asked.
