Peach Pies and Alibis (33 page)

“I had to do things in order. Knock off the volunteers for the Lady first so that
a weaker person would take their place. Then, find the location of the sacred grove.
We might not be able to enter, but my brethren can damage it all the same. We’d just
love to see a new housing development right here.
Kind of like the one we built in North Carolina.” She sighed in satisfaction. “You
were my last objective, and I had to get Reba out of the way before taking you out.
She’s old and small, but very skilled. I only got to her because she’d let her guard
down around me.”

A spider tattoo on Maurelle’s left arm began to move. At first, it was just the twitch
of a leg, but then another leg shifted, and another. And then, one of the black widows
stirred, its abdomen swelling until it became a living, three-dimensional creature.

“Jesus,” Ella Mae breathed in terror. “Is that your magic?”

“Every Shadow Child has a unique weapon,” Maurelle answered, grinning at the spiders
as they transformed from flat ink drawings to gruesome, wriggling threats. “These
are mine.”

Ella Mae knew she should run, but she was too spellbound to move. She also suspected
Maurelle was anticipating her escape and that the moment she made to flee, the end
would come quickly. First, Maurelle would deliver a chop to the windpipe or some other
debilitating blow followed by dual spider bites on her neck. No one would come down
from the grove in time to save her. For all Ella Mae knew, the revelers would stay
there until daybreak.

“What’s this Clover Queen stuff?” she asked while trying to think of a way to defend
herself against imminent attack.

“It’s a prophecy about a woman who can undo Myrddin’s curse. I think it’s a load of
crap, but I was told to kill you just in case it’s not, and I’ve got no problem with
that.” The brown recluse crawled down her forearm and onto the back of her hand.

Pointing at her enemy’s face, Ella Mae said, “You’ll be sixty if you do this. Are
you seriously willing to trade all that time away for money?”

Maurelle nodded. “Hell, yeah. This is as good as it gets
for one of the Children. We get one major assignment, and if we blow it…” She drew
her finger across her neck. “If we succeed, we get a pile of money and anonymity.
That’s all I want. We’re not like your kind. We don’t want families or kids or long
walks on the beach. We’re born with a craving to use our weapons, and once they’re
spent, we want to live out the rest of our time alone.”

“What a miserable existence,” Ella Mae remarked.

“I think the same of yours. At least your dull, insignificant life is about to come
to an end.”

By this time, the black widow had made its way onto Maurelle’s other hand. Cooing
at the arachnids, Maurelle carefully combined both spiders into the bowl of her left
hand. In a blur of movement, she pulled an object from her front pocket. In the pale
glow of the flashlight beam, Ella Mae recognized it as a Taser.

That’s why no one runs,
she thought despondently. And as hopelessness began to wash over her, she shoved
it aside and sent out a silent call to the butterflies and moths. Her eyes were open,
transfixed on the spiders, but her mind had become calm and clear.

“Go ahead,” she taunted Maurelle; her voice sounded far away to her own ears.

Swarm her,
she commanded. Though she couldn’t see anything, she instantly heard the whisper
of hundreds of wings. They were rushing in her direction, propelled by an enchanted
wind.

“They’re coming for you,” she told Maurelle with absolute confidence.

Maurelle closed her fingers protectively around her spiders and glanced to her right
and left. “Don’t try to play me. It’s way too late for that. Try to die with some
dignity. After all, you could have been a queen. You might have been the one to change
the fate of all those you love. But not now.”

“They’re coming,” Ella Mae repeated and felt a surge of
power flow through her. Maurelle must have sensed it too, for the lustful glimmer
in her dark eyes wavered.

She looked up and saw a mass of butterflies and moths descending toward her. The insects
were packed into a dense cloud and were spinning like a tornado. Sparks flew from
their wings and tiny lightning bolts shot into the black sky.

“If I’m going down, then you’re coming with me,” Maurelle said and raised the Taser.
Before she could use it, Ella Mae struck out with her right leg, kicking Maurelle’s
hand as hard as she could. The weapon dropped to the ground and skittered under the
Suburban.

Maurelle hissed in anger. Quick as a blink, she reached around to the small of her
back and withdrew a knife from the waistband of her jeans. Its blade shone menacingly
in the narrow circle of light. Adjusting her grip, she shifted her weight in order
to plunge the blade into Ella Mae’s heart.

But she never got the chance. A rock cracked against the back of her head and she
crumpled to the ground as if her bones had turned to water.

Tossing the rock aside, Reba saluted the storm of butterflies and moths swirling above
her. “Thanks, y’all. I’ll take it from here.”

Ella Mae stepped over Maurelle’s inert form and lifted Reba right off her feet. She
hugged her so tightly that Reba squirmed in her arms the same way Chewy did.

“You’re squeezin’ me like you’re tryin’ to juice an orange, girl! You need to be more
careful with someone in my delicate condition.”

Instantly letting her go, Ella Mae stepped back and gestured at Reba’s attire. “Did
you mug a doctor?”

Smoothing a crease in her blue scrubs, Reba grinned. “I had to bust out of there.
They weren’t gonna let me go until tomorrow, and that simply would not do. First of
all, I’d seen the killer and I knew she’d go after you next.” She nudged Maurelle
with the heel of her foot. “I was mighty woozy from the blow to the head she gave
me, but I had enough brainpower to recognize a poisonous spider. I tried to get away,
but my legs gave out real quick.” Squatting, she examined the ink spiders on Maurelle’s
arms. The ones that had
been moving a few seconds ago had returned to their two-dimensional shapes.

“I used to like spiders,” Ella Mae murmured.

“Maurelle’s are special. The venom of her little pets works three times faster than
that of your run-of-the-mill poisonous spider.” She shrugged. “Guess I should be right
glad she wasn’t covered with snake tattoos.”

Ella Mae shuddered at the thought. “What do we do now? Bring her to the police?” But
she immediately realized how impossible that idea was. “No. We can’t explain this.
Tattoos that come to life. An assassin who contaminated cheese with
Listeria
and ages by a decade with every person she kills. They’d lock
us
in a cell.”

“We’ll take her to the grove,” Reba said. “I need to go there anyhow. I’m up and around,
but I won’t be my feisty self unless I get a dose of fresh magic.”

“Oh, Lord.” Ella Mae took Reba’s hand. Gathering her strength, she said, “Maurelle
got to Tilda. There was no one to take the Lady’s place and she was fading fast. Mom…She…”

Ella Mae didn’t need to finish. Reba could see the terrible truth written on her face.

“Adelaide?” she said, thunderstruck. “Adelaide?” She stared into the darkness for
a long moment. “I need to see her. Come on, give me a hand with this bag of bones.”

Bending down, Ella Mae slid an arm under Maurelle’s back. Together, she and Reba half
dragged the unconscious killer up the path leading to the wall of boulders. When they
finally reached the rock barrier, Ella Mae was breathing hard.

“I thought Shadow Children weren’t able to enter,” she said, putting her palm against
a cool boulder.

“They’re not.” Reba shifted Maurelle, taking on her full weight, and gestured for
Ella Mae to proceed. “You go ahead. This moment is between her and me.”

Too weary to argue, Ella Mae closed her eyes and entered
the grove once more. The music of celebration was still being played, and she could
detect a new and familiar perfume in the air. “Roses,” Ella Mae whispered.

An instant later, Reba appeared behind her. In a flash of light, Ella Mae saw the
outline of Maurelle’s body. It was only there for a second and then it was gone. A
pile of ash lay at Reba’s feet. After giving it a dispassionate glance, she began
to disperse it with the toe of her shoe.

“Was she just…vaporized?” Ella Mae asked.

“It’s the only way to deal with one of them,” Reba answered and then shut her eyes
and inhaled the pure, clean air of the grove. “Wait here, hon. You’ve been through
enough tonight, and I’m gonna take you home. But I’ve gotta see your mama first. I
failed her, and if she wants to assign a new protector, then it’s her right to do
just that.”

Ella Mae was horrified. “
No!
I don’t want anyone else. You’re my family, Reba. I just lost my mom. You can’t leave
me too.”

“I never thought the day would come, but Maurelle bested me. I mistrusted the girl
from day one, but I told myself I was bein’ silly. Told myself she was too weak to
be a threat. Look what my mistake cost us. Look what it cost you—the person I love
most in this world.”

“Mom will never send you away,” Ella Mae said. “She knows that I can’t handle this
change without you. I couldn’t make it through tomorrow, let alone the future, which
stretches out in front of me like a long, dark tunnel. I can’t go into that tunnel
without you.”

Reba gave her a quick hug. “Oh, darlin’. There’s plenty of light up ahead, you’ll
see. Now get comfy on a patch of nice, soft grass and try to rest. You’re safe now
and I’ll be right back.”

Obeying, Ella Mae walked a short distance away from the mound of ashes that was once
Maurelle. She sat on the ground with her back supported by the trunk of an apple
tree and allowed her eyelids to droop closed. Slowly, she was lulled to sleep by the
gentle caress of a breeze.

When Reba shook her awake, she felt oddly refreshed, as if she’d slumbered for days
and not minutes.

“I feel so much better,” she said guiltily. “Not so sad. How can that be?”

“It’s your mama.” Reba smiled. “She’ll heal you whenever you come here. Her magic
runs through every blade of grass, every leaf, and every flower in this place. She
is
this place. When she told you she’d always be with you, that’s what she meant. And
you’ll be her voice. When she has somethin’ to say, she’ll speak to you.” Reba was
unable to hide the touch of sorrow in her eyes. “Until then, it’s you and me, kid.
For some crazy reason, she wants me to stick around, so let’s go home.”

Jiggling the keys to the Suburban, Reba held out her hand and helped Ella Mae to her
feet. As they slowly made their way back to the parking lot, Ella Mae asked, “How
did you get here anyway?”

“I hotwired a motorcycle from the physician’s lot.” Reba’s teeth shone white in the
darkness as she gave Ella Mae an impish grin. “There’s nothin’ like the feel of a
powerful engine between your legs when you’re chasin’ after an assassin.”

“How are you going to return the bike?”

Reba waved the question off. “I ran into my favorite mechanic at the grove. In exchange
for a movie date, he’s gonna load it on his tow truck and drive it back to the hospital.
Let’s just hope that doctor is workin’ the night shift.”

The ride home was quiet. It was only when Reba turned into the driveway of Partridge
Hill that Ella Mae realized the full impact of her mother’s sacrifice. A few lights
were burning downstairs but otherwise, the house was shadowy and quiet.

“Your aunts are sleepin’ here tonight,” Reba said. “As for
tomorrow night and the ones after that, you and I will manage. As long as we’re together,
we can make it through this.”

Ella Mae didn’t reply. She got out of the car and hurried to the guest cottage to
see Chewy. After she hugged and kissed him until he wriggled in protest, she led him
into her mother’s garden.

She knew sleep would evade her, so she and Chewy aimlessly wandered the garden’s gravel
paths. Everywhere Ella Mae turned, she saw roses encased in a shining layer of silver.
They looked like small moons, glowing softly on dark branches. Ella Mae’s hand strayed
to her head. She was still wearing the wreath of roses. Hers remained velvety to the
touch and were as sweet smelling as a bridal bouquet. They had not turned hard and
brittle like her mother’s had.

When she came upon the Luna rosebush, Ella Mae took one look at the tight bud nestled
amid the thorns and felt tears pool in her eyes. Dropping onto the stone lovers’ bench,
she lay down in the fetal position and wept. Chewy whined and licked her hand a few
times, but he was soon distracted by a low-flying bug and trotted off to pursue it.

Chilled, Ella Mae curled herself into a tight ball. The whole garden felt frozen,
as if winter had come early and covered every plant and blossom in a sheen of ice.
Her mother’s absence had robbed the garden of its magic, and it was no longer a place
of riotous beauty, but a mausoleum of flowers and memories.