door and scattered in the woods.”
“For once I agree.”
Darla frowned. “Well, why not just blow it up? Surely Evis has more powder handy.”
“Blow what up?” asked Mama.
“Never mind,” I said, maybe a tad too firmly. “Look. We need to know a lot more about this person who cannot be spoken of before we even contemplate paying him a visit. And when I say contemplate paying him a visit, I mean hide somewhere safe while Avalante pays him a visit.”
Buttercup appeared at my feet, wiping sleep from her eyes. She’d sauntered through the locked door, Darla said, mere moments after Mama assured her she’d left the banshee fast asleep in her bed.
“Hello, honey,” I said and got a quick hug for my trouble. “Is that a new doll?”
She was pushing a doll toward me when I asked. I wasn’t really interested in the doll until I got a good look at its face.
I took it carefully from her hands.
“Mama, did you give her this thing?”
Mama shrugged. “I reckon, people is always bringing me toys and whatnot for her…”
Mama’s voice trailed off when I turned the doll to face her.
Someone had used dark ink to cross out its eyes, so that they looked like the eyes of the faces drawn on the waybill that had heralded Chuckles’s death.
“Damnation,” said Mama. She stood and snatched the doll out of my hand.
Buttercup solemnly produced a second doll. This one too had its eyes crossed out.
“I do not like this,” said Darla. “Not one bit.”
I got down on my knees and met Buttercup’s calm gaze. “What are you trying to tell us, honey?”
“You think she done that?” asked Mama.
“Who else?” I held up the second doll and pointed to its face. “Buttercup, sweety, what do these marks mean?”
She pondered the question for a moment, and then she tilted back her head and opened her mouth and let loose the first strains of her otherworldy banshee scream.
Mama deftly popped a sweet between Buttercup’s lips before she alerted the whole of Rannit to her presence. Buttercup smacked solemnly on the sticky mass of chewy candy for a moment, and then she reached up and drew careful X’s across both my eyes.
“That does it,” said Darla. “What more in the way of warning do you need? A banshee just stopped screaming long enough to cross out your eyes. We could be at Avalante before Curfew and halfway to Bel Loit by noon tomorrow. That’s the smart thing to do. I’m right, and you know I’m right.”
“You’re right. That’s the smart thing to do.”
She let out her breath in a puff. “The only time you agree with me is when you plan to do the opposite of what I say.”
“I’ve got no choice. And who’s to say trouble wouldn’t follow, sooner or later. Bel Loit isn’t that far away, these days.”
“Wasn’t this supposed to start and end with finding a little girl’s missing dog?”
“I haven’t forgotten Cornbread. I just didn’t know he was hidden in a hornet’s nest.”
Mama stuffed the dolls into her bag, pulled the drawstring tight, and stood.
“I’d best be gettin’ home,” she said. She glowered at Buttercup. “And you’d best be following me, you hear? With none of that walking through things, or floating, or glowing. You just takes my hand and you walks with your feet, you understand?
Buttercup giggled but didn’t try to get free when Mama took hold of her.
“You writes that name down for your friends at Avalante,” she said. “Be sure and tell them who give it to you. I don’t reckon there’s a new pair of boots hereabouts, is there?”
“Sorry, Mama. Ran out of time. But I won’t forget.”
“See ye don’t.”
With that Mama, Buttercup in tow, stomped out of our room.
“There are times I contemplate drugging your beer,” said Darla without a hint of insincerity. “Are you determined to pursue this?”
“I have to.”
“Wogsroot. Stomaline. Ketcher’s Shade.”
“Bless you.”
Darla crossed her arms over her bosom. “One drop of
“For once I agree.”
Darla frowned. “Well, why not just blow it up? Surely Evis has more powder handy.”
“Blow what up?” asked Mama.
“Never mind,” I said, maybe a tad too firmly. “Look. We need to know a lot more about this person who cannot be spoken of before we even contemplate paying him a visit. And when I say contemplate paying him a visit, I mean hide somewhere safe while Avalante pays him a visit.”
Buttercup appeared at my feet, wiping sleep from her eyes. She’d sauntered through the locked door, Darla said, mere moments after Mama assured her she’d left the banshee fast asleep in her bed.
“Hello, honey,” I said and got a quick hug for my trouble. “Is that a new doll?”
She was pushing a doll toward me when I asked. I wasn’t really interested in the doll until I got a good look at its face.
I took it carefully from her hands.
“Mama, did you give her this thing?”
Mama shrugged. “I reckon, people is always bringing me toys and whatnot for her…”
Mama’s voice trailed off when I turned the doll to face her.
Someone had used dark ink to cross out its eyes, so that they looked like the eyes of the faces drawn on the waybill that had heralded Chuckles’s death.
“Damnation,” said Mama. She stood and snatched the doll out of my hand.
Buttercup solemnly produced a second doll. This one too had its eyes crossed out.
“I do not like this,” said Darla. “Not one bit.”
I got down on my knees and met Buttercup’s calm gaze. “What are you trying to tell us, honey?”
“You think she done that?” asked Mama.
“Who else?” I held up the second doll and pointed to its face. “Buttercup, sweety, what do these marks mean?”
She pondered the question for a moment, and then she tilted back her head and opened her mouth and let loose the first strains of her otherworldy banshee scream.
Mama deftly popped a sweet between Buttercup’s lips before she alerted the whole of Rannit to her presence. Buttercup smacked solemnly on the sticky mass of chewy candy for a moment, and then she reached up and drew careful X’s across both my eyes.
“That does it,” said Darla. “What more in the way of warning do you need? A banshee just stopped screaming long enough to cross out your eyes. We could be at Avalante before Curfew and halfway to Bel Loit by noon tomorrow. That’s the smart thing to do. I’m right, and you know I’m right.”
“You’re right. That’s the smart thing to do.”
She let out her breath in a puff. “The only time you agree with me is when you plan to do the opposite of what I say.”
“I’ve got no choice. And who’s to say trouble wouldn’t follow, sooner or later. Bel Loit isn’t that far away, these days.”
“Wasn’t this supposed to start and end with finding a little girl’s missing dog?”
“I haven’t forgotten Cornbread. I just didn’t know he was hidden in a hornet’s nest.”
Mama stuffed the dolls into her bag, pulled the drawstring tight, and stood.
“I’d best be gettin’ home,” she said. She glowered at Buttercup. “And you’d best be following me, you hear? With none of that walking through things, or floating, or glowing. You just takes my hand and you walks with your feet, you understand?
Buttercup giggled but didn’t try to get free when Mama took hold of her.
“You writes that name down for your friends at Avalante,” she said. “Be sure and tell them who give it to you. I don’t reckon there’s a new pair of boots hereabouts, is there?”
“Sorry, Mama. Ran out of time. But I won’t forget.”
“See ye don’t.”
With that Mama, Buttercup in tow, stomped out of our room.
“There are times I contemplate drugging your beer,” said Darla without a hint of insincerity. “Are you determined to pursue this?”
“I have to.”
“Wogsroot. Stomaline. Ketcher’s Shade.”
“Bless you.”
Darla crossed her arms over her bosom. “One drop of
Similar Books
