Bless Your Heart

by Kimbra Swain

  “Well, apparently, they aren’t together anymore,” I said.

  “Probably not. She might have found out that he’s the one that recorded them doing the nasty, and turned it in to the authorities which got you out of trouble,” she said finally getting to her point.

  “Mable, how do you know that he’s the one that gave them the video?”

  “Well, my sister’s husband’s aunt works down at the courthouse in Montgomery, and she was talking to a man in her office whose brother was the bailiff at your hearing. He said, that his brother said, that a cop told him that Maynard hated that woman for lying to all of them, and trying to get you in trouble when you’ve never hurt a fly,” she said.

  In the south that was a credible eyewitness account. It wouldn’t hold up in court, but in the court of opinion, it would reign supreme.

  “Well, thank you so much for telling me about that. I might have to pay a visit to Troy and thank him,” I said.

  “Alright, then. Hey, you need to bring that cute little fella in that is pretending to be your fiancé. He’s adorable,” she said very much aware that our engagement was fake.

  “He’s down at the parlor with Brittany getting a tattoo,” I said.

  “Oh, such a shame to mar up that pretty boy, but it doesn’t matter. He’s the cutest thing I’ve seen since Dylan Riggs walked in this town,” she said. I cringed at her mentioning Dylan again.

  “Thanks again, Mable,” I said picking up the drinks and heading to the door.

  When I entered the parlor, Levi looked green. “Baby, you okay?” I asked him.

  “Hurts more than I thought it would,” he said as I handed him the bottle of coke which I opened for him.

  “How long’s it going to take, Brittany?” I asked.

  “Oh, just about another hour,” she said. He groaned, hanging his head. I ran my right hand through his hair and pushed power through my tattoo. He leaned harder into my palm sucking in the power. When I pulled away, he looked better. I put a little numbing spell on him, so it wouldn’t hurt as much.

  “Thank you, Grace,” he mumbled.

  “You are most welcome, Dublin,” I replied finding a seat. “I think we might go see Troy Maynard.”

  “You sure about that?” he said.

  “Yeah, Mrs. Mable over at the Food Mart told me about him and that girl from the state hooking up in the parking lot last night,” I said.

  “They were out there,” Brittany confirmed. “But I don’t think they are hooking up anymore.”

  “Mable said they had a fight,” I said.

  “They did. I was standing outside getting a breath of fresh air after a client left, and she was screaming her head off at him. She told him that she would turn him into the authorities,” Brittany said as she needled color into Levi’s arm.

  “I wonder what about,” I said knowingly.

  “She did say she hoped they killed him,” Brittany said.

  “Oh, that’s awful,” I replied. “We definitely need to go see him.”

  “Yes, before the authorities get to him,” Levi said.

  Amanda Capps was going to turn him into the Sanhedrin or worse. There were other governing entities out there who would exterminate a wolf just for being a wolf. I wondered if Amanda Capps belonged to a pack. There weren’t any around here.

  I sat and thought about it all while Levi’s tattoo finished up. When he got done, it actually looked pretty cool. His poor arm was reddened, but the tattoo was mostly gray scale with four smooth emerald stones in the knotwork.

  “This ink is fabulous, Grace. I wish you’d tell me where you got it,” she said.

  “It’s something I picked up overseas,” I lied. “I don’t remember the brand.”

  I paid Brittany for the tattoo, then Levi and I got in the truck. I reached over lightly touching his arm. Pushing power through my tattoo, it instantly healed the redness around his tattoo. He sighed with relief.

  “You sure about going to see Maynard?” he asked.

  “Nothing we can’t handle. Besides, I’m beginning to doubt he actually killed those kids. A feral wolf would continue to hunt,” I said.

  “No other kids have died,” he said. “What about Chris’ hogs?”

  “I don’t know. We may have to track him down if we can’t get any info from Maynard,” I replied.

  We drove out of the little town and up the state highway. Taking a left on a dirt road, we drove about a mile to a house in a clearing. The garage door was up, and Troy Maynard’s rear was sticking out from under the hood of a vintage Ford Thunderbird. His blue jeans had greasy hand prints on the ass where he’d wiped his hands off. The Tiffany Blue car glistened from the earlier rain. It was in pristine shape.

  I pulled the truck up and got out with Levi as Troy turned around wiping off his hands on a blue shop rag.

  “Afternoon, Grace!” he said as we walked up.

  “Hey Troy, you mind if we talk?” I asked.

  “Not at all. What’s up?” he said

  “Are you a wolf?” I asked flatly.

  His face turned pale as he laid down the wrench and rag in his hand. “What are you talking about, Grace?”

  “You know what I mean, Troy,” I replied.

  “What do you know about wolves?” he said.

  “You know what I am, right?” I asked.

  “Not exactly. Dylan kept it secret. He just told us that you were powerful and that we should leave you alone. So, we did for him,” he said.

  “I’m from the Otherworld,” I replied.

  He looked shocked. “I thought that wasn’t real,” he said.

  “As a wolf, I would think that your mind would be open to such things,” I said.

  “I am a wolf. A loner. Have been for years,” he said.

  “How did you lose the tooth?” I asked.

  “Amanda fucking hit me one night. She is the craziest bitch on the planet. And I mean literal bitch,” he said.

  “She in a pack?” I asked.

  “Hell, if I know. She never told the truth about anything,” he said.

  “Why did you meet with her last night?” I asked.

  “She asked me to meet her. Said she wanted to make things right between us,” he said. “But she found out I was the one that recorded us and turned her in, she went psycho on me. I liked her Grace, because I never meet any other wolves. She has the most adorable little boy. The kid needs a father. Some guidance when he shifts.”

  “He’s not feral,” Levi finally spoke up.

  “Hell, no boy! I’m not feral,” he said. “But whatever killed those kids was. That’s how I know you didn’t do that, Grace. Whatever did that was brutal and sadistic. Dylan was my friend. I knew he cared about you. Seeing you go through that, because you worked with him, tore him up. So, I gave the video that I made for myself and risked my job to get you out of trouble. For Dylan.”

  I bit my lip to keep from crying. “Thank you, Troy. She is going to try to kill you.”

  “Let her. I don’t care,” he said.

  “I’d rather not see Dylan’s friend die,” I said.

  “I’m not going to die. I’ll just pick up and move like you do,” he said.

  “Yes, as soon as I find out who killed those kids, Levi and I are moving,” I said. “Thanks for talking to us, Troy. If there is anything I can do to help, don’t hesitate to ask. I owe you for getting me out of trouble.”

  “You don’t owe me anything, Grace. I should have done it before someone killed my friend,” he said blaming himself for Dylan’s death. I knew how that felt. “One more thing.”

  “Yeah, what’s that?” I asked before climbing in the truck.

  “Amanda is on friendly terms with your lawyer, Demetrius Lysander. His phone number is in her cell phone, and she has pictures of them together,” he said.

  “What!” Levi said.

  I stood stunned by this information. I already suspected Lysander wasn’t fully in my corner, but I just assumed he was working with Dad
dy to find a way to get me to come home. My lawyer was a fairy which meant he would work for the highest bidder. There was no higher bidder than my father, except when it came to personal matters. If Lysander and Amanda Capps were bumping uglies, then she might be the highest bidder.

  “Come on, Levi. I gotta go home and make some calls,” I said. “Thank you, Troy.”

  He nodded, turning back to his vintage car.

  “I hate Lysander,” Levi said as we drove home. “I never liked him from the beginning.”

  “He’s an odd sort, but I never suspected him of betraying me, which would mean betraying my father as well,” I said.

  “Amanda doesn’t work for the Sanhedrin then?” he asked.

  “I’m not sure. I need to find out what Lysander is,” I said.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I know you are a changeling, half-fairy half-human with bard magic, because we spent time together. I’ve never spent much time with Lysander although he’s propositioned me many times. He just wanted me to make himself higher up the ranks in the Otherworld. But specifically, I don’t know what kind of fairy he is,” I explained.

  “You can’t tell one supernatural person from the next?” he asked.

  “I can look at them through my magical sight, but if they haven’t done anything out of the ordinary, then I might not see anything,” I said.

  “You saw me that first night,” he said.

  “Yes, because you were brooding. Your emotions rolled off you in waves. Your abilities as a bard plays not only on other people’s emotions, but your own. They drive you in large part due to your father. You are a good person because your human mother must have been a wonderful lady.”

  “She was the best,” he said sadly. “She would have liked you.”

  “I doubt that. No mommas like me, Dublin. I’m the type of woman that corrupts men,” I said.

  “You wanna corrupt me?” he asked.

  I almost ran off the road. “Levi!”

  “What! I was joking! Can’t you take a joke, Grace?” he laughed.

  “I’m going to whoop your butt,” I said.

  “I wish you would,” he replied.

  My face turned a thousand shades of crimson. “Hush your mouth,” I said. “You are a distraction. We are trying to solve a murder here.”

  He laughed at me. “You can talk about sex all you want, but the moment someone else mentions it, you can’t handle it.”

  I started to smart off again to him, but everything that came to mind would give him an easy retort along the same line. I decided Levi Rearden needed the silent treatment.

  “You are no fun,” he pouted. I smiled at him, but didn’t respond.

  Pulling into the drive at the double wide, the sky flashed with lightning. “Storm rolling in,” I said.

  “Oh, now you want to talk about the weather,” he said.

  “Quit pouting,” I said looking at the ominous clouds.

  “It’s not a tornado, is it?” Levi asked. He must have known that tornadoes are attracted to mobile homes like magnets.

  “No, just a thunderstorm,” I said. The large bird circled above the trailer again. “Must be something dead around and that bird keeps circling it. I’m gonna feed Rufus to him.”

  “Grace! That’s awful,” he said as I opened the door. Rufus ran out into the yard to do his business.

  “I wouldn’t hurt that dog. He’s my buddy,” I said watching him search for a spot.

  Levi put his arm around my shoulders leaning into my ear. “I have to keep you laughing. Your eyes get dark and sad. It’s selfish, because I don’t know what I’d do if you weren’t looking out for me,” he said.

  “You would be fine,” I said.

  “No, I don’t think I would,” he said, kissing me on the cheek. He went in the trailer as the rain started to fall. Rufus ran up the steps ready to go back inside. We stepped inside just as the clouds turned loose.

  Standing inside the door watching it rain, I tried to piece together what Amanda Capps and Demetrius Lysander were trying to accomplish. If my lawyer was deep in this shit, I was going to kill him. Dylan was dead because of all of this, and Lysander would pay for it.

  As I watched, Cletus and Tater waded out in to the swelling ditch digging around in the water. Levi passed behind me, stopping when he saw them.

  “What the hell are they doing in a thunderstorm in a ditch?” he asked.

  “Hunting for frogs,” I smiled.

  “Frogs? For what?" he asked.

  “Eating,” I replied.

  “Yuck!” he exclaimed.

  “Taste like chicken,” I replied.

  “You haven’t eaten frogs before, have you?” he asked.

  “Sure. They brought a mess of fried frogs legs over here once, and Rufus and I tore through them,” I said.

  He stared at me. “You keep your lips to yourself from now on,” he grimaced.

  I hadn’t actually eaten the frog’s legs that the boys brought over. I fed them all to Rufus, but I told them that I loved them. Occasionally, they would bring me more after a gully washer like this one. I supposed we’d have a mess of them tomorrow.

  “I didn’t really eat them, Levi. Just don’t tell them that,” I said.

  “Oh, thank god,” he said.

  “Thank god? You got plans for my lips?,” I asked.

  “Maybe. You never know how desperate I might get,” he teased.

  I threw him a middle finger salute and turned back to the door. My thoughts wondered back to Amanda Capps and Demetrius Lysander. I needed Dylan’s cop instincts to help me out, but Dylan was gone. I’d have to figure this one out on my own.

  As it continued to storm outside, I sat in my recliner drinking orange soda. Levi picked on his guitar. I saw headlights flash outside, and I sat up in the chair. Levi sat his guitar down, approaching the door to see who was out there in this storm. He opened it as someone knocked.

  Standing in the rain, Remington Blake waited for an invitation to come in. Levi looked back at me. Remington looked impatient. It was pouring.

  “Let him in,” I said.

  He shook his coat. His dark hair fell down around his temples. Remington was from New Orleans. I met him right after moving to Jeremiah’s area. I wasn’t living here in Shady Grove. Then it was a trailer park on the other side of the big college town nearby. There was a bar much like Tin Roof where I met him one night.

  I never asked about his personal life. We hit it off easily, and I liked his accent. He charmed me with it. We drank and danced. Actually, I didn’t sleep with him immediately. This was before my contract, but Jeremiah still kept an eye on my activities.

  However, the second time I met him at the bar, I couldn’t hold back. I enjoyed his company until I found out he was married. Apparently, Jeremiah knew he was, but didn’t mention it. I never understood why some things bothered him and others didn’t.

  He had pale green eyes and a rugged face with pretty lips. Kissable lips. Maybe that is why I liked his accent. Gave me an excuse to watch his lips move.

  “Evening, Grace. Levi.”

  “Remy, you shouldn’t be here,” I said.

  “They won’t charge you anymore, Grace. I don’t have to worry about compromising the case or anything. I think it was pretty obvious when they found fingerprints on trees,” he said.

  Remy was a fairy which was probably why Jeremiah didn’t mind me sleeping with him. Remy was Star-folk from the old Native American legends. They were a race of extremely beautiful beings. Remy’s father slept with his mortal mother, and he was born half-Star-folk. He was brilliantly handsome.

  “What brings you out on such a sloppy night?” I asked.

  “I’m worried about you,” he said.

  “I’m just fine, Remy. You should probably go home,” I said.

  “Grace, my wife and I got divorced several years ago, but that’s not what I mean,” he said. “Something strange is going on with your lawyer.”

  “I
know,” I said.

  “You know?” he said.

  “I know he’s up to something. I just don’t know what yet,” I said.

  “I saw him with that woman. The Capps woman,” he said.

  “When?”

  “Last night. I was at our old spot, and he came in. He didn’t see me. I was off sitting in that back booth we liked reminiscing, I guess. It wasn’t long, and she showed up. She looked pissed. I couldn’t make out what she was saying over the jukebox, but he escorted her out quickly. When I got up to spy on them in the parking lot, they were gone,” he explained.

  “She confronted Troy Maynard last night in his car in front of the Food Mart after it was closed, arguing about the video he took of them,” I said.

  “She used to be on the Sanhedrin payroll, but I don’t know that she isn’t after the video anymore,” he said.

  “She’s a wolf. So is Maynard,” I supplied.

  “So, she probably has a contract,” he said.

  “Yes, probably. I didn’t think to ask Troy if he had one,” I said.

  “I’ll call him,” Levi said. He went back to the front bedroom, and Remy sat down on the couch.

  “You know how to get yourself in a mess,” he said.

  “I was minding my own business,” I said.

  “No, you weren’t. You were off traipsing around in the woods with Dylan Riggs looking for dead kids,” he said.

  “Don’t speak his name,” I said.

  “I’m sorry, Grace. Was he not just a fling?” he asked.

  “No, he wasn’t. I just realized it too late,” I said.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” he said. “Is there anything I can do?”

  “I don’t know, Remy,” I said. “Thank you for coming over. You could have just called.”

  “This is deep shit, Grace. I wanted to check on you,” he said. “It was good to see you again. I just hate the circumstances.”

  “Thanks,” I muttered.

  “The engagement with the boy is just a ruse?” he asked.

  “Yes, Daddy and Lysander thought it would gain me some sympathy in the court if it looked like I had a new guy. It would take the heat off Dylan. They wanted him back in the Sheriff’s office or at least that’s what they said,” I replied.