"Why do I have to be Lazarus?" Alifair asked as the sheet got tighter around her.

"Because you weigh the less," Heloise said. "Besides I'm Mary and Ottaline is Martha."

"But I wanted to be Martha," Alifair objected. "I don't want to get in the wardrobe and pretend to be dead."

"Don't worry, Alifair!" Hannah said rolling up her crimson sleeves. "I won't leave you dead for long. Now where did I put my beard?"

"Why does Hannah get to be Jesus?" Alifair asked before her mouth was wrapped up.

"The play was Hannah's idea," Heloise said to be fair. "Besides, Lazarus you're supposed to be dead so no more words out of you." She finished wrapping her head with a laugh then she and Ottaline lifted a very cross Alifair into the wardrobe.

"Let us begin," Hannah said. "Um, how does the scene start again? I suppose Alifair would know but she's dead."

"I think Heloise—I mean Mary is supposed to come running up to you crying," Ottaline said. "Then when you see me, Martha, you have to give way to tears and then you have to call Alifair out of the wardrobe."

"You mean Lazarus out of the tomb!" Hannah said. "So let us begin. Mary, start crying!"

Heloise and Ottaline did their parts as Mary and Martha and the whole time Hannah in her beard with her doll apostles was itching to get to her favorite part.

"That is enough crying you two," she said to them. "Now it's my turn. She got atop the bed and put her hands on her hips. "Lazarus, come out!"

There was thud in on the wardrobe and a mumble.

"Lazarus?" Ottaline said. "You're supposed to come out."

Another mumble.

"She must be playing a trick on us," Hannah said getting down from the bed. "Lazarus are you dead or are you deaf? I said come out!" She pulled the door open and Alifair rolled and hit the floor with a loud thud then flapped like a fish to be released.

"What a wicked game!" she said when Ottaline and Heloise freed her. "You bandaged me too tight, I couldn't move!"

"Lazarus, you shouldn't complain so after being dead," Hannah said.

"Oh hush you," Alifair said kicking the sheet away from her feet. "That's the last time I do one of your plays. You always make me do the complicated parts. Last week you made me be Caesar and everyone stabbed me. Before that I had to be Mercutio and before that I was the evil queen in Snow White."

"But you're good at doing those sort of parts, Alifair," Heloise said. "That's why we choose you."

"Well then I won't be good at it anymore!" Alifair said leaving the spare bedroom. "I'm going to play with my animals."

"Bah, Alifair and her animals," Hannah said sitting on the bed. "It is much more fun to perform. Mama and Papa shall have the best play for their anniversary."

"Miriam wants to center it around the months of the year," Ottaline said. "Since there are twelve of us."

"Oh how swell!" Hannah said. "I shall be June then. Alifair can be bleak January."

Ottaline shook her head. "I'm afraid you'll have to be December, Hannah," she said. "She wants to do it in birth order."

"But I don't want to be December!" Hannah said. "Everything is dead! The only thing worse than December is January. I can't be one step above January!"

"I'm afraid you'll have to learn to love it," Heloise said. "Miriam wants it to be that way and she's in charge."

Hannah crossed her arms. "Yes but that is not the worst part," she said.

"No?" questioned Ottaline.

"No," Hannah said. "The worst part is, now I know how Alifair feels!" she fell back on the bed among her doll followers and Heloise and Ottaline burst out laughing.

/

After their failed gospel account Heloise decided to work on her dedication poem and sat in the workshop with Selene who was using Ladybird as a model for suit a customer had ordered. "I want to really emphasize old things becoming new," Heloise said. "How many ways can I do that?"

Selene stepped back from Ladybird and frowned at the skirt of the suit. "I'm not sure I like the way it falls," she said getting to her knees and checking the hem. "What was it you asked, Heloise?"

"How can I show old things becoming new?" Heloise said.

"Why not the seasons?" said Ladybird. "They always turn one thing into another."

"Seasons," Heloise gave it some thought. "Oh, what about the leaves of autumn? Wysteria says when they fall to the ground and decay they become part of the soil which helps new plants to grow." She picked up her pencil and wrote a few lines down. "How about this? Time comes in abundance and one thing we all know is that time has not the patience for man nor house or snow. Everything is changing, big comes from the small. And the decaying of a lonely house is the biggest change of all. Like a tree in its summer once you did stand grand. Now like a tree in the autumn you shed your structure on the land. But I will come oh lonely house, yes we shall cease your fall. You'll be a place of astounding wonder, for man for house for all."

"Heloise that was beautiful!" Ladybird said. "Very lovely."

"Thank you, Ladybird," Heloise said proudly. "I didn't want to make it too long."

"I think it's perfect," Selene said. "Unlike this skirt here. You can undress, Ladybird I'm going to have to spend a little more time on it at the table."

"You'll get it, Selene," Ladybird said stepping out of the skirt and putting on her own. "Just like Heloise figured out her poem."

Selene put the skirt on the table. "Perhaps a little walk about will help me to think better," she said. "Whenever I get this way it's usually because I'm thinking too hard. I think I'll take a quick walk into town and back."

"Do you mind if I accompany you?" Ladybird asked.

"I'd prefer it," Selene said. "Are you coming, Heloise?"

"I want to read my poem to Hannah and Alifair and see how they like it," Heloise said.

"Why not read it to Young Mr. St. Cloud?" Ladybird suggested. "He likes poetry doesn't he?" She looked at Selene who tried to hide a smile.

"Now that's an idea!" Heloise said sliding off the stool. "Besides it's been a time since I've read anything to him." She folded the paper and put it in her pocket then the three left together.

/

Jethro was sitting under his oak tree when they found him and Selene and Ladybird joined him there as Heloise read her poem again.

"That was wonderful, Heloise," Jethro said prompting her to curtsey. "You shall hear it again at the opening of Twelve Briars."

"So you are going through with it," Jethro said. "That makes me very glad. I know it must be very beautiful."

"I shall describe everything to you!" Heloise said enthusiastically. "I volunteer myself your personal tour guide."

"I look forward to it," Jethro said. "I am very glad to be back home."

"Was the North terrible?" Selene asked.

Jethro laughed. "Not all together," he said. "My mother's family is very Yankee while my father's family is very Confederate, especially Jessop. But home with my parents we somehow find a peaceful balance in between. Besides I would be sore to miss Heloise' poem." He looked towards her and Heloise smiled.

/

As it became cooler Beatrice realized that she was getting home late. She had spent the afternoon playing tennis with Drusilla Dupree and lost track of time. She had also been distracted for between their match Drusilla and she had stopped to refresh themselves and Drusilla had commented that some people were wondering how much money Sumner Woodrow had and if his home still belonged to him. Beatrice wondered if Drusilla's family was among these people to which the young woman suggested she had good bedside manners. Beatrice then laughed and called Drusilla a guttersnipe and spent the next fifteen seconds chasing her around with her racket.

They forgave each other but even now Beatrice was regretting those words. Ladybird had instructed her that before you speak think if you would like what you are about to say to be said to you. It was too late to think before but right now she decided to try it and didn't like the way it made her feel.

She came through the backdoor loudly ready to spread the news to Selene and Ladybird but forgot all about it when she saw her uncle in the workshop with the St. Cloud brothers. She excused herself and opened the hall door and closed it behind her only to find Ladybird and Selene already there.

"You're eavesdropping—"

"Shhh," Ladybird said. "They are talking about a man hunt."

"A man hunt?" Beatrice said in confusion. "For who?"

"For Mr. Addams," Selene said. "Mr. Idris is telling my papa about the EAK."

"He wants to get them involved?" Beatrice asked.

"They are already involved," Selene said. "Mr. St. Cloud asked Mr. Wellbeloved to see what he could find on Mr. Addams and now he wants to go after him and bring him and his friends to justice."

"Tennessee would love a man hunt," Beatrice said. "How much do they know?"

"Mr. St. Cloud is waiting to hear back from them," Ladybird said. "He was able to take a few guesses to where he might be hiding by finding out a little information about Mr. Christenson from Uncle Ezra."

"I'm surprised Uncle Ezra agreed to this," Beatrice said.

"Well the only person who holds that sort if information is Mr. Christenson and his family and Mr. St. Cloud couldn't very well go ask them," Selene said. "Papa spent a lot of time with him and knows things."

"It is all quite clever, isn't it?" Ladybird said.

"But sad that Mr. St. Cloud thinks he must do all of this," Selene said. "The EAK may be skilled but not even they are immune to death."

Beatrice sighed. "Perhaps he thinks he has fewer people to miss him," she said. "He ain't got a wife and children like his brother."

"Of course he has plenty of people who would miss him!" Ladybird said.

"Yes but that doesn't mean he thinks that," Beatrice said. "Besides real heroes don't think of themselves and that includes old soldiers." She yawned and turned up the hall swinging her racket.

/

With his plans in motion Jessop and Idris left the Fairchilds' home. Jessop felt he had most of the pieces where he wanted them but everything couldn't come together until he had captured Andrew Addams. One thing he thought was that Andrew would not be back soon. Mr. Christenson had too many coals in the fire and that one burned hottest of all. He would keep him away to keep up appearances.

"Will you return to a normal life once you've caught, Andrew?" Idris asked as they walked the road.

Jessop didn't care for his choice of words. "Talbot Montgomery was murdered by Solomon Christenson," Jessop said. "That is a real monster that needs to be put in a cage. He murdered his sister's husband and was going to do the same for her son. He is the reason the CARCAS Boys did what they did."

"But you don't have to be the spokesperson of justice," Idris said as Jessop walked quicker.

Jessop stopped suddenly. "Yes I do," he said. "If you miss your family Idris then you can go on home. I'm sure your wife and children will be glad to have you but I don't have those things so I have a duty to end this old case and that involves putting an end to the reign of King Solomon."

Idris decided it was best not to argue with Jessop. He noticed that whenever Jessop spoke of his wife and children he did it with bitterness no matter how mild. He didn't like to think it but he felt his brother was jealous of him and this made him sad.