Mr. Splitfoot
In Troy, New York, Nat and Ruth are orphans in foster care with a religious fanatic. All of the other kids are damaged in some fashion. Ruth and Nat, a boy, consider themselves sisters. Nat claims he can channel the dead.
Then a young con man calling himself Mr. Bell arrives and charms the two into running a racket and earning money as spiritualists. Things take a creepy turn when a cult leader shows up, wanting Ruth and a box of stolen money.
Every other chapter is set in the future and concerns Cora, Ruth's niece, who is pregnant and traveling with her Aunt Ruth, who seems to have taken a vow of silence.
This is a poignant mystery touched with dread and strange twists. It is, in a sense, a ghost story.