Chapter Twenty-Eight
Cleo considered working on the illustrations for a children’s book the perfect palate cleanser after a horror novel.
Since the goal she needed to hit required everything bright and happy, fun and silly, she set her mood to match.
And she enjoyed the quiet as Dobbs didn’t bother to slam and thud. As the sun continued to break through the clouds, blue skies won over gray, and her studio filled with light.
The fire simmered, her sweet orange inspiration candle added more layers to the cheer.
She smiled as she drew her main character peering through an oversized magnifying glass with a bright purple handle. The intrepid, curly-haired little girl searched for clues, one eye huge in the circle of glass.
Then she jumped in her chair as Clover—it could only be Clover—stood in front of her desk. Her wide blue eyes looked as urgent as her voice when she spoke.
“Sonya. Dobbs has Sonya in the library. She’s hurting her! We need help! Hurry!”
Even as she vanished, Cleo pushed up. She started to run, stopped, and yanked open a drawer. She grabbed the BB gun, sage, her lighter. Then she ran.
She’d nearly reached the door before the screams inside penetrated. Not Sonya, she thought in a panic, because the screams weren’t human.
Fingers of mist crawled under the library doors.
She yanked, pulled. She shoved the sage and lighter in a pocket, the gun in another. And put all her strength into dragging the pocket doors apart.
“Help me!” Her muscles pinged and burned as she strained to part the doors. “I can’t do it by myself. You have to help me get them open.”
She braced, gritted her teeth, then nearly pitched forward when they flew open.
Blood on her face, pain alive in her eyes, Sonya dangled a foot from the floor. With her hands curled like claws, Dobbs laughed.
She turned sharply to Cleo, and her madness shined like a beacon through the fog and dim light.
“Both of you then. A treat for me!”
“I’ll give you a treat.”
When Cleo lifted the gun, Dobbs threw back her head with a laugh. “Do you think such a thing would harm me? What a pleasure it will be to—”
Cleo fired. As Dobbs stumbled back, her face frozen in shock, Sonya spilled to the floor.
“I think what’s in it will.”
Cleo fired again, and now Dobbs screamed. On the third shot, then a fourth, still screaming, Dobbs whirled, whirled, whirled until nothing was left of her but a thin stream of fetid smoke.
“Sonya!”
As Cleo rushed to her, Sonya pushed to her hands and knees.
“Gonna be sick.”
Instinctively, Cleo gathered back Sonya’s hair as she retched.
“She’s gone. She’s gone now. I’ve got you. Can you make it to the couch?”
“Yeah. Yeah. I’m so cold.”
“I’ll build up the fire, and get you water. And we’ll see where you’re hurt. You’re bleeding.”
“She hit me.” With Cleo’s help, Sonya limped to the couch. “Or something did because she was too far away for that. But it felt like a punch in the face. I’ve never been punched in the face, but I’m sure that’s what it feels like.”
Cleo tucked a throw around her, then rubbed Sonya’s hands between hers. “I’m getting your water bottle.”
She dashed to the desk and back. In that short moment, the fire roared up.
“Your nose is bleeding. It’s not broken—I know what that looks like. Your mouth, too, but I don’t see where it’s cut.”
“I bit my tongue. Hard.”
“Okay, where else?”
“Banged up.” Closing her eyes, Sonya let her head drop back. “Slammed me around. I’m going to have some bruises. It would’ve been worse, Cleo, if you hadn’t come. I tried to fight back, but—”
“Don’t worry. I’m going to get water and a cloth, then take a look at the rest of you. And if I say doctor, you’re not going to argue.”
“You won’t, but I won’t if you do.”
“You’re not alone, Son.”
“I’m okay. Need to get my breath back. And you could add some Motrin to that cloth and water. I hurt everywhere.”
“Done.”
When Cleo hurried back, she saw the spot where Sonya had been sick was clean. It made her eyes sting, that small show of support.
“Here, take these. We’ll fix you up. Where are the dogs? Pye?”
“I’d just let them out. Pye came down as I was heading there, too. She waited for that. I’m betting she waited for that, Cleo.”
Cleo used the warm, wet cloth to bathe the blood from Sonya’s face. “She thought you were alone. We know better.”
“Clover warned me, but it was too late. She closed me in, and she was there.”
As Sonya told her what happened, Cleo looked over every inch.
“Bitch. Vicious bitch. You’re right about the bruises. You’ve got plenty. Including one right here.” She brushed a finger over Sonya’s left cheek. “I want to see if you can walk. You limped before.”
Sonya indulged herself with a long breath, then stood. “Ankle, the right one’s a little sore, but I can put weight on it. That knee hurts a little, but not like it did.”
She went to the desk, picked up her Coke. “I feel like I took a hard fall. Which I did.”
“We’re going down, and you’ll elevate that leg. Do some ice.”
“How did you know to come? Clover?”
“Ice and elevation, then I’ll tell you.”
“You had the BB gun. It worked.”
“Yes, I did, and yes, it did.” Once again, Cleo put an arm around Sonya for support. “And I’ll tell you about that, too. We need to tell Trey. And Owen.”
“He’s in court, and I don’t want to—”
“I, for one, am not facing his justifiable fury if we don’t tell him and right soon. We’ll get you settled in the kitchen, and you’ll text him while I make us a little lunch and some soothing tea.”
“All right, because you’re right.”
She had to bite back a groan as, with Cleo’s help, she hobbled down the stairs.
“It’s just that he was a little upset this morning when I told him I saw Jerome. He called it an escalation, and said—he damn well said—she’d escalate, too. And she did. Ow, Jesus, she really did.”
Because she felt weak, she let Cleo fuss, and dutifully texted Trey when she had her leg up, her knee and ankle on ice.
Don’t be smug, but you were right. Dobbs escalated. We fought the bitch off. Cleo did a marksman’s job with the BB gun. And now we’re having some lunch, so don’t worry. Jambalaya’s on tonight’s menu.
She added a heart emoji.
His response came in under ten minutes, as Cleo let the pets in, handed out treats.
Are you hurt?
She thought: Shit. Just shit, and gave herself a minute to think of the right answer.
Got a few bruises, nothing serious. Nurse Cleo instructed me to ice my knee, so I am.
Trust me, she got the worst of it, so satisfaction outweighs the bruises.
I promise I’d tell you if I were really hurt.
And if I didn’t, Cleo would. She’s already texted Owen.
We’ll give you both all the details when you get here.
As soon as I can. Owen’s closer, so anything else happens—anything—get him. I love you, Sonya.
She acknowledged that with another heart, one that pulsed. Then sighed.
“Now he’s going to be distracted in court. He wants us to get Owen if anything else happens.”
“Already arranged. Now eat,” she said as she set down the comfort of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.
“You need to tell me your side of it.”
“Clover. Only she didn’t say it with music. She was right there, in the studio. Obvious now, she didn’t want to take the time for a song or chance I wouldn’t clue right in.”
“You saw her.”
“I did. Right at my desk. She said Dobbs had you and you needed help. They needed help. When I got to the doors, I couldn’t open them, and I needed their help. They were there for it.”
“After you ran down to the closet to get the BB gun.”
“About that. After Trey brought it, I mentioned it to my grand-mère. She said BBs might annoy her, but she didn’t know if they’d stop her. So she sent me beads.”
“Beads.”
“Crystal beads, BB size. After that goddamn bird smashed itself into the studio window, I got the gun out of the closet, loaded it up with the beads. I hadn’t bothered to take it back down yet. You wouldn’t even practice with it anyway.”
“You obviously didn’t need to. They hurt her. I was pretty dazed, but I could see that. They hurt her, shocked her. And they scared her.”
“My grand-mère knows her business.”
“We’re sending her flowers.” Reaching out, Sonya gripped Cleo’s hand. “I was afraid. No, I was terrified. I couldn’t not be. But when I saw you, I knew she wouldn’t win.”
“When I saw you, dangling up there, bleeding? I knew she couldn’t win. But, Son, it’s coming down to the time we have to take the fight to her.”
“I know it. I just don’t know how.”
“One thing? I’m going to reload my magic BBs.”
It made her laugh. “Only you, Cleo. And I’m leaving that to you.” Sonya lifted the ice pack from her ankle, laid it against her sore cheek. “This was my first ever physical fight, though I can’t say I landed any punches.”
“Here.” Cleo took off one of her multitude of bracelets. “Wear this.”
“Pretty, but why?”
“It’s fluorite. Think of it as a shield against dark forces.”
Sonya slid it on, admired it. “Got one big enough for my face?”
Lifting her hands, Cleo fisted them. “Keep your dukes up.”
Clover lightened it up with “Kung Fu Fighting.”
On a half laugh, Sonya shook her head. “Maybe I can stream a workout for that. Meanwhile, it may hurt some, but I need to move or I’m going to stiffen up. It’s also the first time I’ve been thrown across the room like Yoda’s red ball.”
“How about a hot bath and a nap?”
Both sounded wonderful, but.
“If I went that route, it’s like she won. Thanks to you, she sure as hell didn’t. So, wearing my shield, I’m going to take my walk with two fierce dogs and a fearless cat. She’s done for now, Cleo. You know it.”
“I’ve got the look on her face when I shot her ass engraved on my brain, so I do know it.”
“Go reload your weapon of evil destruction.” When she rose, Sonya said, “Ow. But definitely better. I’m going to walk, finish my workday, help you make jambalaya. And, hopefully, manage to settle Trey back to his usual calm self.”
A little sore, a little stiff, she took her walk. And felt better for it.