Fear Familiar Bundle

by Caroline Burnes

  "Well, well, Crush," Eugene said as he stepped forward, the gleam of battle in his eyes. "I didn't realize you were so lonely you had to crash parties uninvited. Crush the Crash. How fitting."

  "I've come to uncloak you for the sick man you are," Crush replied, his double chin quivering with indignation. "Your books are a source of wickedness in a world already filled with evil. You encourage mischief in children, foolishness in women, and— " he looked around the room, making sure he had everyone's full attention "— moral decay."

  A tall, slender woman with chestnut hair touched only lightly with gray stepped to the door. "Mr. Bonbon, this is a private party. Please leave now."

  "Mrs. Adams." Crush gave her a courtly bow. "I have no wish to show discourtesy to you, but you've been conned by this man." He pointed at Uncle Eugene. "He pretends to love children, to write for their entertainment. But look at the children in his books. Terrible things happen to them. They swing through trees like monkeys. They mock their teachers and their parents. His books teach insurrection and anarchy. He must be stopped— " he pointed at Eugene dramatically "— before another child disappears."

  Victory glinted in his small eyes as he watched the shocked adults in the room. The meaning of his words didn't take long to sink in. A low rumble of murmurs spread among the partygoers.

  "Why, I never!" Martha Whipple, the local librarian shook her finger at Crush.

  "What child has disappeared?" Eleanor Curry asked as she stepped forward, baby Jordan in her arms.

  "Mimi Frost is missing. She disappeared in the park this morning. After she was seen with Eugene Legander, feeding the pigeons."

  Eleanor shifted Jordan to a more comfortable position. "Get out of this house as Mrs. Adams has requested." Her normally pale face was stained with anger. "I've known Eugene Legander since I was a small child. He loves children, and I won't allow you to stand here and make unwarrented innuendos." She stepped forward. "Get out now."

  A hush had fallen over the rest of the room. Mrs. Adams put a hand to her mouth. "I can't believe it. Little Mimi. I must call her mother immediately. There's been that terrible custody battle. Maybe her father took her…" She didn't complete the thought as she realized how damning it could be.

  "Maybe Eugene can tell us where she is." Crush held his ground. "Especially since a page from his ridiculous book was found with her hair ribbon. The exact page where the first child is kidnapped by the monkeys. 'Kidnapped' is, of course, the operative word."

  Another murmur ran through the room. Eugene stood frozen.

  "I've asked you politely…" Eleanor was breathing rapidly and she turned to find Jennifer Barkley at her side. "Now I'm telling you, get out or I'll have you removed."

  "Mr. Bonbon," Jennifer said, completely in control. "Your accusations are grounds for slander. I suggest you leave before your mouth gets you into more serious trouble. Most of the time intelligent people can overlook your ugly drivel, but this time you've gone too far."

  "Ah, Ms. Barkley. Eugene is your meal ticket. No wonder you protect him so fiercely. I'd— " He stopped at the sound of a low, deadly growl. His eyes widened at the sight of a big black cat, crouched between Eleanor and Jennifer, staring directly at him.

  "Grrrr— grrrr— grrrrr!" Familiar swatted at his pant leg with one sharpened set of claws.

  "Mark my words." Crush backed up, his gaze on the angry cat. "If Eugene Legander is allowed to roam free, more children will disappear. He's a sick man. A child hater. A very sick man!" He threw up both arms and turned to run as Familiar leapt into the air at him.

  Eleanor closed the door on his hasty departure and looked down at the cat. Familiar stuck out a back leg and nonchalantly began to clean it, as if he were sitting at home in front the television. "Haven't I taught you not to growl at strangers?" Holding the infant in her arms, she bent to stroke the now purring cat. "Good work, Familiar, you little escape artist. How did you get out of the bedroom?"

  "Meow." Familiar basked in her praise, then wound around Jennifer's extremely attractive ankles.

  "What a cat." Jennifer bent to lift him so that she could look into his golden green eyes. "He was defending you."

  "Yes." Eleanor nodded. "He was. Familiar is a very special cat." She gave him a knowing look. "And like all special creatures, he can sometimes cause more trouble than you could ever imagine. That's why I didn't leave him in Washington."

  "What an extraordinary creature!" Eugene rushed forward and took the cat from Jennifer's arms. "I do believe it must be the soul of Lancelot returned to us in feline form."

  "Meow." Familiar puckered his whiskers and yawned to show his disdain of human evaluation, but he made no effort to move away from the stroking hands.

  Backing slightly out of the group that had now resumed chattering with full force, Jennifer hid her frown. The party had resumed as the guests drifted back to the buffet table, the bar, or the gardens. But Crush Bonbon had greatly disturbed her— and Eugene. He was doing a good job of hiding it, but she could see the distress in the set of his shoulders. Had one of the local children really disappeared, or was that some gambit on the part of Crush Bonbon to start a controversy? His daily talk show fed off rumor and fear. If he could start a stampede of mothers worried about the safety of their children, he would do so. Simply for the fun of it— and the audience it would draw.

  The uncanny sensation of someone watching her made Jennifer pause. She felt her pulse quicken at the strangest tingle along her spine, almost as if she'd been touched. Nonchalantly she turned into the mocking gaze of James Tenet. "Damn," she whispered under her breath. Tenet was a journalist with a sharp eye and an even sharper wit. They'd gone a round not more than two weeks ago when Tenet had opined in a column that fiction, in general, had become too dollar-driven. It was true the column had not addressed Eugene's books, but the general tone of it had set Jennifer off and she'd lowered both barrels at James when she'd met him in the mall.

  The trouble was, he'd been wickedly amused by her volley of fire. In fact, had goaded her. And something more. Her face flushed at the memory of how he'd made her pulse jump. It had been the heat of combat, and something else. Something she refused to acknowledge.

  Now she could tell by the delight in his eyes that he had more grist for the horrible newspaper mill. The scene between Crush and Eugene— and the ugly accusations— would be sensationalized in the morning newspaper unless she could somehow defuse the story.

  Jennifer took a steadying breath and walked over to the reporter's side. "I hope you realize Crush Bonbon's accusations are contemptuous lies."

  "Possibly. But very entertaining lies." James kept his expression coolly neutral, but he couldn't keep his gaze from sweeping Jennifer Barkley from head to toe. She was one of the most attractive women he'd ever seen. She hummed with energy, especially when she was angry. When she'd accosted him in the mall, he'd been unable to resist teasing her. She was so beautiful when aroused, and her flashing eyes had done a little arousing of their own. In fact, he'd come to this writer's shindig for the express purpose of seeing her again. He grinned at the expression on her face. And it was going to be well worth his time and effort. She was one publicist who took her job a bit too seriously.

  Watching his expressions, Jennifer felt a sudden drop in the bottom of her stomach. The man was difficult to deal with and required complete cool. Why was she suddenly so fluttery? To hide her discomfort, she flagged a passing waiter and picked up two glasses of champagne. She handed one to him with a carefully constructed smile. "Surely you're too intelligent to allow the likes of Crush Bonbon to manipulate you. He's a great shepherd to the sheep, but you aren't a sheep." She raised her eyebrows in question.

  "Neither sheep nor goat." He smiled and sipped the champagne he'd accepted with one arched eyebrow. "Is it true that a child has disappeared?"

  "I don't know," Jennifer replied. "I was hoping you could tell me." Whether she liked to admit it or not, there was something about the tall, dark-eyed rep
orter that tempted her to linger beside him. His slightly tilted eyes and golden skin reflected his Filipino heritage, but his mocking smile was all his own.

  "The police reporter will know. I'll check before I write the story." He grinned. "I'm accurate, and I'm not led around by the nose."

  "There's an old saying. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. I think that's been updated." Jennifer's smile was challenging. "You can lead a reporter to the truth, but you can't make him think. I hope you enjoy the party." Her perfect exit was ruined by the loud, distressed wail of a young child.

  "Mama!"

  All eyes turned to the garden entrance where an eight-year-old girl stood in the tatters of a once beautiful yellow organza sundress. "Mama!" She held out her arms but did not move. Dirt covered her legs and hands, and tears had tracked through dirt on both cheeks.

  "Daisy!" Amanda Adams rushed to her daughter and quickly inspected her for serious injuries. When she was certain she wasn't hurt, Amanda pulled the child against her, heedless of the expensive silk of her own dress. "What is it, darling?"

  "He pinched me!" Daisy wailed the words, her face pressed into her mother's side.

  "What?" Amanda ignored her guests as they clustered around. "What did you say?"

  Daisy pulled away from her mother long enough to throw Eugene Legander a look that managed to hold both horror and betrayal. "He pinched me. Hard." She held out her arm. In the tender flesh under the muscle there was a bright, angry red blotch where the abused tissue was collecting blood.

  "Who pinched you?" Amanda's voice was controlled, but concern was giving way to fury.

  "He did!" Daisy pointed at Eugene and then pressed her face against her mother and sobbed. "Please, make him go away."

  Jennifer started to step forward, but the look of hurt on Eugene's face stopped her. Would it be better to confront the child and make her admit her lie, or to get Eugene out of the party? Her first official duty was to guard his reputation, but in the time she'd worked as his publicist for Grand Street Press, she'd come to regard Eugene's feelings as most important. He was a generous man who gave without expecting anything in return. She could see that Daisy Adams's accusation had cut him to the bone.

  "Daisy, you must be mistaken." Eugene took matters into his own hands as he knelt beside the child and spoke softly to her. "I would never pinch you."

  "You did," Daisy said on a cry as she pressed tighter to her mother's side. "You pinched me, and then you pushed me into the garden shed and locked me there. I've been trying to get out for hours!"

  Eugene started to reach out to the child but thought better of it. He stood, shaking his head, all color drained from his face. "I should be leaving, Amanda," he said to her mother. "I didn't do a thing to Daisy. Perhaps when she calms down she'll— "

  "I'm sorry, Eugene." Amanda Adams spoke stiffly. "I think it would be best if you go. Daisy doesn't tell fibs."

  "And neither does Eugene." Jennifer stepped forward. She bent to Daisy. "Did you see Eugene when he pushed you into the shed?"

  The little girl paused in her crying to remember. "I was picking flowers. For Uncle Eugene's jacket." She hiccuped and her breath caught several times before she could continue. "We'd been talking about the impatiens, the red ones." She hiccuped again. "I went to pick a carnation for him, and then he came up behind me where I couldn't see and he pinched my arm and pushed me into the shed." She peeked a glance at Eugene from behind her mother's leg.

  Eugene didn't move, but he spoke directly to the little girl. "I didn't do that, Daisy. I was sitting on the bench. When you wandered off, I came into the house for a glass of wine."

  Daisy ducked back against her mother's leg. "He hurt me."

  "Someone hurt you," Jennifer corrected. "But it wasn't Eugene."

  "We should go," Eugene said, touching Jennifer's arm. He glanced at Eleanor, his blue eyes sad. "What a terrible ending to a fine day," he whispered to her as he kissed her cheek. "I'm so sorry your visit to Mobile was ruined by this."

  Eleanor, holding Jordan in one arm, hugged the author. "Hardly ruined. You know excitement is my middle name. I'm sure this will all be straightened out by dinnertime. I'll speak with Amanda after Daisy has had a bath and rested."

  "Thank you, darling," Eugene whispered. "And take care of the lovely black cat. A handsome rascal."

  "Handsome and very fond of trouble." Eleanor finally caught sight of Familiar as he sat on the top step eating something he'd stolen from the buffet tables. "And he's going to die of cholesterol if he doesn't quit stealing party food."

  "Posh. Cholesterol makes his coat shiny," Eugene said, something of his spirit returning at Eleanor's promises. "Call me later," he said as he took Jennifer's arm.

  He kissed Amanda's cool cheek and left as discreetly as possible.

  At the door, Jennifer found James Tenet waiting to walk out with them.

  "Headed for the newsroom to crank out a story?" She could have bitten her tongue, but it was too late to take back the words.

  "Exactly my game plan." He smiled down at her.

  "It was a lovely party," Eugene said, a sigh escaping. "What a terrible way for it to end."

  "Indeed," James said, ignoring the blue fork of lightning Jennifer shot at him with her gaze. "I don't believe the little girl was hurt. I think she was more upset at being locked in that shed. I went out and took a look. She finally managed to knock the door off its rusty hinges. There's no doubt she was locked in there."

  "I wonder which of the children did that to her," Jennifer mused as they made their way to her car. "Tommy Franklin and Chris Estis were both there. Either one of them is capable of playing such a trick, but I can't think they'd pinch her so hard." Jennifer knew all of the children who attended Eugene's very popular story hour readings at the local library. Many of the children also made Eugene's house a regular visiting place. He enjoyed their company and they helped him in his gardens— and with his adventures.

  Eugene shook his head emphatically. "Those children are mischievous, but they aren't mean. They wouldn't do that to Daisy. I mean, they might lock her in the shed, but they would not have left her in there crying. And they wouldn't have pinched her like that."

  James looked past Eugene to catch Jennifer's eye. "I'm sure it will sort itself out," he said calmly. He stopped at Jennifer's car and opened the driver's door for her. As she slid behind the wheel, he leaned down. "Don't coerce any confessions out of those children just yet."

  "I would not force— " She stopped as she saw that he was deliberately provoking her. "If I decide to do any arm-twisting, it will be directed at the press," she said as Eugene settled himself in the passenger seat beside her.

  James laughed as he shut her door and waved as she pulled away from the curb.

  "That man is awful," Jennifer said, watching him in the rearview mirror.

  "Awful. Now that's an interesting way to describe him." Eugene nodded. "Awful can be very intriguing."

  "Eugene." Jennifer had a warning note in her voice.

  "I once knew an awful woman in Rome. She could provoke me into a terrible temper with just the arch of her eyebrow. Strangely enough, whenever I got the chance, I spent every moment I could in her company."

  "Eugene…"

  "Don't sound so awfully threatening," he said, completely ignoring her as they pulled into his driveway. "I think I need a nap, Jennifer. Just drop me off at the front door."

  Knowing there was no point in arguing with Eugene, Jennifer sighed. She had a little running around to do— regarding the disappearance of Mimi Frost.

  As soon as Eugene was out of the car, Jennifer turned on the radio and tuned into Crush Bonbon's afternoon talk show.

  "Mrs. Sharon Frost is still in tears with no sign of her daughter on the horizon. Police have been notified, but as usual, our local blackjack carriers are slow to respond. Maybe if little Mimi had been snatched from a doughnut shop they'd be all over the scene."

  Jennifer gritted her
teeth at the sound of Crush's know-it-all voice. If she had a car telephone, she'd disguise her voice, call in and point out that Crush looked like he ate three meals a day, plus at least eight snacks, in a doughnut shop. He sure as hell wasn't missing any Twinkies. Lucky for Crush she hadn't given in to the craze of trying to drive and carry on a sensible conversation.

  She put a lid on her ire and listened to Crush again.

  "I'm not casting any aspersions on poor Mrs. Frost. I know she's beside herself with worry about nine-year-old Mimi. But I must point out that Mrs. Frost allowed her beloved child to play in the park with a very disturbed individual."

  Jennifer turned the dial up as she made the corner in front of the local police station. She was going to see if there was any "official" word on Mimi Frost. And then she was going to—

  "Part of the problem facing this great country is the fact that women are shirking their duties as mothers. It seems harmless enough, sending little Mimi out to the park to play with…this person. But why didn't she accompany her daughter? Was she too busy painting her nails or watching some feminist talk show? Why trust our most precious possessions to a solitary figure— a man who makes his livelihood imagining the destruction of our children? What were you thinking, Mrs. Frost? Or were you thinking of anyone except yourself?"

  As mad as Jennifer was at Crush's innuendos regarding Eugene, she was furious at his remarks about Mrs. Frost. The woman was probably tearing her hair out trying to think where Mimi had gone— and Crush was double-loading the guilt right on top of her. What an ass! What a total chauvinist!

  The ringing of the on-air telephone made Jennifer take notice.

  "Crush, this is Jasmine Finley. Stop this foolishness right now. I know Mrs. Frost, and I'm sure she felt certain Mimi was in good hands. It's a sad day when we can't let our children play in the park for an hour. What are we supposed to do, chain them in their rooms and let them rot their brains with television and radio? Why don't you get off your big duff and go and patrol the parks on Saturday morning? Lend some support to mothers who want their children to get a little sunshine rather than mold in the house."