A necklace of what looked like finger bones hung from the old man’s scrawny neck. Skater hoped they really belonged to some kind of fowl or some small mammal that belonged in a casserole dish. He raked his gaze over the rest of the room, taking in the talismans and fetishes hanging on the walls. Shelves lined the walls, the sills of the closed windows, and the corners of the room. All of them were covered with partially used candles. More candles covered the flat spaces of the furniture and small tables. Even plates on the carpet held candles.