whip and kept moving, running it through her free hand. "First I'll make him beg for mercy. Lep? Constantine! Perfect. I need you over here right now. That disgusting, low-down, no-good Willy Wyler's been calling Ophelia a child abuser!"
Ophelia grabbed the phone and dodged around the kitchen table with an enraged Violet just behind. "It's no big deal!" she hissed into the receiver, and "Don't you dare!" and "We don't need any help!" Then, as the screen door opened and shut, "Tony's here. He'll calm her down. No, don't come over. Stop laughing, damn it! Good-bye!"
Tony Karaplis walked across the threshold and took Violet in his arms. Burly and in his fifties, built like a bruiser, with hairy muscular arms and a luxuriant mustache, he invariably radiated calm control. Violet beat her fists against his chest and screamed while Ophelia put the phone back on the wall, Zelda stood resigned, and Art stared aghast, the yellow icing cone dangling from her hand.
Tony waited like a rock until Violet was done. "Better now, baby?"
"No." Violet scowled. "But thank you."
"Who have we here?" Tony gave Art a long, appraising look and an irresistible smile. The icing cone dropped to the floor. Art flushed and stared and finally smiled slowly in return.
Zelda picked up the icing. "Tony, much as we love you, you're mesmerizing my best cookie decorator. I have to get these done for school!"
"This woman needs it bad," Tony said simply.
"Not now, and not from you." Ophelia pushed Art back into her chair. "He's a vampire, Art, and a playboy as well. Is that what you're looking for, or do you just want a normal guy with some skills?"
Art sighed, as if at some blinding revelation.
"Now she knows how her brother feels." Violet put the steaks on the table and tossed the salad. "Are you hungry, Tony?"
"Not for steak and salad," Tony twinkled. He took the basket Zelda had filled with warm rolls, pulled out a chair, and turned to Ophelia. "What was all that about?"
"Promise you won't go out and kill anyone?" Ophelia said bitterly.
"Hey," Tony said, "I've been respectable for years now. I'm practically a senior citizen."
"Well, I'm not." Violet viciously attacked her steak. "I am seriously enjoying imagining this is Willy Wyler I'm chopping up."
Tony grimaced, and Ophelia explained. To which he remarked, "Hurting Willy won't help."
"Thank you," Ophelia agreed. "None of this makes any sense. I've known the Wylers for two or three years--I even babysat their kids once or twice--and I've never done anything to make them think I was a child abuser. There's something weird going on. I have to find out what." She served salad onto Art's plate. "Eat, or I'll make Tony leave. We have work to do."
Art pulled herself together. "Let me finish the icing first." She took the cone and did the last three daffodils. "Poor Gideon. He must be feeling totally whacked."
"Exactly. His judgment is skewed because of who I am."
"Maybe not." Art put the yellow cone down and picked up the one Zelda had just filled with purple. "I mean, Tony is amazing..." She glanced at him and blushed again. "But I know he's not the man for me. He's more like a promise--a promise that something I never believed was possible." She bent her head to the icing again. "Gideon's the level-headed one in the family. He's not likely to do anything dumb."
Tony chuckled. "I've gotta meet this guy."
Violet, soothed by a couple of bites of bloody steak, said to her sister, "If you won't let me kill Willy, you'd better sleep with Gideon."
"For cripes, sake, Vi! That makes no sense at all!"
"Purely as a preventive measure, angel, to avoid calling Leopard in if you're accused of child abuse or something else. Since this particular cop is yours for the asking..."
"I can't think of a worse reason to sleep with him," Ophelia said. "Anyway, what else would I be accused of?"
Violet gave her a strange, uneasy look, and Ophelia thought, Oh God, what now? Then Art spoke, and Ophelia vowed to
Ophelia grabbed the phone and dodged around the kitchen table with an enraged Violet just behind. "It's no big deal!" she hissed into the receiver, and "Don't you dare!" and "We don't need any help!" Then, as the screen door opened and shut, "Tony's here. He'll calm her down. No, don't come over. Stop laughing, damn it! Good-bye!"
Tony Karaplis walked across the threshold and took Violet in his arms. Burly and in his fifties, built like a bruiser, with hairy muscular arms and a luxuriant mustache, he invariably radiated calm control. Violet beat her fists against his chest and screamed while Ophelia put the phone back on the wall, Zelda stood resigned, and Art stared aghast, the yellow icing cone dangling from her hand.
Tony waited like a rock until Violet was done. "Better now, baby?"
"No." Violet scowled. "But thank you."
"Who have we here?" Tony gave Art a long, appraising look and an irresistible smile. The icing cone dropped to the floor. Art flushed and stared and finally smiled slowly in return.
Zelda picked up the icing. "Tony, much as we love you, you're mesmerizing my best cookie decorator. I have to get these done for school!"
"This woman needs it bad," Tony said simply.
"Not now, and not from you." Ophelia pushed Art back into her chair. "He's a vampire, Art, and a playboy as well. Is that what you're looking for, or do you just want a normal guy with some skills?"
Art sighed, as if at some blinding revelation.
"Now she knows how her brother feels." Violet put the steaks on the table and tossed the salad. "Are you hungry, Tony?"
"Not for steak and salad," Tony twinkled. He took the basket Zelda had filled with warm rolls, pulled out a chair, and turned to Ophelia. "What was all that about?"
"Promise you won't go out and kill anyone?" Ophelia said bitterly.
"Hey," Tony said, "I've been respectable for years now. I'm practically a senior citizen."
"Well, I'm not." Violet viciously attacked her steak. "I am seriously enjoying imagining this is Willy Wyler I'm chopping up."
Tony grimaced, and Ophelia explained. To which he remarked, "Hurting Willy won't help."
"Thank you," Ophelia agreed. "None of this makes any sense. I've known the Wylers for two or three years--I even babysat their kids once or twice--and I've never done anything to make them think I was a child abuser. There's something weird going on. I have to find out what." She served salad onto Art's plate. "Eat, or I'll make Tony leave. We have work to do."
Art pulled herself together. "Let me finish the icing first." She took the cone and did the last three daffodils. "Poor Gideon. He must be feeling totally whacked."
"Exactly. His judgment is skewed because of who I am."
"Maybe not." Art put the yellow cone down and picked up the one Zelda had just filled with purple. "I mean, Tony is amazing..." She glanced at him and blushed again. "But I know he's not the man for me. He's more like a promise--a promise that something I never believed was possible." She bent her head to the icing again. "Gideon's the level-headed one in the family. He's not likely to do anything dumb."
Tony chuckled. "I've gotta meet this guy."
Violet, soothed by a couple of bites of bloody steak, said to her sister, "If you won't let me kill Willy, you'd better sleep with Gideon."
"For cripes, sake, Vi! That makes no sense at all!"
"Purely as a preventive measure, angel, to avoid calling Leopard in if you're accused of child abuse or something else. Since this particular cop is yours for the asking..."
"I can't think of a worse reason to sleep with him," Ophelia said. "Anyway, what else would I be accused of?"
Violet gave her a strange, uneasy look, and Ophelia thought, Oh God, what now? Then Art spoke, and Ophelia vowed to
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