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The MRI experience was painless but exhausting. The orderlies slid him off the gurney onto a ramp that in turn slipped into a claustrophobic tube that reminded Danny of a Star Trek prop. They gave him headphones and a choice of audio channels. He chose ‘80s pop.

Once he was crammed inside the tube, the music switched on and it was hard-core country. Then the magnetic scan sequences started and a sound like bones being ground in the teeth of a T-rex drowned out Jimmie Rodgers and Ernest Tubb.

Nearly an hour later, Danny was more than ready when the operators wheeled his ramp out of the bright white tube.

“The radiologist will look at all this,” said the bone man. “We’ll call you.”

When they arrived back at Danny’s house, they found a small parcel wrapped in brown butcher paper, tied with red yam, waiting on the doorstep. There was no tag.

Inside, Louisa opened it for him. They both stared at the tiny black stone effigy. It gleamed with oil, exuding a sharp fragrance that opened Danny’s sinuses instantly.

“The hell?” he said. He hesitated. “Voodoo?”

“Ifetayo,” said Louisa flatly. She did not elaborate. “You want me to toss it?”

He shook his head. “Destroying it could be a trap. Just put it in a safe place.”

“I won’t let her do anything to you,” Louisa said. “I love you.” She kissed him, gently trailing the fingers of her right hand down the side of his face to the level of his mouth. She touched his lips. “You’re tired. You ought to go back to bed.”

“I’m ready,” he said.

Ifetayo again appeared to him in his dream, though it was an experience akin to watching a blurry TV channel under siege from lightning strikes and rising static. Standing at the foot of his bed, she wore a multicolored long tribal dress. Danny realized he had never seen her clad in anything but conventional Western clothing.

“… my name …” he heard her say, “… meaning.” She looked frustrated, then appeared to attempt to repeat herself. “… Yoruba. It means ‘love brings happiness.’ “ Some sort of cosmic interference blurred the sound. Ifetayo looked distressed. “… can mean so many things …” Her hand wove sinuously in the air between them. Danny glimpsed what might have been a cocoon of some sort, gleaming with an inner light.

Then Iffie blinked out of existence as if another hand had thrown a power switch.

Danny recalled no more of his dreams that night.

First thing in the morning, the radiologist called. Yes, Danny’s bones did betray breaks. His right shoulder owned up to two long fractures just below the ball joint; his left shoulder, at least one. The bone doctor came on the line and expressed some wonderment.

“It’s possible—” he said, and then interrupted himself. “You’re sure there was no trauma you can recall?” There wasn’t. “It’s possible,” he continued, “that you suffered convulsions in your sleep. Muscles can do that, you know. It’s uncommon, but they can fracture some major bones.”

Danny considered that, thought about his own body betraying him in so hideous a way. “But why?” he said.

“Hard to say at this point. A sharp drop in blood glucose level, perhaps. Maybe a reaction triggered by sleep apnea. There could be a neurological basis.” He was silent for a few moments. “I’ll talk with Dr. King. We may start some series of diagnostics.”

Danny kept his own silence for a while before breaking it. “But soon,” he said. “The tests should be as soon as possible.” He didn’t have the energy to explain himself.

The bone man agreed and rang off.

Louisa noted his evident distress and gently seated herself on the mattress beside him. “Don’t worry, sweetie. No matter what happens with the doctors, I’ll take care of you. I’ll see that nothing else happens.”

“Gonna shoot Ifetayo if it turns out she’s put the juju on me?” he said, half serious.

“Yes,” she answered, sounding completely serious. “She can’t hurt you.”

“Relax,” he said, trying to affect some healthy bravado. “It isn’t your job to be my bodyguard.”

“But I love you,” said Louisa. “I love you so very much.” She hesitated.