by Lynn, JB
I gulped nervously. Did that mean it was an emergency? Or did it mean that the police were closing in?
“I’ve got to make a quick call,” I told Gino with an apologetic shrug.
He nodded and turned away again.
I called Armani to find out what was going on. “What’s up?”
“You’ve got to come home quickly, Maggie,” Armani begged.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, my heart squeezing as I heard the panic in her tone.
“I don’t know,” she said. “But I have a bad feeling.”
“A psychic bad feeling?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Okay, I’ll get there as soon as I can.” I disconnected the call and looked to Gino. He was already nodding.
“Let’s go,” he said.
We both tumbled back into his car and he raced back toward the compound.
“This isn’t good,” God said from my shoulder.
“You think?” I tried to concentrate on Gino’s driving, but my mind was racing. Was something going to happen to one of my family? Was Daphne the Demented making another attempt to destroy me?
Somehow, Gino managed to get home without getting a speeding ticket.
“Drop me at the top of the driveway,” I ordered.
He nodded and slid the car to a halt. “I’ll stay around in case there’s trouble.”
I hopped out and raced down the driveway, running toward Herschel’s little farm. “Let them be okay,” I muttered under my breath. “Let them be okay.”
God was strangely silent, despite the fact he was being jostled by my running, which made me think he was just as worried as I was.
I practically skidded to a halt in front of the house, and I immediately knew what Armani had been sensing. Templeton, as angry as I’d ever seen him, angrier than he’d been, even at Aunt Loretta, was standing at the front door, arms crossed over his chest, glaring at a raven-haired woman who was screaming at him.
I didn’t recognize her, but you didn’t have to be psychic to know that she was a threat.
Piss raced up to me.
“She wants to see Katie,” the cat informed me.
“Where is she?” I asked quietly, trying not to attract the attention of the woman before I had more facts in hand.
“She, Alicia and Miss Lassalan are in the school room,” the cat told me quickly. “DeeDee, Matilda and Percy are guarding the building.”
“Wonderful,” I said. “Tell them to stay there. Make sure that nobody leaves.” The cat ran off.
The lizard dove into my bra. Trying to catch my breath, I strode over toward the house, picking up the last of Templeton’s statement.
“I don’t care,” he said with undisguised disgust for the woman in front of him.
“Hey,” I called out, trying to sound friendly. “What’s going on?”
The woman turned and glared at me. “You,” she spat out.
“Me?” I agreed, trying to keep my expression neutral.
“You’re keeping me from my niece,” she said.
My heart stuttered.
“Keep breathing,” God coached on a whisper.
Knowing he was right, I forced myself to take a breath. “And who would you be?” I asked, even though I was pretty sure I knew the answer.
“I’m her Aunt Daphne,” she said haughtily.
“She doesn’t have an Aunt Daphne,” I deadpanned back.
We glared at each other, and it took all I had not to back down from the hatred I saw in the other woman’s eyes. It was a good thing that I’d killed people just as evil as her. It was comforting to know that I had beaten them. There was a good chance I could beat her.
“I’m--” she began.
“You’re Dirk’s cousin, right?” I interrupted.
She nodded slightly, seemingly caught off guard that I knew who she was. Did this woman think that she could threaten my entire family, try to kill us all, and I wouldn’t know exactly who she was? My blood pressure rose as I stared at her. If Templeton hadn’t been standing there, I would have killed her on the spot.
“You don’t have any right to see Katie,” I told her coldly. “I’d like you to get off our property now.”
The woman stepped even closer to me, and I balled my hands into fists, wondering if we were going to come to physical blows. Again, I realized that God was right, and that I really should be in better physical condition than I am. Maybe I should have taken Aunt Susan’s insistence that I take self-defense lessons from Patrick Mulligan a little bit more seriously.
“I got your back, toots,” Mike cawed from above. I didn’t look up at him, but I did smile slightly. My grin enraged Daphne.
“Give me the girl,” she said through gritted teeth. “And I’ll consider not letting your family know who you really are.”
I met her gaze steadily, pretending that her threat didn’t mean anything to me. “You need to leave,” I repeated. “And don’t come back.”
We glared at each other for another long moment, and then she spun on her heel and headed toward her car. This time, I chased after her. “And leave my family alone,” I told her. “Or else,” I added menacingly.
She chuckled; an evil sound that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention. “You can’t be protecting all of them every moment of the day and night,” she warned.
Getting into her car, she slammed the door and sped away. My shoulders slumped as soon as she was out of sight. My legs, now that the confrontation was over, felt rubbery.
“Thank Templeton,” God coached.
Turning, I saw that he was still standing in front of the door. “If you hadn’t been here,” I began, choking up. I blinked away tears, and he hurried down the stairs and over to me.
“It’s okay, Maggie,” he soothed. “Everyone is safe.” He pulled me into a tight hug, trying to reassure me.
He was right. Everyone was safe, for now. But how long could that possibly last?
20
“You okay, sugar?” Piss mewled with concern.
I glanced over at the cat who was a few yards away from myself and Templeton.
I nodded at her. Then, I disentangled myself from Templeton’s embrace, giving him a grateful smile.
“That woman is trouble,” Templeton noted.
I nodded. “I think you’re right.”
“You should hold a family meeting about her,” Templeton suggested.
I chuckled. “Because family meetings always go so well?”
He shrugged. “I’m worried about the girls.”
“I am, too,” I admitted.
“I’ll keep a closer eye than usual on them,” he promised. “But right now, I’ve got to make lunch.”
“You’re a good man, Templeton,” I said as he turned to walk back into the house.
“Tell that to your aunt,” he called back over his shoulder.
As he entered the house, Armani came out.
She was holding her bag of Scrabble tiles.
“Oh good,” I muttered under my breath. “It’s time for another psychic prediction.”
“Good,” God argued. “You need all the help you can get.”
Armani limped toward me. Wordlessly, she held out the bag. Equally silent, I reached in and pulled out seven tiles. I splayed them over my palm, and put them in alphabetical order. C D K O U U Y
“Duck you,” Armani translated after a moment.
“Duck yourself,” I joked back.
“Or you duck,” she suggested.
I frowned. “Do you think this means I’m about to adopt a duck?”
She shrugged. “It’s not totally out there. You do have a lot of animals under your care.”
“I don’t even know what ducks eat,” I said with a heavy sigh.
“Quackers,” God quipped.
I groaned.
“Are you okay, chica?” Armani asked as I dumped the tiles back into the bag.
“Of course.”
“You’re upset,�
�� she argued.
I shrugged. “I’ll handle it. I promise. But you have to promise me that if you get any more feelings like that, that you call me right away and let me know.”
She nodded. “Of course. I’ve got to go help Templeton with lunch,” she said with an apologetic shrug.
“It’s okay,” I told her. “I’ve got to go finish running my errands.”
She headed back into the house and I headed to the barn. DeeDee, Matilda, and Percy were, indeed, fanned out in front in a defensive position.
“There’s no danger right now,” I told the animals as I approached.
Matilda immediately flopped down with an exhausted oink.
DeeDee hurried toward me and licked my palm. “Good guard,” she panted.
“You did a very good job guarding,” I confirmed, patting her head. “Why don’t you go see if Templeton has anything for you?”
She loped off. Matilda immediately got to her feet and trotted after her. And Percy strutted off, waving his beautiful peacock-feathered tail.
Once they were gone, I stepped inside the barn, gave Irma a scratch on her nose, and said, “I don’t want them to know I’m here.”
The donkey brayed softly. “I’ll keep your secret.”
I crept over so that I could look in through the door of the classroom. Miss Lassalan had her back to me as she wrote on a giant white board. Katie and Alicia were watching her intently, the picture of innocence.
My stomach soured as I wondered if I’d be able to protect them from Daphne.
Slowly, I backed away.
“Bring me an apple next time,” Irma begged.
“I’ll try to remember,” I said. I hurried out of the barn, toward my car. Mike was on my hood.
“I’ll keep an eye on things,” he promised.
“I appreciate that,” I said. I picked up Piss, who had followed on my heels the entire time. “You’ll keep everybody in line?” I asked her as she nuzzled the top of her head against the bottom of my chin.
“You bet, sugar.”
“Sometimes I can’t believe that I’m lucky enough to have you,” I said, pressing a kiss to her cheek.
“What about me?” God piped up from where he stood on my shoulder. “Aren’t you lucky to have me?”
“The whole world is lucky to have you,” the cat meowed sarcastically.
Chuckling, I put her down on the ground. Mike flew off, and I got into my car. As I placed God on the dashboard, I told him, “What makes me luckiest is having you.”
He flicked his tail, signaling his pleasure. I drove off and when I reached the end of the driveway, I put the car in park.
“What are you doing?” the lizard wanted to know. I pulled out my phone and dialed Zeke’s number. It took three rings for my old friend to pick up.
“I need an alibi,” I said as a way of greeting.
“What did you do, Maggie?” he asked with concern.
“Nothing yet,” I told him. “But I need to know how to set up an alibi.”
“We should talk,” he said. “Can you meet me?”
“Sure,” I said. “Where?”
“The high school parking lot?”
“Fine,” I said. “I’ll be there in ten minutes.”
“It’s going to take me at least fifteen,” he said. “Wait for me. Don’t run off doing something stupid.”
I disconnected the call and drove toward the school.
“It’s not a bad idea to ask him how to get an alibi,” God said with grudging respect.
I nodded. Like me, Zeke seemed to be skirting around the edges of the law. While I wouldn’t rely on him to provide an airtight alibi, he might be able to tell me how I could come up with one. Whatever it was, I needed it fast. I couldn’t allow Daphne to be out there, on the loose, threatening my family, for much longer.
When I reached our meeting spot, I parked the car and asked, “Do you think my dad did it?”
“Huh?” the lizard grunted.
“Do you think he killed Nelson, the tattoo guy?” I asked.
“That doesn’t seem like Archie’s kind of style,” the lizard said carefully. “I don’t see him as a murderer.”
“Maybe the tree doesn’t fall far from the apple,” I joked bitterly.
“And I really don’t see him dismembering a body,” the lizard continued.
“But don’t you think it’s suspicious that he showed up at the house not long after Delveccio was found with the body?” I asked.
“Apparently, you do,” he replied.
“Of course I do,” I told him. “Pretty much everything my father does is suspicious.”
“Maybe he just--” God began.
“Maybe he what?” I asked derisively. “Maybe he really wants a legitimate job?”
“Maybe he’s trying to find a way to be accepted back into the family,” God said. “If he worked for Loretta, he could work on her, first.”
I nodded slowly, realizing that that might be a reason. But I didn’t think that was it. Not that I actually thought my dad was the kind of guy who could chop off somebody’s head and hands, but then again, I had never thought that I could kill people for money, so what did I know?
A car pulled up beside me and, instead of Zeke, Ms. Whitehat got out of the passenger door. I groaned. She walked around my car, opened the door, and settled herself beside me without an invitation.
“I don’t have time to do anything for you,” I told her.
“I’d imagine not,” she said mildly, smoothing the fabric of her ivory pantsuit. “You seem to be quite busy with everything else you’re working on.”
I eyed her suspiciously, wondering what she was referring to. Deciding it was wisest not to ask, I said nothing.
“What can I do for you, Ms. Lee?” she asked finally.
“I didn’t ask anything of you,” I told her.
“But you need an alibi,” she pointed out.
I frowned, wondering whether Zeke had called her or if she had had my phone, or his, bugged. I nodded slowly. There was no point in denying it.
“For what?” she asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity.
“For something I haven’t done yet,” I told her.
“You get credit for thinking ahead,” she murmured drily. “Now, tell me what this is about.”
“It’s a family matter.”
Her perfectly plucked eyebrows rose. “Is the alibi for you or for a family member?”
“Me.”
She turned in her seat to study me carefully. I tried not to squirm.
“Family makes people crazy,” she said.
I winced. Considering my mother lives in a mental health facility, crazy seemed to run in our genetics.
“You shouldn’t do whatever it is you’re considering doing,” she said.
I shook my head. “I have to. I have to protect my family.”
“It’s too dangerous right now. Too many people know about your connection to her.” She pursed her lips unhappily.
“And you should help me,” I told her forcefully. “You told me that I’m an asset. If you want to continue using me, you’re going to have to figure out a way for me to have an airtight alibi.”
The corners of her mouth lifted slightly, as though she was amused by my demand. “There may be other options, Ms. Lee,” she said drily. “But I’ll see what I can do for you.”
She got out of my car, strode back to hers, and was driven away, just as Zeke pulled into the parking lot.
“What are you going to tell him?” God asked.
I shrugged. I couldn’t tell him the truth. I wouldn’t want to put him in that kind of position. Even though I had the feeling he broke the law on a regular basis, I doubted what he did had anything to do with murder. And at this point, my primary goal was murder.
21
Zeke jumped out of his car and raced toward me, a look of utter fear on his face. He practically dove into mine, asking, “What do you need an alibi for?”
I sta
red at him for a long moment, trying to decide whether or not he knew Whitehat had already visited. Deciding that he did not, I shrugged. “Never mind.”
“Never mind?” he asked. He ran his hands through his hair in exasperation. “You call me up, you say you need an alibi, I race over, and now you’re saying never mind?”
“Your boss was already here,” I told him drily.
He dropped his face into his hands, shaking his head. “This can’t be good.”
“It’ll be fine,” I assured him. I shook his shoulder lightly, so that he was forced to look at me. “But there’s another favor I could use…”
“Okay,” he said, with more than a tinge of suspicion.
“Loretta and Templeton are having issues,” I said.
He shrugged. “That’s taken a long time. Usually, Loretta and her men have issues a lot earlier.”
I nodded. He wasn’t wrong. Loretta, who’d been married more times than Elizabeth Taylor, often did have problems with her relationships quickly. “But I think Templeton’s special,” I admitted.
Zeke leaned back and squinted at me. “Are you telling me you’re in Templeton’s camp?”
I nodded.
“And what do you want me to do?” Zeke asked.
“Can you come to dinner?”
“I thought you didn’t want me to come to dinner because people would get the wrong idea about us,” he reminded me.
I nodded slowly. That was true. But this was an extreme situation. “It would be really helpful to have you there,” I practically begged. “Loretta likes you. Susan likes you. You’d be kind of like a…soothing balm.”
“That is something no one has ever described me as,” he said. “What time do you want me there?”
“I have to check with Aunt Susan and see what time dinner is scheduled for,” I admitted. “Can I text you?”
“Sure.” He leaned across the car and planted a kiss on my cheek. “You know I’d do anything for you, Maggie.”
“I appreciate it, Zeke.”
Chuckling, he got out of the car, muttering under his breath, “I’ve gone from being an alibi, to being a balm.”
He drove away and I returned home. The second I got out of my car, Aunt Susan rushed up to me. “Margaret.”
“What time is dinner?” I asked her before she could get another word out.
