"I found the history of what happened," Harry said as Gaia settled at her stool in her workroom.

"The only question is, does it match what Arya told me this morning? Where did you find it?" Gaia was measuring tallow and bee's wax to make scented candles. She picked up a mortar full of ground dried lavender to add to the mixture.

"In the library archives. They have copies of every newspaper printed in Texas for several decades. The paper is brittle, but if handled carefully, you can read the front pages easily, and it was enough for me to figure it out." Harry clambered up onto the second stool nestled close to the workbench.

"Let me mix this. Then it can melt over low heat while we talk. I'm quite impressed with the recipes I've found in the last few older grimores and shadow books you found for our library." Gaia plugged in the hot plate and placed and old stainless steel pot on the burner. Tipping the bowl with her wax mixture into it, she set the temperature on low. "That should be just enough to liquify this. The molds are ready over there."

Harry inspected the rows of taper molds, each with their own wick suspended in the center. "You've been busy."

"I've decided to start a small business. Candles, creams, soaps, and a few herbal remedies. Especially natural cough syrups. Have you seen what they put in the medicinal ones?"

Harry nodded. "Not healthy at all. And especially not good for children. Accidental overdoses are far too common. But back to the story of the lynching."

Gaia shuddered. "Well we have a match already. Arya said it was a lynching for all the men, right down to the babies."

"The newspapers justified it. Denzel, Mamie's father was accused of touching a white woman. He helped her to her feet after she twisted her ankle. An act of kindness was all it took. The people here were the last to understand slavery was abolished."

"And they used every little offense to punish the African people who remained here. Denzel was wealthy in his own right. Freed long ago by a grateful owner when his wife was saved in childbirth by Denzel's mother. Denzel's entire family was freed right along with him." Gaia added when Harry paused to take a sip from his glass of water.

Her husband nodded. "It's disgusting. Denzel bought the land here, before Magnolia became a bustling town. Texas has a long history with Mexico as well, and it's rather complicated. I need to do more reading. Some of our black neighbors speak it better than English."

"You don't need to go into the details. The women were beaten and assaulted in other ways as well. The whole thing happened on the night of a full moon. The Ku Klux Klan rolled into town from the north. From what Arya said, they were the terror of the south." Gaia took the corner of her apron and wiped her eyes. She couldn't help the tears.

"Who was under the white sheets? Who could do this?" Harry asked., his voice hoarse and soft.

'I'm not sure. Mamie survived. The people here, the ones who came to help her bury her family, never said if they knew. It seems they weren't welcome here, but KKK's judgement was feared anywhere our black friends lived. Denzel was a target. His ability as a carpenter and woodworker was well known."

"Are you ready to pour your wax?" Harry asked changing the subject abruptly.

Gaia nodded. "It's just about ready. I need a spout on this pan. Can you help me out?" She needed time to absorb the disturbing story her nursery attendant told her while she rocked Gloria and other babies and toddlers crawled at their feet.

Harry's quick purchase of other cots and cribs to fill the room in the north wing parlor was sweet. The Sears catalog had several models, and they phoned in their order. Gaia had trouble convincing the clerk she needed eight of them until she explained they opened a nursery for working single mothers. She hoped her little white lie wouldn't be held against her.

Arya said overnight care for children was necessary considering many of her family worked night shifts in the hospital and factories. Gaia wondered if she could get a nursing mother or two to come in to provide milk for some of the younger babies. Staying you with your children wasn't an option when you were the only bread winner.

Harry drew his wand from his inner vest pocket. His emerald amulet glowed bright and rays of green light shot forth as he pointed at her pot. In a burst of green flame, her pot shifted and the desired spout formed.

"Leave it for a moment. It needs to cool before you pour otherwise we'll have a fire. The tallow will burn." Harry grinned at her. "I've finally learned how to form a new shape."

"Bravo, love. You astound me." Gaia leaned over and kissed him to say thank you. "This will make candle making and pouring soap into molds so much easier."

"You have but to ask," Harry assured her. "What about a cauldron? And to we need to add a hearth and chimney in here?"

"I'll use the one we added in the kitchen, love. Imara is interested in sharing some of their medicinal recipes with me as well. Some of the slavers brought seeds with them, and now the herbs and spices grow here. The climate isn't much different than Africa's." Gaia explained.

"What about Chinese herbs?" Harry asked.

"That is another story all together." She pursed her lips in thought. "One thing at a time love. I think we will have to go into Houston to find what I need there."

"A road trip then. We'll ave to confer with Imara and Arya about keeping the nursery open while we are gone," Harry said.

"But first, I want to see if I can coax our ghosts into telling me where the graves are. We never did find them, and I know they are on the property. I want to help them, Harry. One of them knows who did this to them and why. Justice might not be possible from the American system, but we can mete it out in other ways," Gaia said.

"Do you want to use the mirror in the main parlor?" Harry asked.

"I think so, and since Samhain is close, we'll do it then."

He nodded his head. "Halloween. Later in the evening, after the children have had their fun.'

"Agreed."