Chapter 33

CHAPTER 33

I 'd woken late in my own bed and when I couldn't find Max in his, I decided this was Selfish Day Two and headed next door for another sugar and fat blowout, taking Maggs with me so she wouldn't get bored.

Coral didn't smile as I came in, and I wondered what I'd done wrong until I registered that waste of space and air Junior standing beside the Queen of the Dead, who must be his mother, with the Ferrells flanking them, everybody looking very tense.

I stopped smiling, and Maggs went still.

"This is the woman who assaulted me," Junior complained to Pike.

"Good job, Rose." Pike picked up his coffee cup again with his left hand but kept his right close to his gun.

"Thank you." I looked past him and saw Max.

Okay, that was good.

Max jerked his head toward the seat behind him, between him and the wall, and I went around the outside of the room, trying to stay clear of Serena and the Ferrells and out of the line of fire until I could sit behind him. Maggs padded after me but never took her eyes off Serena.

Pike gave me a quick look but then put his attention back on Serena, who had taken her hand out of her coat.

Serena shifted her focus to me. "You're the woman who's lived with Oz the last eighteen years. Rosalie Malone. I believe New Jersey law enforcement would like to know your whereabouts since you were once in their custody. If you cooperate, I can?—"

I shook my head, my heart hammering. "No, thank you. But good research on your part."

She smiled at me, condescending. "I really don't think?—"

"Herc took care of it," Max said. "He was very interested to know that you were in town. By the way, Herc's kid lives here. So he has a vested interest in keeping things copacetic."

She was quiet for a nanosecond and then she looked around the bakery. "You all are making me regret approaching this entire affair in a civilized manner."

"If you think sending Junior into my home with a gun was civilized," I said, starting to get up, and Max shifted so he was blocking me, to protect me from Serena or possibly to protect Serena from me, and Pike said, "That won't be your only regret if you don't get out of Rocky Start. There's nothing for you here. Rocky Start is ours."

Serena shifted, and Junior took a step forward, and Max slid his hand inside his jacket.

"You should leave now," Coral told them, her hands moving but hidden behind the counter.

I felt like the only unarmed geek at the cool kids' table, although I did have Junior's gun back home in my apron. "I could go get the Maltese Falcon," I whispered to Max.

Maggs rumbled, almost a growl.

Dottie jiggled her mailbag.

Surprisingly, Serena kept her focus on me. "Ms. Malone. I hope you are a reasonable person. I want to offer?—"

"Get out," Pike snapped. "She doesn't know anything."

Serena looked at the six people staring at her balefully, five of them armed. She said, "This is ridiculous. Give me the film by noon tomorrow, and I will leave. Refuse, and I will cut through all of you to find it." She turned and walked out, in no hurry in spite of all the concealed weapons aimed at her. Junior scurried to follow.

"What the hell was that about?" I said to Max when they were gone.

Before he could tell me, Lionel began yelling at Dottie. "You had me in your field of fire!"

Dottie Ferrell snapped back, "You should be so lucky to die so easy. Maybe go cry to your girlfriend, Lousie . Oh, wait. You can't. She's in Argentina with the vet ."

"Peru," Coral corrected, being helpful, and I nodded, "Yeah, Peru."

" Whatever ," Dottie snarled and went forward to Coral, opened her mailbag again, moved her submachine gun to one side, and handed over Coral's mail neatly bundled. Then she went out with a glare at Lionel, got in her postal vehicle, and burned rubber as best a postal vehicle can pulling away.

Lionel sighed and turned to Pike. "We saw them on the CCTV street cameras and came running. Is that woman going to be a problem?"

"Yes," Pike said.

"Great." Lionel shook his head. "Just great. Fucking Oz. Call me if you need me."

"Here." Coral dolloped whipped cream on a cup of mocha, topped it off with a cherry, and offered it to Lionel. "You can bring the cup back later."

Lionel smiled his gratitude, added an appreciative look at her cleavage, and then walked out, still shaking his head. He drove off, much slower than his wife, probably because he didn't want to spill the mocha.

I looked at Max. "Okay, what's going on now ?"

He looked to his right. "Pike?"

Pike sighed, the lines on his face etched deep. "Is this guy looking out for you now?"

"Yes," I said. "Not permanently, but he's offered to watch my back until the undead leaves town. "

He shifted his gaze to Max as if sizing him up. "Let's take a walk, Reddy."

Max looked like he didn't want to take a walk. He looked like he wanted to go back to Oddities with me. Maybe go back to bed with me; he was sitting pretty close.

"Is that a mafia ‘take a walk'?" he asked.

"It's a friendly walk," Pike said.

"I'll be back," he told me.

I looked after Pike, grim as always. "I sure hope so."

"We'll be back in time for the meeting with Barry," Pike promised me from the doorway, which made me feel a little better. "I'll explain things to Max and he can figure out how to translate it to civilian speak."

"Hey," Max said, and when I looked up, he bent and kissed me, gently, his hand warm on my cheek, a comfort and a promise, surprising me and, I think, himself. He looked a little confused by his own action.

I grabbed onto his shirt, holding him close. "Please come back," I whispered.

"Count on it," Max said and followed Pike to the door.

I turned back to Coral. "Well," I said, for lack of anything else. "That was fun."

Coral waved the recent confrontation away, and then Lian walked into Ecstasy, ignoring the CLOSED sign, which was par for Rocky Start.

"What the hell?" she asked Coral as she sat down in Pike's seat. "I saw who came out. You throw some weird parties, Coral."

"Not my party," Coral said. "And not hers, either."

I watched Max start down the street with Pike, hoping Pike wasn't going to kill him to simplify things, and turned back to find them both watching me.

"Tell me you had your way with Max," Coral said .

"I did," I said, keeping an eye on the front door in case somebody came through with a flamethrower.

"Well, go you." Lian punched me gently on the shoulder. She still looked tense.

"How was he?" Coral asked.

"Very . . ." I thought about Max's hands on my body, his body over mine, his mouth?—

"That good?" Coral said.

"Yeah." I turned to Lian. "Listen, he told his boss in my hearing that he had no intention of interfering with you and Mei in any way. I'm 90 percent sure he meant it. Poppy and the boys are going to stick close to Mei at school, and Coral says Poppy and Mei can stay in here until you close the office and take Mei home. We've got her covered." Then I looked at Coral. "I don't understand what's going on with all this Serena Stafford stuff. What film does she think I have? Nobody uses film anymore. Why would I have film?"

Coral shook her head. "Let Pike and Max handle it." She looked out the window where Luke had come out of his shop to join them. "And now they probably will have Luke, too. That is very good. Can I give the dog a biscuit? I make them for dogs, no sugar, just peanut butter and pumpkin mostly. Dogs love peanut butter and pumpkin."

"Her name is Maggs. Go for it."

I moved over one seat to sit where Max had been, next to Lian. The seat was still vaguely warm from him, which was a comfort. Maggs padded over to sit beside me, holding her dog cookie in her mouth, and Coral came down the counter to join us, putting a teacup of Lemon Zinger down in front of me. Then she went to make Lian a cup of the special tea she kept for her. It paid to be one of Coral's regulars.

Maggs was still holding the cookie in her mouth, not biting it.

"She's trained," Lian said, nodding approvingly.

"What?"

"The dog," Lian said. "She's trained not to eat anything unless given permission. Prevents her from getting poisoned."

Of course , I thought. A dog trained not to trust others when given a snack. There was a lesson somewhere in there, but I was too damn freaked to figure it out. I nodded at the dog, "Go ahead, Maggs. It's okay."

Maggs cocked her head, stared at me, sort of the way Max had, and then when I nodded again, crunched her cookie as she settled down on her belly.

"Good girl," I said and turned back to Lian and Coral. "So who the hell is Serena Stafford and why is she gunning for us?"

"What's that name?" Lian asked, so I repeated it.

"Do you know her?"

"I saw it once or twice. When I worked for Herc."

"The indiscretions of our youth can catch up to us," Coral said serenely. "But I do not think Pike is going to allow her or her son to get a foothold in Rocky Start."

I wasn't as confident as Coral. "And then there's Norman, who is probably going to inherit my home and then offer to let me stay if I sleep with him. So I?—"

"Sleep with Norman?" Lian said, appalled.

"He tried once before, right after I got here. Ozzie told Norman if he ever came near me again, he'd kill him, which I'd assumed was hyperbole, but after the last couple of days, I don't know anymore. So yes, Norman." I thought about smothering Norman in his sleep and realized I'd have to get into bed with him to do that, so no. "So, this Serena?—"

"Do you have a gun?" Coral said.

"Ozzie's shotgun, which I've hidden in the pantry, but?—"

Coral was shaking her head. "Shotguns have limited use, especially that old thing Oz had. They are scary but rarely fatal unless you are very close. And if you're that close, use a blade. Much more satisfying. The last breath of a man dying on your blade is much like the gasp when he orgasms. Except you do not have to make small talk afterward."

I looked at Lian, who shrugged.

I felt like the only virgin at the party. Everybody else knew things I didn't .

"I also have Junior's gun," I said. "Back at the shop."

Coral shook her head disapprovingly. "A woman should always be prepared. I have several small guns. One actually looks like a lipstick, but you must be very, very accurate with it as the round is small-caliber and you only get one shot. If you are anti-gun, I have a ballpoint pen that becomes a knife when you click it. I mean, the blade is not large, so you must know the critical spots to cut. The advantage we have as women is we can get close to a man without him suspecting. They are so stupid, especially when all the blood has drained from their brains to their cocks."

"So true," Lian agreed.

"I really?—"

Coral went on. "I also have a ring that shoots pepper spray, or poison if you prefer a more permanent solution. Sid Quill could cook you up a nice fast-acting one. He was a chemist back in the day. The ring is a little ornate for you, but you dress rather . . ." Coral looked me up and down. ". . . eclectic anyway. And it is refillable."

"Wonderful," I said. "I don't want a killer ring, what I want is for all these people to go away." Except for Max.

"It is not personal," Coral said. "They just want what they want and they are used to getting it.

"They hit me and point guns at me," I told her. "I take that personally."

Coral shrugged. "Serena and Junior want something that Oz took a long time ago, and they think it is in Oddities." She looked at me with sympathy. "Pike is going to talk to Max. They speak a common language, so Max will understand. Rose, we all have secrets, and I swear, none of mine are trying to kill you." She frowned in thought. "I think."

"Well, thank you for that," I said.

Lian stared at me. "You really believe Max isn't here for Mei?"

I shook my head, impatient. "I told you, he talked to Herc last night. He put him on speakerphone. And he said he absolutely would not help him with anything personal. And then he told him to get the warrant for my arrest voided as part of his condition for staying here. I think he's telling the truth."

"But Herc sent Max here to check on Mei, didn't he?" Lian asked.

"He did. But Max didn't know that until yesterday. And he was upset about it. About being manipulated by Herc."

Lian nodded. "That's what Herc does. He plays people. You can't trust him. Did he void the warrant?"

"Max says Herc will. He said he keeps his word as far as contracts go."

Lian nodded, wary. "With contracts, yes. But even then you have to read all the fine print. I know. I used to write the fine print. I wouldn't trust him, Rose."

"Well, Max definitely told Herc to fuck off regarding checking on Mei."

Lian relaxed a little as Coral put her tea in front of her. "Good."

Coral nodded and leaned down to the counter again. "Now, about Max in bed."

"Coral, people are pointing guns at me, can we stay with that?"

She looked disappointed.

"Oh, come on," Lian prodded me.

I sat there under the gaze of the two women I trusted most and knew they wouldn't give up. "Look, the sex was great, but Max is probably going to leave at any minute and I'm still trying to figure out where Poppy and I are going to live when whoever inherits takes over if they don't kill me first, so let's not dwell on Max, okay?"

"You know, Oz probably left something to you," Coral said. "I know he was not generous, but he wouldn't want to see Poppy out on the street, or you, either. He cared about both of you as much as he was capable of caring about anyone."

"Plus, no matter what happens, I'll help you legally," Lian said. "You have tenant's rights, and I can make it a real nightmare for anyone trying to evict you given the store has one foot in each state. Two sets of statutes. That would be fun. Plus, you're owed something for all the years you worked in Oddities."

"Maybe if Ozzie had known he was going to die he'd have left me something." I shook my head. "I just don't see Ozzie thinking ahead about handing over anything to us. Actually, I don't see him handing anything to anyone. Pike, maybe. You," I added to Coral to be diplomatic.

"We will know this afternoon," Coral said brightly.

"Ozzie didn't trust me enough to tell me about who he was and whatever it is that these people want. And he didn't live like a man who had anything."

"He could be generous in his own way," Coral said. "He and Pike gave many a poor wandering soul like me a safe harbor." She smiled at me. "We will do the same for you."

I couldn't envision Coral as a poor wandering soul. More like a force of nature ripping through life. "So the takeaway here is not to worry, Pike and Max will handle this the way he and Ozzie handled things, and you'll handle the rest," I said.

"Yes," Coral said forcefully.

I swallowed. "Coral, have you ever thought about what's going to happen here when Pike dies?"

"No. But I think Pike is thinking about it. Right now." She leaned forward. "Now about Max. He moved in front of you when Dottie was threatening to blow Junior away and Serena was reaching for a weapon. He was going to take a bullet for you, Rose, or more likely spend one on Serena to protect you. I do not think he is leaving any time soon." She tilted her head at me, smiling. "I also think Pike wants him to stay now. Don't worry, Rose. They have it all under control."

It was terrifying how much I wanted that to be true.

"I need another Nusskuchen ," I told her.

"I'd like one too, please," Lian said. Then she leaned close to me. "Come on. Max in bed. Tell me everything."