by Shari Hearn
“Nurse Vickie,” CJ’s voice called from outside the children’s section. “Can you hear me?”
Lila Rose lifted her head, listening.
“Don’t listen to him, Poppy,” I said. “Give me the gun so I can defend us.”
“You’re in no position to hold a gun, Jelly. You can’t even stand.”
“Nurse Vickie,” Mayliss said cheerfully, “I have the syringe you’re looking for.”
“And I have a bullet with your name on it,” Lila Rose said, firing toward the archway. Pieces of Winnie the Pooh rained down on the floor. Lila Rose ran to the archway and took cover behind one of the pillars, sticking her arm out and firing blindly.
Tapping on the window caught my attention. While Lila Rose was preoccupied with guarding the archway to the children’s library, I rolled my chair over to the window and pulled myself up to the ledge that sat several feet up from the floor. Though everything appeared to swim in my vision, I managed to unlock the window before falling back in the chair. Ida Belle was the first one through, followed by Gertie.
“Oh my God,” Ida Belle said, her face blanching. “You look like crap.”
I slumped in the chair. The Calvary had arrived. I could relax.
“Stay awake, Fortune.” Gertie rushed over and knelt next to me, lifting me up and placing my head on her shoulder.
“Take your hands off her,” Lila Rose said, pointing the weapon at Gertie.
“Shhhh,” Ida Belle whispered. “They don’t know we’re here. We’d like to keep it that way.”
I looked up at Poppy. “It’s okay. They’re friends.”
“Like hell they are. They’re the old witches. The leaders of the coven.”
Gertie looked up at Lila Rose. “We converted, Poppy. We’re Baptists now.”
“Baptists? Do you trust them, Jelly?” Lila Rose asked.
I nodded. “They’re our friends, Poppy.”
“I called Janice,” Ida Belle whispered to me. “She said the dog’s syringe was a mild tranquilizer and not a sedative, so it won’t put you out.”
“Nurse Vickie,” CJ called out. “It’s time to put an end to this. Time to put Jelly out of her misery. You can do this.”
Gertie looked at me, puzzled. I explained how CJ and Mayliss were trying to get Lila Rose to inject me with a lethal solution, the same solution that killed Waddell.
CJ fired into the children’s section, striking the ceiling, knocking chunks of acoustical tiles onto the floor.
“How many weapons do they have out there?” Gertie asked.
“Just one,” I said. “CJ has it. And he’s a bad shot.”
Gertie opened her purse and retrieved her handgun. Ida Belle pulled hers from her waistband.
Lila Rose eyed the weapons. “I didn’t know Baptists carried so much firepower.”
“We’re not your average Baptists,” Gertie said.
“We need you to surrender to them,” Ida Belle told Lila Rose.
“What?” She shot a look at me. “I thought they were our friends.” She shook her head at Ida Belle. “I will not. Poppy Boone and Jelly never surrender.”
“It’s a ruse,” Ida Belle said. “They don’t know we’re in here with you. We’ll jump them as soon as they come in.”
I laughed. Who knew why. I just found it funny.
“You did it in book seven,” Gertie said. “Remember? You and Jelly were in that bank that was being robbed, and you let the bank robbers think you were two scared women. Then, BAM, you turned the tables. Saved the day.”
Lila Rose smiled, nodded. “Yeah. We did, didn’t we?”
“Okay, ladies, we’re going to give you one last chance,” Mayliss called out. “We need for Nurse Vickie to give Jelly her shot. If you don’t give up, CJ will have to shoot his way in. You don’t want that.”
Lila Rose sneered, winked at me, and puffed out her chest like the middle-aged badass PI she thought she was. “Looks like someone’s overdue for an ass-whoopin’.” She nodded to me. “Jelly, your line.”
“Huh?”
“Time for this Jelly to roll,” Gertie said, clapping. “I love that line.”
Ida Belle rushed to one side of the archway, Gertie the other. Ida Belle nodded to Lila Rose.
“Okay, I surrender,” she called out. “Time for Jelly to be put out of her misery.”
Moments later CJ and Mayliss stepped through the archway. Mayliss held out the syringe.
“You won’t regret this,” CJ said.
“You’re right about that.” Ida Belle stepped up behind him and placed her gun against his skull. “I’m not regretting this at all.”
“Damn straight,” Gertie said as she jammed her pistol into the back of Mayliss’ head. “Drop the syringe.”
Mayliss did.
Lila Rose sauntered up to Mayliss. “Justice is served.” She then slapped Mayliss hard across the face. “Medium well, with a dollop of whoop-ass. Just the way I like it.”
Gertie looked at Ida Belle. “I really need to come up with some stock lines for us.”
Ida Belle rolled her eyes. “Do and I’ll have to shoot you.”
Chapter Twelve
An hour and two cups of coffee later, the fog of the tranquilizer had almost lifted. Gertie, Ida Belle and I sat in the plush chairs in the magazine section giving our statements to Carter as Deputy Breaux led Mayliss and CJ out of the library in handcuffs.
Not only had my fog lifted, but Lila Rose’s book-character personalities faded away soon after Carter and Deputy Breaux arrived. Lila Rose was back to being Lila Rose, the author, and sat at one of the library’s computers reading all the reviews that her plagiarized Pancake Junction had garnered.
I would have thought she’d be enraged reading all the wonderful reviews CJ received. But, instead, they seemed to energize her. She realized these were her reviews, not CJ’s.
“RaginReader0789 from Kansas City writes, ‘Pancake Junction is a winner,’” she called to us from the computer. “Five stars from Sylvia J. from Pennsylvania. ‘The writing reminds me of Lila Rose Fontaine. Wonder what happened to her? I miss her.’ Well, Sylvia J.,” she said, pointing at the monitor, “you’re in luck, because I’m back. I have five file drawers filled with novels and I’m publishing every last one of them.”
Carter flicked his head toward Lila Rose. “It’s true? She’s going back to publishing?”
I nodded. “When she heard how well CJ was doing with her material, she said it was time she became her old self again and share her unpublished works with the world.”
“That means she’ll just go back to being mildly kooky,” Gertie whispered.
“She’s even going to write a follow-up to the PB&J Murders and bring Jelly back from the brink of death,” I added.
“My mom will be happy to hear that,” Carter said. “She’s read every one of Lila Rose’s books.”
Ida Belle smiled. “Even though she can’t remember saving Fortune as Poppy Boone, I think somehow, deep inside, it made an impact on her. She’s been racked with guilt all these years over killing Jelly in the book, and tonight she was able to save her. Maybe now she can move on.”
The front door of the library was pushed open. Janice rushed inside, her head bobbing frantically, searching for her mother. Gertie pointed to the computer.
“Mom!” Janice ran to Lila Rose and wrapped her arms around her, the tears streaming from her eyes. “I was so worried about you.”
Lila Rose hugged Janice. “I am so sorry I put you through another episode.”
Janice pulled away and wiped at her tears. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”
“Well, I’m okay,” Lila Rose said. “But I hear I shot at poor Fortune and stuck her with Gracie’s tranquilizer.”
Janice’s hand flew up to her mouth. She turned and flashed me a horrified look.
“It’s okay,” I said. “Your mom’s a bad shot. And she did help save my life. So, it’s a wash.”
Janice turned back to Lila Rose. “Mom,
please tell me you’ll go back to therapy. I spoke with a new doctor and she told me all about this relaxation technique she’d like to try with you. Said it has good results. So you don’t have to… you know…”
“Go bonkers?” Lila Rose asked.
Janice nodded.
Lila Rose kissed Janice’s forehead. “I’ll call her tomorrow.”
Gertie dabbed at her glistening eyes. “I’m so glad Janice wasn’t the one who killed Waddell.”
Carter closed his notebook. “I guess that’s everything. I’ll call if I have any more questions.”
“I’ll walk you to the door.”
We passed by Lila Rose and Janice as Lila Rose was pointing out another five-star review. Carter nodded to them. “You ladies take care.”
We stopped at the front door of the library. I had an overwhelming urge to wrap my arms around Carter and let my tears flow. But I held back. He lifted his hand to my face and caressed my cheek with his finger.
“I wouldn’t blame you if you shed a tear or two. I mean, I know you’re a badass agent and all, but…” his voice cracked as he said, “you came close to leaving us tonight.”
I didn’t tell him that I’d come close to dying so many times in my life that I stopped counting. But, yeah, tonight was close. If I hadn’t connected with the Poppy Boone character and Mayliss had been able to inject me with her poison… I shook the thought out of my head.
“I’m so sorry I wasn’t here when you needed me.”
“Don’t,” I said. “You see what guilt did to Lila Rose. You were responding to a call.” A call that Mayliss admitted making to take Carter away from the area. “You were doing your job. You can’t be everywhere.”
“But I should have been here.” His phone signaled he was receiving a text. He took it out of his pocket and read it. “Deputy Breaux. Seems CJ is blaming Mayliss for everything. Said he was ‘coerced’ into helping. I’d better get down to the station.”
He opened the door. “I could come by later tonight and check up on you.”
Oh, God, how I wanted him to. But I didn’t want him to come back to me under these circumstances. I had no idea if we were ever going to be together again, but if we did decide to give it another go, I didn’t want him coming back because I almost died.
I shook my head. “I’ll be fine. The effects of the tranquilizer are wearing off.”
“You need to have a doctor look at your leg.”
“The bullet just grazed me. Gertie cleaned and bandaged it before you got here. I’ll be fine.”
“Okay, then.” He took my hand in his and squeezed it. “But don’t get mad if I call and check on you tomorrow.”
“Sure.” I squeezed his hand and released it, so wanting to pull him back as he walked through the doorway. Instead, I turned and walked back into the library, passing Lila Rose and her daughter.
Lila Rose stood. “Janice, do you mind if I have a word with Fortune before we leave?”
“Of course.”
Lila Rose watched as Janice walked over and plopped down in a chair next to Gertie.
“Jelly…” Poppy Boone was back. “We had ourselves one hell of an adventure today, didn’t we?”
“Yes, we did, Poppy,” I said, going along with her change in personality.
She took my hands. “Ever since finding you on my doorstep when you were just a little thing, all I ever wanted was to find your mom. Or maybe some other family member. Someone who could give you what I couldn’t.” She nodded toward Janice. Gertie had her arm around her, giving her a hug as Janice wiped tears from her eyes. “But something tells me you’ve already found your true family. Now, old Baptist witches aren’t my type of people, but they were there for you.”
I nodded. “I think you’re right, Poppy.”
She wiped at her teary eyes. “I wanted to also say that you’ll be seeing less of me. I think Lila Rose is starting to get her mojo back, so I don’t think she’ll need me helping her anymore.”
I smiled. “Maybe Lila Rose is stronger than you thought, huh?”
She nodded. “I think it’s time for Janice to get her mom back, even if it means I fade into the woodwork. But that’s okay, we’ll be back in her next book where we belong, having another great adventure.”
I raised my eyebrows at this revelation. “You mean, you know you’re a book character created by Lila Rose?”
“Well, of course I do. Hell, I’d be insane if I didn’t, right?”
I nodded. As crazy as it was, it made sense. “And what about Nurse Vickie? And the other characters who pop up? Are they going too?”
Lila Rose nodded and touched me on the shoulder. “We defeated them tonight. Something tells me they’re gone for good.” She gazed at her daughter again. “Anyway, Janice has been the caretaker of that nut job for too long. Time for her to go back to being a daughter. Would that be okay by you, if I came around less often so Lila Rose can get herself well and be a mom again?”
Now it was my turn to choke up. “Yeah, I think that would be good.”
She squeezed my shoulder. “You take care, then. Oh, and I don’t know what’s up with you and that hot deputy, but something tells me that will all work out in the end as well. I hope it does. You two remind me of me and that handsome park ranger, Rhett Baker, in book four. Before crazy Lila Rose had him killed by that bear, she wrote some sizzling bedroom scenes for us. Yes she did. Makes me blush to even think about it. So I know a thing or two about chemistry, and you and that deputy have it.”
Her voice took on a lighter pitch as she looked over at Janice. “Janice, honey, I’m ready when you are.”
Janice hugged Gertie and Ida Belle goodbye and she and Lila Rose walked away arm-in-arm, crossing Head Librarian Lucy as she raced inside.
“I saw Deputy LeBlanc. He said there was an altercation in my absence.”
“You might say that,” I answered.
She scanned the area, her gaze resting on the archway to the children’s library. Pieces of Curious George were scattered on the carpeting. She screamed. “Curious George!”
“I was almost killed, but I escaped death, just in case you were wondering.”
Apparently she wasn’t. She raced over to the bits of George and fell to her knees, scooping an arm here and a foot there and cradling them to her chest. Ida Belle and Gertie came up beside me.
Gertie whispered, “We should leave before she discovers—”
“Winnie the Pooh! Not you too!” She looked up at me. “I didn’t leave you alone for more than two hours and look what you’ve done!”
“We could stay and help you clean up,” Ida Belle said.
Lucy pointed her finger at us. “You destroyed them! Out! Get out!”
Once outside we piled into Gertie’s ancient Cadillac.
“I think I’ve had enough drama to last the rest of my life,” Gertie said as she peeled away from the library. “I mean, that whole New Orleans adventure was just a few days ago. I’m tired.”
“Yeah, maybe we should just take it easy the next couple of weeks,” Ida Belle said.
I blew out a breath. “You won’t hear an argument from me.”
Ida Belle’s phone buzzed. She read the incoming text. “It’s from Babs Babineaux. The underwear thief struck again. She said she saw him leaving Cora’s house and he’s now climbing the fence and heading toward Celia’s house.”
“So, if we caught him in the act…” Gertie began.
“We could photograph all Celia’s unmentionables and post them on Facebook,” Ida Belle said, finishing Gertie’s thought. “We’ll feign ignorance and ask if anyone knows who they belong to.”
Gertie laughed again. “And embarrass the heck out of her.”
She took a sharp ninety-degree turn at the next stop sign and headed toward Celia’s street. “Oh, this should be fun. Who’s up for a stakeout?”
“Me,” Ida Belle said.
“Me,” I added.
What the heck. We could rest tomorrow.
> THE END