LLOYD, PAUL R. (12 page)

“She paid dearly.” A smile crept
across Ahlman’s face.

“I can’t sacrifice a virgin every
week. It’s not like the old days when you could steal a kid from an orphanage
and nobody would miss her.”

“It’s near your time to rest,
Denise. That’s what brought me here.”

Denise opened the oven door of the
old gas range. “I brought you here! I made sacrifices and all that jazz to
Lucifer for you.”

“But you destroyed the coven single-handed.
Oh my, they smell scrumptious.”

“Liz did her share. It was the
coven’s fault for electing a kid her age when I’m the senior hag.” Denise
grabbed a towel and pulled a tray of muffins from the oven.

“You’re the only hag in the coven
at the moment.”

Denise dumped the muffins onto a
plate on the pine kitchen table. “That’s not exactly true, but then you never
tell the truth, do you? I’m rebuilding it with my followers. I’ll be the high
priestess.”

“What about Liz?”

“She’s gone.” Denise held out the
muffins for Ahlman. “They’re hot, the way you like them.”

Ahlman grabbed a muffin and took a
bite. “You know your spells won’t work on me, don’t you? Liz is in hiding and
you know it. You try to restore the coven without her and you’ll answer to
her.”

“And she’ll answer to you. You have
to do my bidding, remember.”

“If you say so.”

“Meowr,” lisped Fritz as he rubbed
against Ahlman’s ankles. Fritz swatted at a tiny gargoyle, the size of
bullfrog, as it flew above the floor.

Denise lifted Fritz into her arms. “I
say so. You have to honor the blood I shed in Lucifer’s name.”

Ahlman thumped his chest with a
muffin in his hand, causing bits of food to fly about the room. “I honor
Lucifer and do his bidding.”

“I bid for you to help me. You’re
bought and paid for. Now do your job. Make me young forever and find Liz so I
can destroy her.” An olive green gargoyle sunk its claws into Denise’s left
calf muscle, drawing blood. “Fritz, get your toy out of here!” Denise dropped
Fritz on top of the gargoyle.

“I have a plan. Don’t know if it
will last forever. As for Liz, she’s your problem, not mine.” Ahlman took a
bite of the remaining chunk of muffin in his hand.
            “Make me young forever for I know your name, Belezebaum.”

Ahlman threw his hands up to his
face. The well-bitten remains of muffin smashed into the ceiling, raining morsels
of sweet crumblings. Ahlman’s gossamer wings, as if made of steel, ripped
through his shirt and flapped wildly. His screaming voice echoed around the
house. “How did you know?”

The gargoyle, in attempting to
escape from Fritz, flew into Ahlman’s flapping wings and found itself batted
across the room where it smashed into the wall above the stove. It slid into an
iron kettle of liquid boiling on the large gas burner.

Ahlman regained control of his
flapping wings while calming himself.

Denise dabbed at her bloody left
leg with a paper towel. “You’re not the only one with access to father Lucifer,
Belezebaum. Now, do my bidding and make me young. And while you’re at it, take control
your gargoyles.”

“I know a potion I can teach you,
but first we must destroy our enemies.”

Denise placed a heavy iron lid on
top of the kettle. “This gargoyle is my enemy.”

“I meant I know a potion to help
you live a much longer life without sacrificing so many virgins.”

“What about the gargoyle?”

“My dear, when you open the gates
of hell to release a demon of my size, you have no control over the little
demons that sneak out with me. They’re a hoot, aren’t they?”

“I’ll deal with the gargoyles
myself. Right now I have many enemies in Naperville. Will you kill them all?”
Denise helped herself to a muffin. “These weren’t spiked, you know, except with
apple cider.”

“You make excellent muffins, my
dear. Best I’ve had since the twelfth century. I make friends easily. I’ll have
my friends take care of your enemies.”

Denise raised an eyebrow. “Including
Liz?”

“As you wish, once we find her of
course.”

“Who shall we begin with?” Denise
opened the refrigerator and removed a jar of raspberry jam.

“One who seeks the truth. Would
that be a sweet raspberry jam, my dear? You always put in a drop of extra
sugar.”

“And who might be seeking the truth,
Belezebaum?”

“Why, Micah
Probert, my dear.”

***

“I hate you.” Peevy handed a paper cup
of the hair burner brew to Micah across the counter at Bob’s Coffee Emporium.

“This is not a new revelation.”
Micah took the coffee.

“You ruined my sister, and now,
you’ve ruined my friend.”

“I did?”

Barbara approached the front of the
counter next to Peevy. “She’s talking about last night.”
            “What about last night?” Micah blew across the top of the plastic
lid.

“Have to take the lid off, silly.”
Barbara grabbed the coffee. “Peevy’s upset because I spent the night with a
perv.”

Micah glared at Peevy. “We didn’t
sleep together.”

“Why not announce it to the whole
world!” Barbara ripped the plastic lid off Micah’s coffee.

Micah smiled while stepping back. “You
wanted us to sleep together?”

“I wore your pajamas didn’t I? That
qualifies as a hint, you know.” Barbara turned and made her way to the other
end of the counter.

“But you said…”

Barbara turned around and gave
Micah a green-eyed cold stare. “‘But you said’ is the last refuge of cowardly
lovers.”

Micah’s face warmed. His head
dropped lower than his chest. He spoke to the floor. “I’ll know better next
time.” He blew on his coffee as he sloughed over to a table.

“If there is a next time. It’s not
every night I want to sleep with a perv.”

Peevy said, “So you guys didn’t…”

Barbara smiled and spoke loudly,
“I’m teasing the perv. I made him be good last night to test him. It’s not his
fault we didn’t sleep together. And he’s no perv. You’ve got him all wrong,
Peevy. He’s a nice guy. And rich, too. You may have screwed up by listening to
your sister.”

“I don’t care how much he’s worth,
he’s still a pervert and a jailbird and I don’t want him around here.”

Bob strolled out from the back and
sat at the table with Micah. “So you and Barbara are like a pair now?”

Micah smiled. “Is Barbara a perv,
too?”

“I heard that!” Barbara hollered.

Bob surveyed the front door to the coffee
shop. He returned his focus to Micah. “Speaking of pervs, look who’s coming.”

Micah glanced over at the door.
Ahlman Brown breezed in with Denise Appleby. Ahlman headed for the counter
while Denise ambled for Micah’s table. When she arrived, she bent over and
planted a lingering kiss on his lips.

After the kiss, Denise sat at the
table. “Hello, handsome.”

“Hi. We’re friends now, right?”
Micah smiled. A paper cup bounced off his head. He glanced at the counter area and
spotted Barbara turning her back to him.

“We are. Can’t a girl greet her
friends with a kiss?”

“Isn’t Bob your friend, too?”

“Yeah, we’re old friends, aren’t we
Bob?”

Bob smiled. “Some friends aren’t as
old as others, Denise.”

“Have a nice morning, boys. I have
to skedaddle.” Denise stood and waltzed over to Ahlman. “Here, let me pay,
Ahlman. You’re such an angel.” She opened her purse and two small gargoyles
fluttered out. They both bowed before Ahlman who gave them a cold stare. The
gargoyles shrugged and flitted about the coffee shop. One landed on a lamp top
and froze into a brass statuette. The other opened a coffee machine lid, let
out a whoop and dived in.

“What was that all about?” Micah
asked.

“You don’t want to know,” Bob said.

The door to the store opened and a
short blonde lumbered in.

“She’s pretty,” Micah said.

Bob followed Micah’s stare. “Ah, you’re
old friend and lover.”

“I know her?”

“Ghost of Christmas past. Way past.
Your past, Micah. Think about it. Who do I know that you knew way back when?”

“Peevy?”

“You’re in the right family, pal.”

“You’re kidding!”

“No.”

“I never would have recognized
Janice O’Malley. She was fourteen the last time I saw her lying face in court.”

Bob tapped Micah’s arm. “Janice
Gordon now.”

While handing her sister a cup of
coffee, Peevy leaned over the counter and whispered into her ear. Janice stared
at Micah. She smiled and came over to his table.

“You haven’t changed.” Janice ran
her finger around the lid to her coffee.

“You have.”

“Yes. I… I… want…” Tears fell down
her cheek. Janice turned and ran out the door.

Bob said, “Be careful, man. You
shouldn’t hurt her feelings. She could sue you.”

“All I said was ‘you have.’”

“Seeing you is enough. You stir up
horrible memories in her, Micah.”

“That’s it!” Peevy shouted. “Either
he goes or I go.”

From inside
one of the coffeemakers a muffled laugh bubbled out.

***

Micah handed a bottle of beer to
Bob. “I’m thinking of selling the house in Naperville and returning to Phoenix.
Maybe travel for a while.”

“You’re here for a reason.” Bob sucked
in the beer.

“That’s what I concluded, but what
reason?” Micah took a bite of pizza and leaned back on the couch in the living
room of the big Oak Brook house.

Bob put down his beer bottle,
leaned forward on his chair and rested his arms on his lap. “You should pray
for God to show you the reason.”

Micah leaned his head back. “That’s
what you religious types do, isn’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“You can pray for me. Let me know
if you get an answer.” Micah took a swig of his beer.

“So far the answer has been to
befriend you.” Bob sat back in his chair, with his feet dangling over the edge.

“Cool. Your God must know I don’t
have any friends.”

“You always have a friend in Jesus,
Micah.”

“So I’ve heard.” Micah stretched
his feet across the lush white pile of the carpet.

Bob pointed a finger at Micah. “But
Peevy doesn’t want you to darken our doorway again.”

“I understand. There’s no reason
for me to continue visiting your coffee shop.”

“I’d like you to. You’re a fine
customer. And you haven’t found what you are seeking.”

“I moved to Naperville because
there was something here that needed doing. I never was sure what. So far, I’ve
seen trouble enough for one life.”

Bob picked up a slice of pizza. “Why
not take a week off from hanging out at the coffee shop? Stay here in Oak Brook
or go back to work on your Naperville house.”

“I enjoy fixing up that old house.
I feel more like me there than in this place.”

Bob spoke through a mouth full of
pizza. “This is a great house, Micah.”

“I keep expecting the owner to show
up and throw us out.”

“You’re the owner. Or at least the
leaseholder. You may stay as long as you pay the rent.”

“It’s covered for three months. I could
turn this mausoleum into a party palace for my Naperville friends.”

“But you don’t have any friends.”

“Correct.”

“So what am I?”

“Okay, one friend.”

Bob smiled. He picked up the TV
remote and then put it back down. “What about Barbara?”

“Yeah, she’s a friend, too.”

“And Peevy?”

“You’re kidding, right?” Micah took
another sip of beer.

“Down deep she is a right person.
She’ll come around.” Bob bit off more pizza.

“You noticed her sister go bawling
out of your place?”

“Why do you think she was so upset?”

“She spotted me.”

Bob tapped Micah on the knee. “Why
would catching a glimpse of you make her cry?”

“She thinks I raped her.”

“But you didn’t, did you?”

“No.”

“So, why would she cry when she saw
you if you were innocent all along?”

A loud clang sounded upstairs in
Micah’s Naperville fixer-upper, causing him to glance at the ceiling. He
returned his gaze to Barbara.

She brushed her hand through her
red locks. “Didn’t know you had company.”

“I didn’t, at least not until you
arrived.”

The clanging continued with the
addition of the shrumping sound of something dragged across the floor.

“She never made noises before.”
Micah said.

“You do have company. And she’s
pissed because I’m here.”

“She’s a ghost. Don’t worry about
it.”

“You believe in ghosts?”

“No, but there she is.”

“Where?”

“Upstairs making noise.”

“I want to see her.” Barbara said.

“Be my guest. Most people would be
scared out of their wits.”

“But you’re not?”

“Fifteen years in prison. You have
to be big, mean and physical to scare me. Puffs of smoke in the shape of a dead
woman have to be pretty clever to frighten me out of my own home.”

An excruciating scream ripped the
air. Barbara rushed up the stairs, stopping at the top. “Don’t see her,” she
called down to Micah. She hurried back down the stairs.

Micah tipped a coffee mug in
salute. “Told you it could be scary.”

“Come with me?” Barbara took his
arm and leaned in close. He guided her back up the steps. The shrumping
retreated into a side bedroom.

Micah and Barbara entered the room
where a box flew off the floor and across the room. It smashed against the
wall. Micah looked from the fallen box to the place where it had been. The pioneer
woman stared back at him.

Micah pointed. “See her?”

“Yeah.”

Glass shattered as three gargoyles
flew in through a window. They attempted to sink their talons into the arms of
the ghost. The ghost turned and stepped through the wall to the bathroom. The
gargoyles bounced off the walls and slid to the floor. They flapped their wings
to rise to about four feet off the floor and stared at Barbara. They opened
their mouths and screeched at her while flapping their wings. Barbara screamed.
The gargoyles flew out the window.