by Lori Perkins
“People like you?” she echoed. Her eyes returned to their narrow suspicion.
“Where did you find out about me?”
“A necromancer named Maggot gave me your name and address.”
“Son of a…” Dee whispered under her breath. She had dealt with Maggot in the past, and every single time she regretted getting tangled up with him. When she wasn’t running from the conventional law for some lame hijinks he’d talked her into, she was busy worming her way out of his grimy paws. Out of the whole supernatural world, trust her to get stuck with a backwoods death magician as a not-so-secret admirer. But he did send her a stream of steady business, even if they were charity-case corpses.
“Why would Maggot send you to me?” she asked. “He only deals with the…”
Dee let the thought trail off as she stared hard at Joshua. No way. He didn’t look the part. The neat hair. The dazzling smile. The clean clothes. The lack of stench. Not to mention the fact that she had just spent the last ten minutes flirting with him. No, there was no way he could be—
“Dead?” he asked. He held up his hands as if in defeat and smiled weakly. The gesture made him look adorable, instead of lifeless.
“You’re sure you’re not a vampire?”
“Why do you keep asking me that?”
“Because you don’t look or act or smell like a zombie.”
Joshua winced at the word.
“Sorry,” she said. “I meant one of the newly risen.”
“That’s a quaint term.” His sarcasm was thick enough to swallow.
She shrugged. “It’s more P.C. than I care to be, but I know you guys hate the zed word.”
“You have no idea.”
Actually, she had every idea. She had dealt with the dead for so long she felt like she understood them better than the living. But a thing like Joshua she had never even seen before, much less understood. “How come you don’t—” she started to ask.
He cut her off with one word. “Magic.”
“That’s all magic?” she asked.
“Yes, magic got me up and walking and magic keeps me from falling down again.
But more to the point, magic keeps me…how should I put this?” He paused and rubbed his chin in thought.
“Fresh as a daisy?”
“Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it. I’m impressed. I’ve never seen this level of magic applied to a corpse before.”
“Again, I am unlike any corpse you will ever meet.”
And she believed him, until her business sense stomped her sympathy into submission. “How do I know you’re not just fishing for a good price?”
“What?”
“I do give special discounts to the newly risen because most of them are in a tight fix.”
“So you do pro bono work?” he asked, his voice tinged with hope.
“Not for just anyone. How do I know you’re not just some Joe Blow looking to get a special rate by playing dead?”
His faced screwed up into pinch of disgust. “Why would I do that?”
“Won’t be the first time someone’s tried it.”
Joshua put his hand over his heart and said, “I give you my word as a gentleman that—”
“It doesn’t make sense,” she said, cutting him off in mid-pledge. “Why would someone drop so much magic into one walking cadaver? The implements alone would have cost him more than I make in a whole year.”
“Deetra, please. As unbelievable as it is, I’m telling the truth. I’m as dead as the next corpse.”
Dee wasn’t convinced. There was something funny going on here and she intended to get in on the joke. “There isn’t a spell slinger on the Eastern Seaboard I know who would waste this kind of magic on just one zombie. Who’s your master?”
A dark brooding came over Joshua. “I don’t have a master.”
While it was uncommon for a zombie to be without a master, it wasn’t entirely impossible. Usually the dead came back for three reasons: stupidity, cheap labor, and revenge. Joshua looked clever enough to know he was dead and didn’t look like the kind of guy one brought back just to wash the dishes. That left one option.
And Dee didn’t like the thought of getting mixed up with it.
“Who raised you?” she asked.
“No one you would know,” he said.
“Now hold on. Just because I’m a small-time witch doesn’t mean I don’t know some big-time folks.”
He waved away her concern. “None of that is important. I have to see Emily and I have no other means to find her. I have no money and nothing of value. I have tried to indenture myself in the service of others but no one will deal with the likes of me. You’re my last hope.”
“Well, hope on, buddy.”
Joshua rose from his seat, lowered to one knee, and hung his head low. “On bended knee, Deetra Jones, I beg of you. Please help me. Help me in this, my hour of need, and I swear I will do whatever you ask of me in return.” He lifted his face to her. A terrible and wounded look filled his dark eyes.
Normally, Dee would have poked and prodded that wounded look until she got the answers she was looking for. But for some reason she couldn’t do it. He looked so sad and pained, as if he had seen the inside of pure torture for years beyond her understanding. Her heart ached at the thought of adding to his torment.
But, as they said, business was business.
She stood, parked her hands on her hips and looked down at him. “Give me some proof that you’re just an average working stiff and not some slob trying to get one over on me, and maybe, just maybe, I’ll think about helping you.”
Joshua smiled again as he stood from his kneel, and nodded. He slipped off his jacket and tossed it onto the bench behind him.
“Well?” Dee asked.
But the man kept silent and continued with his smug smile. He unknotted his tie, slipped it free with a whisper of fabric against fabric, and tossed it onto his jacket. He undid the cuffs on his black, silk shirt. Then he began to unbutton it all the way.
“Whoa there,” Dee said. “What do you think you’re doing?” Not that she was apposed to seeing the man half naked. In truth she would love to see the man all naked, but that was neither here nor there.
“You want proof?” he asked as he worked the last button and yanked the tail free from his pants. “Here’s your proof.” With that, he pulled his shirt open wide. The silk slipped over his pallid shoulders and dangled from his half-bent elbows.
As pale and smooth as the rest of him, his upper chest looked to be cut from marble while his abs boasted a six-pack Dee could have drank from all night long. But out of the glorious vision that was his bare chest, Dee’s eyes fell and rested on the single imperfection: a fist-sized hole in his left pectoral. She leaned low to peer deeper, and saw her office door on the other side. Everything was gone, including his heart, leaving a black encrusted gap in its wake.
“You should know,” he said softly, “that I don’t show this to just anyone.”
She straightened, swallowed hard, and asked, “What killed you?”
“You won’t believe this, but it was poisoning.”
Dee closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, suspecting as much. The handiwork before her was as clear as a signature, and the thought of its architect made her very blood boil.
“Are you okay?” Joshua asked.
Dee clenched her fists and forced the anger to pass. She tried to smile. “When do you want to do this thing?”
“As soon as possible.”
“Then get dressed, because we’ve got some magic to make.”
He gasped. “You’ll help me?”
“I think I have to.” She pointed to his chest and shook her head. “I’m not a doctor, but in my experience poison doesn’t leave huge holes in people. Taking a man’s heart?
That’s not just black magic, that’s cruel.”
“I don’t understand.” He returned his shirt and closed it, much to Dee’s dismay.
; “Joshua, you’re not just a zombie, you’re cursed. Even if you break whatever mojo is keeping you on your feet, your spirit will never truly rest until your heart is returned to your body.”
“I had no idea.”
Dee was sure he had some idea, but wasn’t in the mood to argue. “I haven’t seen the likes of it for a while.”
He ran his hand over his chest, smoothing down his now-buttoned shirt while arching his movements around the gap. “I don’t care about my well being. I need to find Emily. And soon.”
Dee pursed her lips together and tipped her head to one side. “I can almost bet that wherever your lady friend is, you’ll find your ticker.”
His eyes grew wide. “Do you think so? I suppose it makes some sort of sick sense. But again, none of that matters right now. She does.”
Dee smiled. It was clear how he felt about his mystery woman. Dee wished, one day, someone would think of her like that. “Love her that much, do you?”
Joshua lost all of his excitement in an instant. “I did. I mean I do. It’s just been such a long time. I…” He let the idea fade as he sat and cradled his head in his hands.
His sorrow was infectious and once again Dee ached for him. She stood and went to his side. As she sat on the bench, she resisted the urge to run her hands through his hair, to take his hand into hers, to hold him. Sure, he was handsome and polite and aside from the fact that he was one of the walking dead, he was already in love.
But Dee was always a sucker for romance, even if it wasn’t her own.
Joshua looked to her and said, “I’m sorry. After you’ve offered me such kindness, I feel like I’m holding back on you. It’s very hard to explain.”
“Then don’t,” she said. “As the hired help, I don’t need explanations. Or some dead yo-yo going on a self-pity binge when I’m trying to work. Understand?”
He gave her a weak smile. “Yes, ma’am. And you’re much more than just hired help, Deetra. Much more.” His eyes sparkled as he spoke her name.
Dee’s heart fluttered at his flattery. But she reminded herself that even men who were spoken for could still flirt. “You just remember those words when the bill comes due.”
“The bill,” he said with a sigh. “I don’t suppose you give credit?”
Dee paused and took a long, hard look at the man. “No. But I do accept favors.”
The sinful grin that spread across the dead man’s face made Dee wonder just how in love he truly was. “I promise you anything, anything at all, if you just help me find her.”
“Good,” she said. “Because what I’m about to do for you will cost you for the rest of your un-life.”
There was only one man who could help Dee get the materials she needed without wanting cash up front. What he would charge her this time, she could only imagine. Dee dialed the number, took a deep breath as it rang and nearly hung up when he answered.
“I was startin’ to wonder when you’d call,” Maggot said across the line.
“Tell me,” she said. “Did you send him to me because you felt sorry for him, or because you knew I would need help with the spell?”
“Why can’t it be both? You get to do your gallant thing, and I get ya right where I want ya.”
Dee knew better, but clamped down on the bait anyways. “And where do you want me?”
“On the kitchen table, for starters. Then the couch, then the living room floor—”
“If you think you’re going to lay a hand on me—”
“Now that hurts, Deedee. You know I were just joshin’. I thought you knew me better than that.”
Dee sighed. Maggot might be a lecherous freak, but he did have a good streak somewhere in that dried-up bag of bones. “I’m sorry, I’m just frustrated.”
“I know, honey. That boy’s done been through the ringer, ain’t he?”
Dee eyed Joshua and agreed.
“And just for the record,” Maggot said, “I sent him your way ‘cause I knew you’d help him pick up the pieces. You know I’m all thumbs if the recipe don’t include at least three dead things. Besides, everyone in a hundred miles knows you can’t be beat when it comes to proper magic.”
The spell work wasn’t the issue for Dee. The equipment was. A location spell required a quarter ounce of pure gold dust, and that was just the start of a very long and very expensive list. “But I can’t afford—”
“I know that too, pun’kin. That’s why I prepped some goods and sent ‘em with the stiff. Didn’t he give ‘em to you?”
Dee put her hand over the phone and nodded to Josh. “Did Maggot send something with you?”
Joshua’s pale hand struck his worried brow as he realized his forgetfulness. He went to the hallway and returned with a small cardboard box. It bore the legend “Stuff Fur Deedee” and had Maggot’s grimy fingerprints all over it. The man had just left a couple hundred of dollars’ worth of implements just lying around in the hallway.
Dee smirked and reminded herself to scold him later. “Yeah, I got it. I’ll repay you as soon as I can.”
“Darlin’,” he said. “You don’t owe me nothin’ but a smile.”
“Thanks, Mag.”
“A smile across the table while I’m eating a home-cooked supper would be lovely.”
Dee rolled her eyes. “We’ll see.”
“It won’t even be a real date. Just you payin’ me back, all nice like. See?”
“I have to go, Mag.”
Maggot’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Deetra, listen close, little girl.”
Dee fell quiet at the sound of her proper name.
“You keep me updated about that boy, you hear?” he asked.
“I will,” she said.
“And you watch your cute little behind, pun’kin. There’s something goin’ on with that kid. Somethin’ bad.”
“I know. Thanks again, Mag. I owe you big time.” Dee could hear the dry stretch of his wide smile.
“I know, honey. Maggot might not got much upstairs but he do have a long memory. Yes, sirree. A long memory.”
She hung the phone up on his wicked cackle. “Looks like we got our goods.”
“I’m sorry,” Joshua said. “This package completely slipped my mind. I’m afraid I find myself forgetting things from time to time.”
“Yeah, having a half-rotten mind will do that to a guy. Still, you’re more coherent then most zee’s I see. The only thing we are missing is something that belongs to her.
Something that would help up get a fix on Emily’s essence.”
“It won’t be destroyed, will it?”
“No. I just need it for a focus.”
“I might have something.” Joshua slipped his hand into his pants pocket and pulled free a small velvet box. He held the box out to Dee and said, “I never had the chance to give it to her, but it always belonged to her. Will it do?”
Dee cracked the lid on the box, already knowing what she would find inside.
Perched between two layers of silk was a thin gold ring. A wedding band. Any doubt Dee had about Joshua’s dedication to Emily washed away. Dee smiled and slipped into her professional mode, and out of her flirting one. “That will do just fine. Let’s get started.”
“Where do we do it?”
Dee shuddered at the question and fought to keep her mind out of the gutter and focused on the job at hand. “We don’t do anything. You sit on that bench and watch me.”
“Yes ma’am.” The zombie did as asked.
The spell work, while expensive, was simple. Dee had a knack with certain magic that could have made her a superstar in the field. But she never wanted fame or fortune.
She just wanted to be left alone. Usually. The handsome form of Joshua, as he lingered at the edge of her casting circle, made her think twice about her self-imposed abstinence. It was a shame he was taken already. She could think of a few places to take him. On the kitchen table maybe, then the couch, then the living room floor—
Less than twenty minutes later,
Dee had Joshua’s answer.
“I have an address,” she announced.
“So quickly?” he asked.
“Magic’s simple if you know what you’re doing. You should see me sling a hex. I once rendered a man from hairy to bald in ten seconds, flat.”
“Wow.” Josh was duly impressed. “Remind me to never make you mad.”
“If you do, just be quick with the apologies.” They laughed as she wrote the address on a slip of paper. She handed it and the ring to him and said, “You were closer than you thought. It should be fairly easy to find.”
“Is it very far?” he asked as he eyed the address.
“About an hour’s drive.”
He looked up to her with a sheepish grin. “How long is that on foot?”
Dee looked to the clock on the wall. It was well past ten and that late-night dinner was getting further and further away. She huffed as she grabbed her keys. “Come on, big boy. Let’s go find your lady fair.”
“I couldn’t ask you—”
“You’re not asking,” she interjected. “I’m offering.” Dee slipped on her coat and went to the office door. She opened it wide and turned back to look at him. “Now, are you coming or not?”
That sinful grin returned and Dee could only wonder what the mind behind it was thinking as the body followed her out to her van.
“I hope you like to hear people sing,” she said as she buckled up.
He shot her a curious glance as he clicked his belt into place. “I enjoy live performances, but it has been a while since I’ve seen a band perform.”
“That’s all well and good, but I meant just regular people.”
“Regular people? As in?”
“Me. I tend to get carsick very easily and while driving is the key to keeping me level, I find singing helps distract the nausea. So unless you want to end up with a lap full of puke, you’ll be a good boy and put up with it.”
“By all means, sing away.”
Dee spent almost the entire hour doing just that. It wasn’t so much a serenade as it was a performance to a captive audience. Literally. But Joshua seemed to enjoy her renditions of various artists, favoring the older songs, which he sung along to himself. As they neared their target, Joshua turned down the volume mid-chorus, which left Dee belting out her appreciation of a certain-colored submarine all by herself.
