Ophelia stepped past Chief Stone. “Shut up, you grubby little wetback. You don’t have any friends here.”
Nate’s fists clenched. He stepped forward. Chief Stone’s hand flew to his side. He drew his pistol, aiming it square at Nate’s forehead.
“I don’t need a reason. You understand me, boy? Now get your hands back where I can see them.”
Nate choked down a response, remembering what his mother had drilled into him since he was small. Be polite. Lower your eyes. Be respectful. Better to take a beating than a bullet.
In the moonlight, Ophelia’s soft, pretty face was lit with evil. “That’s a good boy.” She grinned and stroked the barrel of the police chief’s pistol. “I’m awfully sorry for things to go this way. But it’s Bryce’s fault, really. He couldn’t get with the program. Decided he could defy the Daughters… and I’m afraid that’s something we can’t allow to stand.”
Delilah was clutching at Bryce’s shirt. “I’m sorry, Bryce. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”
“I just can’t leave you alone for a second, can I?” Ophelia strolled forward, pulling her phone out of her purse. “If you’re not slumming around with that Thorndike trash, you’re conspiring with this slut here.” She hit a button on her phone.
“What do you know about the Daughters?” It was Bryce’s voice on the speaker.
Bryce moved up next to Nate. Ophelia wagged a finger and gestured at Chief Stone. He kept his gun trained on the boys.
“I know that they don’t like that you’ve been sticking your nose into their business. I don’t know what it is that you’re doing, I just thought you should know that Sindy and her crew don’t like it, and if you keep it up, they said they’re going to do something to you.”
The servants fanned out, surrounding Nate and Bryce.
“Why are you telling me this, Del? You are her crew. What happened to, ‘Above all else, sisterhood?’”
Ophelia shook her head and tutted, still holding out her phone for all to hear. Delilah had curled up, covering her ears. Charity beamed and preened, leaning on one of the other boys.
“They’re not my sisters, Bryce. You just watch that cute ass of yours. I’d hate to see something bad happen to it.”
Ophelia tucked her phone away back in her clutch purse and smiled into Bryce’s face. “Bet you’re sorry you left me alone in your room now, aren’t you, Bryce? Too bad you’re not as smart as you are pretty.”
Bryce looked down at her. “Oh yeah, well, you’re going to die fat and unmarried while you wrestle your mother for the last donut.”
Ophelia punched Bryce in the crotch. The motion was so fast that Nate barely saw it. Bryce doubled over with a groan as Ophelia looked down at him with satisfaction. “I did warn you.”
Nate went to help Bryce up, but Chief Stone shook his head and gestured with his pistol. Nate sighed and put his hands up. “So what now? You can’t cover this up forever. You can’t just get rid of us like you get rid of the fathers.”
Charity and Ophelia laughed. “Oh dear, you really have no idea do you?” Charity said. She locked eyes with Nate, running a perfectly manicured fingernail over her full lips. She slinked toward him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and stepped close. He could smell her hair and the clean, vanilla tang of her skin. She was just a few inches shorter than him, one of the few girls in school who was. She ruffled the back of his hair with her fingers. “We don’t get rid of them, sweetie.”
She leaned even closer, almost brushing her lips against Nate’s. “We kill them.”
Her tongue snaked out and licked at his mouth.
“And then we eat them.”
76
The Middle of the Night
“Wake up. Sincere, wake up.”
It was her mother.
Sindy blinked, and her room swam into focus. It was all dark shapes, devoid of any identifying features, an alien and general place rather than the comfort of home. Outside, the moon shone down on the rustling trees. “What? What’s going on? Mom?”
“I need you to get up. Put on your best dress.”
“Mom? What’s going on? What time is it?”
“Three AM. Hester Thorndike wants to see you.”
That statement alone was like a bucket of ice water thrown into her bed. She sat up and nearly head-butted her mother. “What about? Why?”
Faith shook her head. Sindy pictured the church in the woods, where the Daughters gathered for their rites. Had Hester sensed her doubts? No. I’m loyal, Sindy thought as she threw the covers aside and got out of bed. Her mother left her alone to dress.
She’d had a few doubts, doubts that were getting harder and harder to remember every day. As terrifying, as disgusting, as wrong as the ritual had been, it was over now. Sindy could not deny that there had been power in it. Power that, at least in part, belonged to her. She could not even begin to imagine the sort of might that Hester wielded.
She knew that if she stayed the course, Hester’s power would one day be hers.
Sindy got dressed quickly, brushed out her hair, and went without makeup. She almost started downstairs before she remembered to go back to her vanity and to pick up the pin she had set there. She looked at herself in the mirror as she attached the ancient symbol of the Daughters of Arkham to her dress. There seemed to be a ripple in the mirror as the pin snapped into place. She was ready now.
Her mother was waiting for her in the front hall but Abelard was not with her. Sindy found that odd. The old servant was always lurking directly behind Faith.
“You look lovely,” Faith Endicott said. She looked pale and ghastly in the moonlight.
“Than-” A knock at the door cut Sindy off.
Faith opened the door, revealing Eleazar Grant. His monstrous face was expressionless as his shadow moved about on the porch independent of him. Sindy shuddered.
“You look beautiful, Sindy,” He waited for her to walk past, and she shivered again, wondering when… or if… that feeling would go away.
A brand new Lexus was parked outside. He opened the rear door for her and shut it behind her, before making his way around to the other side. He drove in the direction of Harwich Hall.
Sindy fought the fear boiling within her. The Daughters must have known that she was having doubts. She needed to reassure them that she was loyal. She wanted to plead her case. The only way to save her friendship with Abby and secure her own future was to solidify her position with the Daughters.
She could barely be still on the short drive to Abby’s house. It was strange thinking of it that way-Abby’s house-when Harwich Hall was so much more. It was the visible seat of the Daughters of Arkham. As it loomed up ahead, and the gate parted for the car, Sindy felt the ice around her heart harden.
Hester Thorndike was waiting for her when they pulled up. She was dressed for an evening out, with her pin was still ever-present and visible on her lapel. A shawl around her shoulders was her only concession to the night air. She held her cane, but she was not quite leaning on it, the way she had before the ritual. Her expression was neutral. On Hester, that registered as cold disapproval.
Eleazar stopped the car, and Sindy waited for him to open the door. It unnerved her how quickly she had adapted to this basic level of doting.
“Sincere,” Hester said, her severe face creaking into a smile. “I am so glad you could join me.”
As if Sindy had a choice in the matter. Whatever Hester wanted, Hester got. Sindy had been conscious of the slight class difference between the Thorndikes and Endicotts for year, though it took her admission into the Daughters to see how vast that gulf actually was.
“I’m happy to be here.”
“We have a bit of a walk ahead of us. Come.”
The house was thick was sleep, dark and gloomy. She wondered if Abby was upstairs, sleeping. She had to be. Such a weird feeling, prowling through her best friend’s home in the dark.
Best friend. Funny how that reflexive label had not changed even though
she hadn’t spoken to Abby since she had taken her first steps into the secret society. She wondered if this was it for Abby, if she was going to be relegated to the status of family shame. All because of whatever happened on the night of the carnival… Sindy didn’t like to think of that night. Her own memories didn’t make much sense, and by the time she’d had the strength to share them, there were too many roadblocks, too many mysteries, too many questions that needed answering.
Now, the fruits of that night were ready to be born.
That would all change when Sindy was in charge of the Daughters. If they were grooming Sindy, and that certainly seemed to be the case, there was no reason not to use her power to lift the stigma on Abby and bring her back into the fold. Together they could run the Daughters and through the society, the town at large. It felt like destiny.
As they walked through Harwich Hall, into the cellar, and from there, to the secret door and the tunnel, Sindy felt more and more at peace. They were going to the church, and while what happened there was undeniably horrible, it was also a place of power. She no longer sensed danger from Hester. Power, yes, but not directed at Sindy.
“Tell me, Sincere. Have you spoken with Abigail?”
“No, Ms. Thorndike. I’d never reveal our secrets to… to an outsider.”
Hester chuckled. “That is lovely to hear, but not what I meant. I was speaking of her condition.”
“Condition?” Right, the grandma version of ‘knocked up.’ “What about it?”
“Why do you think she did it?”
“Did it? I don’t think she did anything. I think it was an accident.”
“There are no accidents. There is only laziness or intent. Neither of which is a suitable trait for a Daughter of Arkham.”
“Well, what about forgiveness?” Sindy said with more force than she intended. “Abby can’t be the first of us to make a mistake. There has to be way make this right.”
Hester was silent. They emerged from the passageway and heading up the short slope toward the church. Sindy could barely see it in the slivery shafts of moonlight coming through the trees.
“I really believe that whatever happened is in the past and that she’s learned from it. She’s ready to join us. And believe me, she’ll appreciate it more and work harder because of her situation.”
Hester paused. They had arrived on the front steps of the church. She placed a withered, bony hand on Sindy’s shoulder. “You are a good friend to Abigail, and you have to know that this situation breaks my heart. She is my granddaughter. My own blood. I would like nothing more than to welcome her into the Daughters of Arkham. That is why I called you here tonight. There is a small chance. But it must be done in a way that is above reproach. We cannot give the others any room to deny her.”
Hester went on: “All fathers have to be sacrificed to the Mother of All Daughters, body and soul. If Abigail truly wishes to join us, she must perform the ritual… whether she is ready or not.”
Sindy heard footsteps coming out of the woods. Shapes moved in the moonlight. The silhouettes combined and separated, making the advancing group look like a single ever-changing blob. Ice gripped Sindy again. She was not afraid for herself, but for whatever that group was bringing through the dark.
The group resolved into men. Sindy recognized some, all the servants of prominent Daughters. One of them-Abelard!-had a motionless sack over his shoulder. Finster and Edsel held another shape between them. This one struggled.
“Since our Abigail does not know who the father is, she will have to consume them both.”
The servants threw two bound bodies onto the steps of the church. Bryce Coffin was unconscious but Nate Baxter was fighting against his bonds, glaring hate at all around him. When he saw Sindy, his eyes softened and then quivered with the horrible realization that he’d been betrayed.
Sindy turned away and tried not to weep.
77
Missing
Abby awoke in the middle of the night on Sunday. Her belly was roiling. She thought at first it had been something she ate, bad enough to bring her out of a dead sleep. It wasn’t-just some phantom pain. She wondered if it was something lingering from her experiment with her grandmother’s pin, or if it was some new and terrible revelation.
She did not sleep for the rest of the night.
She wanted to tell Nate and Bryce about it when she got to school. Bryce would tease her, but it was important that there be no more secrets between them. She couldn’t find him, and Nate wasn’t in any of their classes. At lunch, she was alone in the cafeteria. She began to worry. It felt like she had just stepped off a rollercoaster and was attempting to walk a straight line.
The only person she did see was Sindy. Her maybe-former friend was pale, even by her standards. Her eyes were wide and empty. She looked ill. She didn’t talk to anyone; she just sat on the edge of her social group as Charity and Ophelia chatted away with the boys. Abby almost went over to her, but it would have been strange. The distance that had returned between them could not be bridged that easily.
Abby left the cafeteria and stepped into one of the empty classrooms. Nate might be sick. Bryce might be ditching. But… Both of them, at the same time? It didn’t seem likely; maybe something had happened. She texted both of them, then tried calling them. Neither one answered. Her worry began to escalate into panic.
Abby almost screamed as her phone started buzzing. It was Nate’s house. Thank God. He’s sick and he just left his cell someplace, she thought as she picked up the phone.
“Hey, stupid,” she said. “How are you feeling?”
“Abby! Have you heard from Nate?” The tension in Lana Baxter’s voice could have been plucked like a string.
“What? Mrs. Baxter… I mean-He’s not at home?”
“Oh God. Oh God.” She was crying. Abby couldn’t remember ever seeing Nate’s mother without a smile on her face. The idea of her sobbing into the phone broke her heart.
“What’s going on?”
“I don’t know. He didn’t come home last night and he’s not answering his phone. Do you have any idea where he might be? Have you seen him?”
“I didn’t see him last night. But don’t worry-I’m sure he’s okay,” Abby lied.
“I called the police this morning. Chief Stone took the report himself. He said it would be their top priority.”
Abby felt a cold spike of dread pierce her down to her very soul. Chief Stone didn’t work for people like the Baxters. She took a deep breath. “I’ll ask around the school. And then I’ll go look for him. Don’t worry. I’ll find him.”
“Thank you, Abby. I need to go pick up Vero.” Lana was breaking down on the phone, and Abby felt like she was making it worse.
“I’ll start now. Talk to you soon.”
Abby ended the call. It was possible they were at Bryce’s. Maybe they had fallen asleep while working on the investigation. She called his house directly. It took a moment, then a woman’s voice answered. “Yeah?”
“Mrs. Coffin?” she asked, uncertain. Telephone etiquette was usually better amongst the Arkham blue bloods.
“This is she. Who is this?”
“Um, Abby Thorndike.”
“Right, yeah, the pregnant girl.”
Abby’s face burned. “Yes, ma’am.”
“One second, I’ll check.”
Abby heard some muffled voices, then Mrs. Coffin returned to the phone. Her voice, which had been breezy and slurry, had deepened a bit.
“I’m afraid Bryce is not available.”
Abby was silent. Her shame turned back to fear. Mrs. Coffin knew where Bryce was. She was lying, and she wanted Abby off the phone.
“Um, okay. Just tell him I called, please.”
She ended the call and put her phone aside. She didn’t know where to turn to for help. There was no one left she could trust. Except maybe… Mr. Harris. He wouldn’t want her looking into this, but she didn’t have much choice. This was more important than his disapproval.<
br />
He wasn’t in his classroom. Abby headed for the teacher’s cottages behind the school, but the walk was difficult. She was as big as a house and anything more than a couple steps was a chore. By the time she reached Mr. Harris’s door, her feet were in open revolt, and her hair was stuck to her forehead. She knocked and then plopped on his stoop.
The door opened behind her. She couldn’t have turned her back on any other Crow, but Mr. Harris had shown, that despite his appearance, he was her friend.
“Abby?” he said.
“I’m sorry. I walked here. I’m exhausted.”
“Let me get you some water,” he said. A moment later, his glabrous indigo paw pressed an ice-cold glass into her hands. His skin felt like a wet beach ball.
“Thank you.”
“Should you be walking in your condition?”
“Probably not, but I needed to talk to you and I don’t have your number.”
“Abby, this is somewhat irregular.”
She had to chuckle. “Mr. Harris, you and I are in complete agreement.”
She heard him give the same wry laugh. “All right, I hear you.” He settled onto the stoop next to her. “What can I do for you?”
“Nate Baxter and Bryce Coffin are missing.”
“Missing? That’s a matter for the police, Abby. You should fill out a report.”
“Nate’s mom already has.”
“Then let them do their jobs.”
“You and I both know that if the Daughters are involved, the police aren’t going to try very hard to find my friends.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The men in this town, at least the ones who marry the Daughters of Arkham, disappear after they conceive daughters of their own.”
“Abby, what did I tell you about-”
“Just listen, Mr. Harris.”
He fell silent.
“I tried to get answers. I thought that if these men had been murdered, I might be able to speak to them.”
“Why would you think that?”
“For the same reason I can see through your disguises. The same way I can see things that happened in the past. And ghosts.”
Mother of Crows Page 33
