5
"Tell me that was you, Charlie," Lyle said after he'd ushered the three sitters out the door. "Tell me that was some new gag that went wrong."
Charlie shook his head. "Nuh-uh. I was crawlin' my way to the table with the dog whistle when the spirits started wrecking things."
"The spirits'! Charlie, boy, have you lost your mind?"
"Forgive me, Lord, I know it's a sin to believe in such things, but how else you gonna explain what happened here?"
"Last night you said it was God sending us a warning, now it's spirits? Make up your mind, Charlie."
"Making up my mind ain't the point, yo. I don't know what's happenin', but you gotta be blind or stupid or both not to know something's happenin'!"
"Yeah. We're being gaslighted. You saw that guy running last night. You saw the gas can. You going to tell me now that was a spirit?"