Their companions were the stern-faced Reverend Paul Anderson, his invalid wife Rhonda whose pale appearance and pill-addled mind were under the consta...nt care of her sister Hyacinth with her prim and proper attitude that showed extreme distaste for anything that she did not deem to her liking. Tagging along behind this motley crew was the bemused Doctor Douglas McCauley who was sticking close to his newly formed attachment to the man-pleasing Faith with her obedient submission to any male. He had in factchosen it on his own months before, as we will learn. Today it's his tolive in when he's off duty. In mockery after a few martinis, Cindy refersto it as the "formal maid quarters." Never refurbished or remodeled likethe rest of the house and never examined for its possibility as anentryway to the alley, the room remained for many years empty andforgotten, unused even for storage. She called it "a poor cousin to therest of the house."Today that harsh assessment needs to be altered. ”“You are acting so strange. I think the Andersons’ place still pulls at your mind, husband.” She drew her hand away from him gently. “Maybe I should go back there and see if I can get us some closure.”“No, no, no,” Maxamed hissed. “Never go back there. It wants you.” He looked around the room like a hunted animal. “Where are the children?”“At my mother’s.” Khadra sighed. She missed the kids. They were always at her parents’ recently.“Good, good.” Maxamed nodded and leaned onto Khadra’s. She stopped just inside the door, looking around frightfully. She wasn’t sure what to expect, wasn’t sure if what Avery had said was true. She had seen her sister come crawling out of the room and she worried Alicia had ruined everything just like she always ruined everything. She couldn’t compete with her sister in beauty and raw sexuality, and she didn’t want to compete with her manipulation skills nor her self-centered attitude. She knew it was only a matter of time before Calix tossed her.