Page 49 of Woods of the Raven

“Who are you?” James asked.

“Oh, that’s true, we weren’t introduced,” I said cheerfully, walking over to him and holding out my hand. “I’m Xander Corey. It’s a pleasure.”

James took my hand. “The pleasure’s all mine.”

That was always good to hear, true or not.

Cass took a breath. “Who was that man?”

“A previous tenant of the house,” James replied, like it was all completely normal. “He’s left now because he knows we’ll care for his home.”

“I see.” Cass smiled at her father before turning to me. “But who precisely was he?”

“If you need to know that, you’ll have to go to the library or the country clerk. They can get you the records of all the past owners.”

“Maybe it was Mr. Braverman, who the house is named after.”

“No. Both Mr. and Mrs. Braverman were Black, and that gentleman was not.”

Cass’s mouth dropped open, as did her father’s.

“How do you know?” Lorne asked me.

“That the Bravermans were Black?”

“Yeah.”

“Because we studied them in school. Mr. Braverman was the first postmaster here, and Mrs. Braverman was the schoolteacher.”

Cass said, “Okay, then could we go find out? I’d really like to know.”

“That sounds like a mission for you and your father.”

She turned to him. “Could we do that next week?”

He nodded, smiling at his daughter. “That would be fun.”

“I would start not too far back,” I suggested. “He probably lived here not terribly long ago. His clothes definitely looked more 1940s than 1840s. But again, as a reminder, this is precisely why old houses need to be cleansed. You never know who’s still in your home, waiting to be told they can leave.”

“And how do you know that?” James asked me.

I waved my hand dismissively. “Everyone knows that.”

“No,” Lorne corrected me, “they really don’t.”

“Well, I’m very good friends with Father Dennis over at Saint Therese’s, and he’s called in to bless people’s homes when they move in all the time. Same with Rabbi Katz.”

“I’ll make sure I always do it forever from now on,” Cass assured me.

“It really is the best practice.”

After a moment, I realized no one was moving. All three of them were standing there just staring at me.

“Have you two finished what you’re supposed to be doing?” I asked Lorne and Cass. They bolted away, and I smiled at James. “It’s so hard to find good help these days.”

“It really is,” he agreed.

Once the cleansing and blessing were done, the doors were closed, and the heater started pumping, the house quickly became cozy. When Lorne flipped the switch and the gas fireplace turned on, I was jealous.