"Call me Bijou, dear," the woman said. As with many older ladies, her makeup was exaggerated-too much rouge and too much eye shadow. All the foundation in the world wasn't gonna cover those pouchy bags beneath the red-rimmed eyes. "Bijou Boudreaux. 'Grandma' sounds so declasse, and I refuse to go by one of those silly, made-up names like 'Mimi' or 'Gigi.'"

I stared at her, speechless. The old lady had a lot of nerve if she thought I was going to start calling her anything.

"Peaches told me she lived alone." Kelly's voice was shaky, but I was glad she spoke up. "She said she had no family."

Bijou smiled. A sad smile, with a hint of irony. Lipstick was smeared over the edge of her lip, like her hand had been shaky when she put it on.

"She was angry at me. We didn't part on good terms." Bijou shook her head, the jet brooch on her hat glinting as it caught the light. "I'll never forgive myself for that." She swallowed hard, double chin wobbling. "A deputy from the sheriffs department called me from her cell phone two days ago. When I called the coroner's office, they told me-" Her voice faltered, then steadied. "-they told me that her remains had been released to Forest Lawn Mortuary. When I called here to make arrangements, I was told they'd already been made."

And you thought her funeral would be a good time to introduce yourself? I kept my snarky thoughts to myself, but I couldn't help it if they popped into my head. Whoever Bijou Boudreaux was, she was obviously grieving. Tears had left clean tracks through the makeup on her cheeks.

"I don't understand," Kelly said, shaking her head. "Why would Peaches lie about something like that?" Her fingers stroked the petals of the white rose in her lap.

Very gently, Bijou said, "I told you, dear. She was angry. But we loved each other, my Peaches and I, and I would've met you soon enough, I've no doubt."

Nobody moved. Kelly and I were silent as we stared at the old woman in black at the foot of the grave.

"I can't believe my poor, sweet Peaches is gone." Bijou's wrinkled face crumpled. She brought the black hankie up to cover her mouth, gazing tearfully at the green draping, the open hole in the middle. After a moment she recovered enough to say, "And now it's up to me to protect you girls. That's what Peaches would've wanted."

The ensuing silence was awkward.

I, for one, didn't need protecting, and Kelly was awfully quiet.

"There's nothing for it," Bijou said. She squared her round shoulders and nodded her head, black-veiled hat like a helmet atop her carefully styled gray hair. "You'll have to come back to Savannah with me." Her gloved hands worked the hankie, clutching and unclutching. "You'll have to come back to the Blue Dahlia."

This was too much. "I really don't mean to be rude, but we don't even know you." I glanced toward Kelly in her wheelchair, but could only see the top of her head. "I have a business to run. I can't just run off to Savannah." What the heck was the Blue Dahlia ?

Besides, this woman was a stranger, and I'd learned to be wary of strangers who showed up and made demands. I didn't like being told what to do, and I didn't like being rushed. If Bijou Boudreaux truly was our grandmother, there would be time in the future to get to know each other.

Bijou's bleary-eyed gaze took me in from the tips of my black leather boots to the top of my pink-streaked head. She lingered on my face, looking for something that might remind her of Peaches, I suppose.

"You have your own business?" she asked, dabbing delicately at her rather large nose.

"I do." Evan shifted a little, and I took the hint, raising a hand in his direction. "My friend Evan and I are partners."

Bijou's gaze flicked over Evan, then Butch and Joe, all of whom stood by in silence.

"This is Evan's friend, Butch, and my boyfriend, Joe."

"Very nice to meet you all," Bijou said. "I'm sorry it wasn't under better circumstances." Then she turned her eyes back to me, effectively dismissing them. "As a businesswoman, you can surely understand why I can't leave the Blue Dahlia unattended. You'll have to come to Savannah in order for me to teach you."

"Teach us what?" Kelly's voice held a note of skepticism, and I was glad she'd finally spoken up.

"Teach you how to handle the knack, dear."

My radar went up. I hadn't forgotten about the "knack."

Bijou cocked her head, jet brooch glinting. The gesture put me in mind of a plump black crow. "The gift of sight can be a dangerous gift, unless you know how to use it. My darling Peaches was extremely talented, but she lacked focus." Bijou looked sadly at the green draping. "And look what happened."

Kelly, however, had no clue what Bijou was talking about. "The knack? And what do you mean, 'look what happened' ? It was a car accident."

Bijou looked at her sadly. "Oh, it was no accident, dear."

Joe murmured in my ear, "What is going on?"

I had an idea, but I didn't like it. Abruptly, I asked, "What type of business do you run?"

"My shop is called the Blue Dahlia." The old woman snapped open her purse, reached in and handed me a business card with one black-gloved hand. She handed a second card to Kelly.

Sure enough, the card read, in flowing script: The Blue Dahlia, Savannah's Finest Blossoms, "A flower shop," I said stupidly. I'd expected something a lot more "cosmic," like "Psychic Readings By Appointment" or some such crap.

Bijou shifted the handbag into the crook of her elbow and said patiently, "So it is, dear. It's also my home. A lovely old place on the outskirts of Savannah's historic district. It was Peaches's home, too."

Joe chose that moment to slip his arm around my waist. I leaned into him gratefully. Could things get any weirder?

"You girls are in danger," Bijou said.

I felt Joe stiffen. Apparently, things could.

"That's why your mother tracked you down. She wanted to train you herself, but now she's gone, and the job falls to me."

"Nicki, could you take me home?" Kelly's voice was a little faint, but her request was a welcome relief. "I... I'm not feeling very well."

Bijou pinned me with a red-rimmed gaze, as if I were the one who'd said something. "Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about, child."

I hate it when people call me "child."

"I can sense things," Bijou continued. "And I can sense quite well that you know I'm telling the truth. Storm clouds are gathering. You're going to need my help to keep the darkness at bay."

Goose bumps rose on my arms. You have both darkness and light surrounding you, child, Father O'Reilly, the priest at Keith Morgan's funeral, had said. You must be strong enough not to let the darkness win.

Despite the goose bumps, and despite the offer of help, I was cautious. There was more to this old woman than met the eye, and I wasn't too eager to attach myself to someone who claimed to "sense things." As far as I was concerned, seeing was believing, and I'd already seen too much of the "otherworldly" stuff.

"My sister isn't feeling well," I said flatly. "I need to take her home."

"We'll call you." Kelly spoke up, though this time I wished she hadn't. "This is all just a bit overwhelming. Nicki and I need time to think things over."

I didn't need any time. I was staying in Atlanta, thank you, but I kept my mouth shut, hoping to speed our departure.

"I see." Bijou looked pained. "You girls have got your mama's stubbornness, as well as her looks. I hope those qualities serve you better than they did my Peaches." She drew herself up, clutching her black purse. Her voice trembled, and she pressed the black hankie to her lips, looking once again toward the grave. "Would you... would you mind if I stayed here a little while? It's a long drive back to Savannah, and I'd like to say my farewells first."

"Of course. Take all the time you need," Kelly said. "I'm glad you were able to come. I'm sure it would've meant a lot to Peaches to know you were here."

Bijou gave us a wan smile. "You're very kind. I'd like to think she's looking down on us right now, wouldn't you?"

Not really. I'd had my fill of spirits looking over my shoulder. Joe gave my waist a squeeze, and I touched his fingers, sensing he'd read my mind.

Bijou looked at Kelly, then me. "Your mama would've been proud of you girls," she said quietly. "I wish you'd had the chance to get to know her. She was very special."

Kelly broke down at that, giving way to tears.

In a few moments we'd said our good-byes to Peaches's only visitor and were heading toward our cars, Butch pushing Kelly's wheelchair between the headstones while Joe, Evan, and I followed. My two men flanked me, each of them taking one of my hands.

"Well, that was certainly interesting," Evan murmured. He tucked my fingers into the crook of his elbow and patted them absently as we walked.

Joe shot me a frowning glance. "No offense, but that lady seemed a little weird."

We'd almost reached the parking lot. Butch was already wheeling Kelly onto the blacktop.

"Why would I take offense? I don't even know her." And I wasn't sure I wanted to know her either. All this talk about "training" and the "knack" screamed bad news, with a capital B. I had enough problems without going to Savannah and looking for more.

I caught the glance Evan and Joe exchanged.

"She's your grandmother, Nicki," Evan said.

"Maybe. So she says. Whatever." I looked at Joe for reassurance, but he just shrugged.

Evan took a quick glance over his shoulder. "Trust you not to have a normal grandmother. A sweet little old lady who likes to bake would've been nice. But, no, you get the mysterious 'lady in black.'"

I stopped and looked back to where the old woman stood alone by the grave, a breeze ruffling the hem of her black dress. Despite my desire to avoid any more sticky family entanglements, I couldn't help but wonder about her. "What kind of a name is Bijou, anyway?"

"I don't know." Evan eyed the old woman a final time before moving toward the car. "But Joe's right-she's weird."

Kelly was very quiet on the drive home.

Evan and Butch had driven to the cemetery in Butch's SUV, so it was just the three of us in Joe's BMW-Kelly, Joe, and me. Joe was quiet, too, shooting me an occasional anxious glance when he thought I wasn't looking. I appreciated his concern, and rested a hand on his thigh as he drove. Other than a few stilted replies to a few stilted comments, Kelly sat silently in the backseat, staring out the window, as we made our way back to my Ansley Park neighborhood.

"You wanna come in?" I asked Joe when he pulled into the driveway.

"I think I'll go home and change out of this monkey suit," he said. "I'll be back in an hour, and take you both out to dinner."

The guy was so sweet-he was giving Kelly and me a chance to talk privately, to unwind a little after the funeral.

"Thanks, but I don't really feel like going out again today," Kelly said. "You two go ahead." She opened her car door and started to get out, moving her bandaged ankles carefully.

I gave Joe a shrug, opened my own door and waited while he got Kelly's wheelchair out of the trunk. "I'll see you later, handsome."

Joe grinned at me, and I couldn't help but smile back. He looked good enough to eat in his so-called "monkey suit," though I'd never refer to custom-tailored Dolce and Gabbana that way. I'd picked out the tie myself, a subtle gray and black geometric by Ralph Lauren.

"One hour," he said.

"Forty-five minutes." An hour was too long.

A quick kiss, and he was off, while I wheeled Kelly into the house.

"Well?" I pushed her into the living room and sank down on the couch. "What did you think of Bijou Boudreaux?"

Kelly looked troubled, her face pale. She was still holding the white rose from the gravesite. "Why didn't Peaches tell us we had a grandmother?"

I shrugged. "Bijou said they'd had a fight. Do you believe her?"

"I don't know," Kelly said. Her lip trembled. "Why would she think Peaches's death was no accident? Was she blaming me?"

The idea that there was any blame to be laid was a new one. Peaches hadn't blamed anyone but herself for what happened, and Kelly shouldn't, either.

"Of course it was an accident. Bijou wasn't there, how would she know what happened?" I gave a rude snort. "Oh yeah, I forgot, she 'senses' things."

"Maybe she does." The acceptance in Kelly's voice surprised me. "We 'see' things other people can't, don't we?"

She had me there.

"You don't seriously blame yourself for the accident, do you? Peaches didn't blame you-I swear she didn't." Nobody should have to carry around that kind of guilt.

Kelly wouldn't meet my eye. "Thanks for saying that. It means a lot."

We were both quiet for a minute. Then she said, "What if Bijou really does have some kind of psychic ability? What if seeing dead people is hereditary? What if Peaches could do it?" She was absorbed in thought, eyes distant. "Bijou said we were in danger, and you said Peaches came to give you a warning. What if this gift really is dangerous?"

"Gift?" I begged to differ. "This is no gift-it's a curse. And for the record, Peaches never said we were in danger. She said that a liar was coming, and not to believe him." I pinned her with a sour glance. "But you chose to believe that lying jerk Keith Morgan, and nothing bad happened." Not yet anyway. "You're making too big a deal out of some weird old woman's ramblings."

"Bijou called it the 'knack.'" Kelly was still lost in thought. "She said Peaches was talented, but lacked focus." Finally, she looked directly at me. "She said you knew what she was talking about."

Uncomfortably aware that I hadn't told Kelly everything Peaches had said to me, I found I couldn't meet her gaze very long. With a sigh, I said, "All I know is that Peaches said she used the knack to help pay the bills. She told me she didn't want that kind of life for us-that it was one of the reasons she gave us up."

Kelly made a strangled noise. "And you were going to tell me this when!"

"I didn't think it was important," I lied. The real reason I hadn't said anything was because it seemed like a private conversation between Peaches and me, and I didn't usually go around broadcasting the details of all my private conversations.

Or something like that.

"What else did she say?"

Kelly demanded details, so I went ahead and told her everything. "She said you can only see male spirits and I can see female spirits, and that we're bound to each other-two halves of a whole."

"Yin and yang," Kelly murmured, fascinated. "We're yin and yang."

"Would I be yin, or would I be yang?" I heard the sarcasm in my voice but couldn't help it. "I've always kinda liked being Nicki."

"And now Bijou wants to train us to use the knack." Kelly's mind was working. Her fingers moved restlessly on the stem of the rose. "But Peaches didn't want us to use it. This is weird."

"Thank you." I breathed a sigh of relief. "At least we agree on something."

"What should we do?" Her question surprised me. I supposed there would come a time when it became easy to think in terms of a we with my sister, but right now it was part of the weirdness.

"I'm not jumping into anything," I said. "If you want to get to know Bijou better, that's fine, but I'm not running off to Savannah to get 'trained.'" I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees. "I'm nobody's monkey."

Kelly looked at me thoughtfully. "I need to think about it," she said. "The first thing I need to do is get well." She touched her left rib very gingerly, then gestured toward her bandaged feet. "I'd like to have some time to recuperate before I go anywhere."

I couldn't help but feel sorry for her-she did kinda look like hell. She'd been crying and wore no makeup; there were dark circles beneath her eyes. It was obvious that Peaches's funeral had taken its toll.