Tangible Spirits

“This wasn’t from my cleaning staff!” Lucy huffed. “None of my girls would’ve left that there.” She jabbed a fleshy finger toward the offensive sucker.

“You really can’t be sure of that,” Gera protested. “But forget it; it’s not a big deal. I—”

“I most certainly can be sure of it!” Lucy insisted. She propped her hands upon her ample hips. “See those teeth marks? Sonia is in the process of getting dentures. There’s not a single tooth in that woman’s mouth! And what color is that sucker?”

“Red,” Terri supplied.

“Shawna is allergic to red dye. That little white girl’s skin is so fair, she breaks out if she even gets close to anything with red food coloring.” Lucy shoved a finger in her mouth to expose her gums, trying to talk with her lip hiked at an angle. “Gets these tiny wittwe bwistas, aw awound her gums.” Dropping her hand, she finished her argument. “And Justine is down in Tucson, taking care of her sick momma. So, it couldn’t have been any of my girls.” She gave a smart nod of her head and concluded, “Had to have been the children.”

Of course, she blamed the children. She thought she conversed with Minerva Cody. Gera knew she was fighting a losing battle. She muttered beneath her breath, “I’m stuck in the Twilight Zone.”