Page 54 of The Deadly Candies

The dainty white gloves.

The stylish pin curls.

The bright red lipstick.

Kathy finally saw her aunt, really saw her.

All of Brenda’s sisters were mulatto women, fair-skinned with hair that curled or waved with the right pin set, eyes in shades of brown and hazel. But few of them were as fair as Janey.

Janey was the one who could pass.

It was something always whispered about when her name came up. Kathy had heard it growing up, she had seen the way Aunt Claudia pursed her lips whenever Janey’s name was mentioned. The rumors said shefloated around passing for white, slipping in and out of places where a woman like Big Mama wouldn’t have been welcome.

Sure, Janey tanned in the summer, got a little more color on her skin, but in winter? With the right powder, the right rouge, you’d never know the difference.

And that was Janey’s weapon.

She neverdeniedthe whispers. Neverconfirmedthem either. She just smiled, knowing it gave her an edge in a world where one shade lighter could mean everything.

Kathy studied her aunt now. The shoes on her feet weretoo prettyfor walking Butts’ muddy roads.

Somebody had driven her there.

Aunt Janey looked like a woman ofmoneyandmeans.

So why had she stayed away so long?

And why now—after all this time—was she back?

Before Kathy could ask, Janey turned toward Big Mama, planting her hands on her hips. “Big Mama, you think Jensen can take on one more? I’m good with my hands.”

Big Mama emerged from the kitchen, her apron dusted with flour, hands on her wide hips. “You here tostayorplay?”

Janey pouted. “Why are you always so hard on me when Iloveyou so?”

Big Mama squinted, unimpressed.

“Sure,” Janey said with a grin. “I’m here tostay—for a spell. Was hopin’ you had a room for me, too.”

“Whattroubleyou bringin’?”

Janey gasped, pressing a hand to her chest. “Me? No trouble! Like I said, I was in California. Then I heard from my sister Izzie that Brenda done senther baby girlback home. So, I was on thenexttrain. Had to stop in New Orleans to see a friend first, but now I’m here.” She smiled at Kathy. “Iknowyour mama would want me here with you. I can keep an eye on you, give Big Mama some rest. Maybe take over the cookin’.” She nudged Big Mama playfully. “Youknowwe Elliot girls can bake a mean pound cake.”

“Mmhmm.” Big Mama folded her arms. “Buttsquietnow, Janey. Don’t come ‘round here sass-mouthin’ white folks or waggin’ your tail at their husbands. Iain’there for it.”

Janey threw her head back, laughing like that was the funniest thing she’d ever heard.

Kathy didn’t laugh.

Sheknewher mother loved to cook and bake, but she’d never heard her sayallthe Elliot girls were good at it. And there was something else… something unspoken in the exchange between Janey and Big Mama.

Though Janey smiled and spoke with respect, there was tension beneath it. And Big Mama—who wasas fair as they come—kept cutting the words she threw back at her with those sharp little remarks.

There was a history here that Kathy didn’t understand.

Before she could dwell on it, Aunt Janey twirled toward Big Mama. “I can work at the laundry house! Kimmy’s leavin’ soon, big and pregnant. That’s what I heard. She got a husband, ain’t she?”

Big Mama exhaled, rubbing her temples. “Lord help me, she already know womens business.”

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