A reviving gust of cooler air hit my face. "What about this curse?"

Mabel was thoughtful. "I know it sounds silly, but I've always believed it. Grandma told stories, lots of them, about what happened whenever someone tried to take Hecate's Eye away from its… well, Grandma called herself and the other women before her its guardians."

"It kills people?"

"Men. It kills men. The Eye has always brought bad luck to them and good luck to women, but I don't want to trust that too much."

"How so?"

"If Agnes sells it, I think something terrible will happen to her. I don't like her, but she's family. I have a duty to try to protect her from herself."

The storm hit just as we made the turn to Bawks House, and even I couldn't see much of the joint through the heavy gray sheets of rain. It was big, and a single vivid lightning flash made it look haunted.

Mabel directed Escort to a branching in the drive that went around to the rear. He cut the headlamps, and we had to trust to luck that more lightning wouldn't suddenly reveal us to anyone watching from the house.

She pointed toward a porte cochère serving the back door.

Escott glided under its shelter, parking next to a snappy-looking Buick coupe, which was parked pointing outward. The rain drumming on our roof ceased. We'd put the windows up to keep out the water and rolled them down again to let in the air.

"Feels like winter," said Mabel in a more normal tone, sounding pleased.

"Whose vehicle?" Escott asked.

"Clive's. He never uses the garage. Likes to leave quick when he has someplace to go."

"Aren't we a bit obvious here?"

"They'll stay in the parlor so they can watch for their big buyer."

"I'm curious about this providentially wealthy collector of rare gems—how would Clive Latshaw find such a person?"

"He must have asked around. Maybe he went to a jewelry store."

"What about his background?"

She shrugged. "He said he was from New England—but his accent says Detroit. We must get moving. For all I know, Agnes might have brought the Eye down early, and all this effort will be wasted."

I cleared my throat. "Say she did. We can still get it."

Mabel gave me a sideways look. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing violent, but I can have a talk with them, make them see reason."

"If it's nothing violent, why mention it?"

"My associate has a very persuasive and calming manner even with the most obstreperous of types," Escott explained.

"You always talk like that?"

"Like what?"

She waved a hand. "All right, but let's try my way first. I'll get the door open and you two follow. And be quiet."

On the drive over, she'd given us her plan of attack, which was to sneak upstairs, have Escott pick the bedroom lock, and I'd keep lookout.

Of course, I had my own way into the room that involved vanishing and sieving under the door, but Mabel Weaver didn't need to witness it. This was her party; let her have her fun.

She left the car, carefully not slamming the door. Escott and I did the same, following her through the back entry into a sizable mudroom. I had no need of an invitation to cross the threshold. Bram Stoker, go jump in a lake.

Mabel took her shoes off and gestured for us to do likewise.

Escott leaned close to whisper. "We're shod in gum-soled shoes, Miss Weaver."

"Really? I thought that was just in the movi—" She clapped a hand over her mouth, apparently remembering her own order about silence.

The mudroom opened to a dim kitchen, also large. There were dinner leavings forgotten on the table in the dining room on our left. The parlor was the next room over, visible through an open door; a comedy show played on the radio.

In silence, Mabel led us to a plain hall with stairs going up. The house had been built for a large family with a lot of servants, all long gone and moved on. It seemed a shame to have it wasted on two thieves, but I was just the hired help and not entitled to an opinion about the wisdom of Grandma Bawks's bequest.

There were walls between us and the parlor, but I heard Rochester making a comment to Jack Benny and getting a huge laugh despite static from the storm affecting reception. The noise would mask our own movements, and just as well—the old wooden stairs squeaked.

We took them slow. Mabel would stop and listen, anxious, then move up a few more steps. She finally made the landing, and then padded down the hall on tiptoe. Escott kept up with her, not quite so silent as I, but damned close. He had the small flashlight in one hand, but enough ambient glow from an uncurtained window allowed them to navigate. The lightning flashes were getting more frequent, the thunder insistently louder. Mother Nature wanted to let everyone know who was in charge tonight.

Mabel stopped before a door and pointed. Escott gave her the flashlight and dropped to one knee, reaching for his inside coat pocket. He drew out his lockpick case, opened it, and went to work.

I eased toward a second staircase that curved down to the entry foyer. White marble, lofty columns, paneled walls—nice place, but I couldn't see myself ever living in anything this fancy. Maybe Grandma Bawks hadn't done Agnes any favors. The property taxes would be steep, and with a husband who was allergic to work… I suddenly wanted a look at those two.

It was easy to build a mental picture of them from Mabel's talk, but I knew better than to trust such things. The parlor was temptingly close, just off the entry to judge by the radio volume.

Escott performed his magic, listening and feeling his way as he attacked the lock. With the thunder and rain, it was taking longer than usual. Mabel held the flashlight, her fingers covering most of the beam, letting just enough escape so Escott could work. Neither noticed when I vanished.

Escott would know I'd be reconnoitering and not worry, but he'd have a tough time convincing Mabel to do the same. What the hell, he could use the practice.

Formless, I drifted downstairs, hugging the wall for orientation. When I ran out of wall, I bumbled toward the radio noise. When invisible, I can't see and my hearing's muffled, but I've no shins to crack. I flowed gently along, working around, and sometimes under, furniture until I was in the parlor next to the radio.

It crossed my mind that this would be a perfect night to suddenly go solid and yell boo, but I restrained myself.

A quick circuit gave me a sense of where various obstacles like chairs were located, as well as where Agnes and Clive had roosted. She sat close to the radio; he stood by a wall.

Pushing away, I found what I hoped was the opposite wall and forced myself to go high until I hovered against the ceiling.

I hate heights, but most people don't look up. If luck was with me, Clive and Agnes would be doing what I did myself: watching the radio. The thing isn't a movie screen, but you get into the habit of staring at the glowing dial as though it's a face.

Slowly I took on solidity and got some of my sight back, though the view was faded and foggy. The more solid, the better my vision, but the more weight. If I didn't hold to a semi-transparent state, I'd drop like a brick.

Agnes flipped through a picture magazine, her head down. She had dark hair and looked more lightly built than Mabel.

Clive was at a window, holding the curtain to one side. Maybe he liked storms, but my money was on the gem collector's arrival being the object of his interest. He was a square-looking specimen, clear featured, nothing unpleasant about him.

They were not the shifty-eyed, snarling crooks with pinched and ugly mugs my mental picture had conjured. They were as ordinary as could be, enough so I doubted Mabel's assessment.

An important message interrupted Jack Benny's show. Before the announcer could make his point over the increasing static, Agnes shut the sound down.