I glanced toward the tables where mourners were quietly chattering, their subdued conversations punctuated by the clinking of glasses. It was hard to imagine anyone here entertaining a swarm of spiders. Still, Ben’s insistence made me curious enough to investigate further.

“Which lady was it, Ben?” I asked gently.

He pointed discreetly towards the other side of the room, where an elegantly dressed woman sat with a group. Her black dress was indeed lavish, adorned with sequins that glimmered under the dim lights, but nothing seemed peculiar about her; certainly nothing that involved spiders.