The Thread That Binds the Bones (31 page)

Laura in his arms was warm and alive, smelling of sage and spice and a hint of jasmine, tied to him with a spectrum of threads, some they had spun themselves, some supplied by others. He knew this was different from everything he had experienced before. Exciting and scary; another challenging new thing to learn. She tipped her head up and he kissed her and stopped thinking about anything else.

“Hey!”

Laura giggled and he felt the faint buzz of her voice against his lips. He lifted his head, turned to see Trixie in the door.

“Bert’s here,” she said.

“One sec,” said Laura, slipping out of his arms and dashing into the bathroom. He followed her, since she didn’t close the door, and watched as she lined her eyes with a delicate rim of black, brushed a color onto her lips that matched her dress, and touched the ridges of her cheekbones with gilded peach. “My hair,” she said.

“Looks perfect,” he said.

She gave herself a concentrated stare in the mirror, grabbed a red and black hair clasp from her toiletries bag, combed and then clubbed her hair at the nape of her neck, then looked at him and wiggled her eyebrows.

“Okay, even more perfect,” he said, and they ran downstairs.

Bert had slicked his hair back and was wearing a brown suit a size too small for comfort. “Come on!” he said as they poured out of the house. “We should be there already!”

“Weddings always start late,” Trixie said.

“Should I warm up Old Number Two?” Tom said, looking at the eight of them. Old Number One had broad bench seats in the front and back, but—

“What are laps for?” Bert said. “Get in!”

They all managed to fit, Maggie and Trixie in front next to Bert, Laura on Tom’s lap in the back seat, Carroll, subdued, in the middle, and Alyssa on Michael’s lap. Alyssa giggled. “Mischief,” she said. “Mischief.”

“What’s all this traffic about?” muttered Bert, swerving to avoid a car pulling out of a driveway.

“Maybe everybody’s coming,” said Trixie. “Lord! There’s Custis. Wish I had a hat to tip. I wonder if the kids invited the whole town?”

“Father Wolfe’ll have the biggest congregation of his career, and no chance for a sermon,” said Bert. And he turned out to be right; by the time they reached the church, there wasn’t a space left in the parking lot. “How do you like that!” Bert said. “And me best man.”

“Park illegally, boss,” said Tom.

“You learn to fix tickets as well as everything else, Tommy?” Bert parked in a red zone and everyone piled out of the car.

Maggie went to Carroll, who looked pale. “Lean over,” she said. He leaned over—and she smoothed his hair. “Now do your arm like this,” she said, crooking her elbow. He copied her and she linked arms with him. “Scared too,” she muttered, “so can I hang onto you?”

“I would prefer it.”

They all went in together, Michael and Alyssa holding hands, Carroll and Maggie following them, Tom between Laura and Trixie, Bert dashing for the front of the church to ask the priest where he could find the groom. The organ was already playing, and the pews were full, but as they came down the aisle voices stilled, and started again in a hushed tone. People scooted away from them. Carroll heard his name on the crest of the whispers, but wherever he looked, people fell silent. Some trembled. Behind them, some people snuck out.

“Oh, stop it,” Trixie yelled. “We’re only here to wish them health, okay?”

“I better go talk to Annis, tell her who’s come, and that it’s all right,” Laura whispered to Tom. She turned and went toward the back of the church.

Carroll decided to take advantage of his ability to make people disappear. He stared grimly at the second pew on the right until it emptied of people, then tapped Michael on the shoulder and aimed him in that direction. They sat down. The mutters near them evaporated.

The organist, who had faltered for a moment, recaptured the strains of the Bach prelude she had been playing. She cut the volume as the priest came in, followed by Bert and Barney. Barney was wearing a toast-colored suit and a silver-blue tie; he looked like an accountant on his way to work, although the set of his shoulders and a faintly grim expression gave him the appearance of defiant strength.

Barney and Father Wolfe looked astonished when they saw the crowd in the church. “So they didn’t invite ’em all,” Trixie whispered to Tom. “I wonder how people found out?”

“Laura told Pops,” Tom said.

Barney and Maggie exchanged a long look; she gripped Carroll’s arm and smiled. Barney looked disturbed, but he turned back to business.

Laura came back, carrying Rupert, and slid into the pew next to Tom. Rupert looked out of place in his little yellow sleeper lying against her red dress. Barney’s mother, Jane Vernell, sat in the front pew. She turned to look at the baby. Her eyes were full of longing. Laura leaned forward. “Haven’t you seen him yet?” she whispered.

“Barney’s not speaking to me,” Mrs. Vernell whispered back.

Laura turned Rupert around to face his grandmother. He was fast asleep. “This is Rupert,” Laura whispered. She felt a force to her right and glanced over to see Carroll leaning forward, his whole being focused on the baby. Mrs. Vernell touched Rupert’s face and smiled, then turned her smile toward Barney, who looked stern.

Laura sat back, aware of Carroll’s concentration. She nudged Tom with her elbow. “Is he safe?” she murmured, nodding toward Carroll.

“Oh, yes. I don’t know about the situation, though. What if everybody thought he was going to hurt the baby? Might be a riot.”

“He wants so fiercely.”

“He’s learning he can’t always have what he wants. And this is Barney’s and Annis’s moment, I wonder, though. Could any message be better?”

Rupert stirred, opened his eyes, and began to squirm. He turned toward Carroll.

Laura handed the baby to Tom, who passed him to Trixie. She hugged him and handed him to Maggie, who placed him in Carroll’s arms.

Carroll’s eyes silvered. He stroked Rupert’s back; Rupert calmed and snuggled against the black velvet of his jacket. Carroll cradled Rupert in his arms.

Barney looked uneasy, but Bert said something to him. The organ swelled with “Here Comes the Bride,” everyone rose, and Annis came in, dressed in a plain blue dress, followed by Jaimie in pale green, looking a little out of her element. Annis walked without resorting to the traditional bride’s shuffle straight to the front, where she stood beside Barney, Jaimie going around to her left. Everyone sat down.

“Dearly beloved,” Father Wolfe said. His voice wobbled. He took a breath and went on. “We have come together in the presence of God to witness and bless the joining together of this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony ...”

When they had finished their vows and the ensuing prayers, and received blessing and peace, the organist played the bride and groom out with Mendelssohn, and everyone stood up.

Many melted away, though some people stood around talking.

Tom whispered to Laura, “I liked ours better.”

“Much shorter,” she said.

“But just as important, right? But we haven’t done any of the legal work. Blood tests, licenses, like that. Maybe we should do a civil ceremony.”

“Yes,” she said. “I sure don’t want one like this. Though I’ve seen some weddings that make this look like a short subject with a low budget.”

Barney’s mother asked Carroll if she could hold the baby. He hesitated, then passed Rupert to her. When Annis came to retrieve Rupert she found Carroll and Mrs. Vernell with their heads bent over the baby, studying him.

“He’s sealed,” Annis told Carroll. Her nostrils were pinched, her mouth a straight line.

“I know,” said Carroll. He held Rupert out to her. She snatched him away; the baby stirred and began crying. Annis turned and walked out of the chapel.

“Well,” said Mrs. Vernell, “we’re both
persona non
,
I guess. I don’t think I’ve met you.” She held out her hand. He took it. “The groom’s mother. Jane Vernell.”

“Carroll Bolte. Why are they mad at
you
?”

She blinked and lost her smile, then glanced around as if searching for help. “I told him not to follow her home. I told him it would be the death of him,” she said.

“So we were both wrong.” He released her hand and gave her a grin.

“You’re going to let them be?”

“Yes. It’s a beautiful baby, isn’t it?”

“Oh, yes. Looks just like Barney did at that age .... I feel very uncomfortable.”

“I’ll go talk to someone else,” said Carroll. “Nice to meet you.”

“You too,” she said, and covered her mouth with her hand as he turned away.

The marshal cornered Tom. “What’s happening now?” he asked. He glanced at Laura, then away. “What’s Mr. Carroll gonna do? He came to the market and paid with a check! Trixie’s check. He put the fix on her? He going to snatch everybody in town? Is this a good thing, or what? How come Bert and Trixie are in the line of fire?”

“You going somewhere with this, Sam?” Tom asked.

“Yeah! Are things getting better or worse?”

“I think they’re getting better. I think the wedding was a good start. Don’t you?”

Sam stared at him with narrowed eyes. “I recall the last time I got to talking about Hollow weddings with you, it turned out that you—Tommy, is Barney one of you too? He’d have to be, wouldn’t he, or Mr. Carroll and Mr. Michael wouldn’t have sat still for it. How can that be? I’ve known that boy all his life.”

Tom frowned. “Sam, let me see your hand a minute.”

“What?”

“Whichever hand you write with.” —Peregrine?

—Yes, Tom. Couldn’t hurt.

Sam held out his left hand. Tom let Peregrine take over. He sketched a sign on Sam’s palm. It glowed a dull red-orange.

“What the hell are you doing!” Sam said.

“Sign earth,” said Laura, interested.

“At the Hollow, they think they’re running out of Family,” Tom said. He dropped Sam’s hand and laughed.

“Just a darn minute! You explain that, Tommy!”

Tom grinned at him. He linked arms with Laura and they walked away.

Eddie found Maggie. “You okay? I got here late. I saw Mr. Carroll’s here. Is Tom protecting you all right?”

“I’m fine,” said Maggie. “Better than fine—”

Carroll came to her, touched her arm. He was glancing over his shoulder at Mrs. Vernell’s back as she fled up the aisle. “I can’t talk to these people,” he said.

“You’re the bogeyman. What do you expect? Carroll, was Miss Fayella your teacher?”

He stopped glancing around to see how quickly people faded away, and switched his focus to Maggie. “Yes,” he said. He raised his eyebrows.

“Oh—so that fits. Tell you later. This is Eddie.”

“I know.”

“Thought you didn’t notice anybody less than a relative out in the Hollow.”

“Not true. Noticing everything was part of our training. Anyway, I stopped at the gas station on my way home from the market.”

“He turned all our gas to water,” said Eddie.

“All?” Carroll asked. “Even the gas in the pumps? I didn’t mean to do that.”

“That’s okay. Better than the mess we had. Pops is expecting a delivery day after tomorrow, anyway.”

“I can fix it, though.”

“I hate to ask this. But why? Why, Mr. Carroll?”

“I don’t like making mistakes,” said Carroll, an ominous edge in his voice.

Eddie, conditioned from his time at Chapel Hollow, dropped his gaze and took a couple of shuffling steps away. Maggie grabbed his hand and pulled him back. “Wait a minute, Carroll. How can you expect people to talk to you if you threaten them? If you don’t like a question, just say ‘no comment’.”

“What does that mean?”

“Means you don’t answer. Politicians say it all the time.”

“But I
did
answer, Maggie.”

“Yes, but—” She dropped Eddie’s hand and said, “Urrrh!” at Carroll. “Then I guess you don’t really want to talk to people.”

“I’m scared of them.”

“What?” said Eddie.

“I don’t—” Carroll let go of Maggie, turned away a moment, then turned back. “I don’t know how—the structures, I haven’t built them—if I were fetchcasting, I would know what to say.”

Eddie shuddered.

“What do you do when you ... fetchcast?” Maggie asked, her voice tight.

“Seduce: I charm and persuade you to come with me. If you say no, I cannot take you. Remove: I take you to my home. Train: you remember that part.”

Maggie’s breathing quickened and deepened. She opened and closed her hands. “So it’s all ... planned ahead. Practiced. I hate you.”

His eyes darkened. He curled his hands into fists and crossed his arms at the wrist over his chest. Then he turned away, stumbling a little, and walked off, people melting out of his way, and searched for something to hold onto.

“How could you say that to him?” Eddie whispered. “How come he didn’t fry you? God!”

“Oh, I can’t help it! Hate how we were! He came down out of the sky when I was in bad trouble, and used magic to save me from this evil guy, and I thought, here it is, my fairytale come true; and at first, he was so gentle and nice to me, like nobody I’d known, and I thought, this is love; and then he just got impatient and careless and mean. And I thought—” Red washed her cheeks. “Maybe I was doing something wrong? Couldn’t figure out the right thing to do. Couldn’t get him to change back. Then just started hating him
.
Hated him most for making me believe real good could happen .... Didn’t know he had a program! Makes me feel even more like an idiot for believing ... except he’s trying to change now, but how can I trust that?” An angry tear streaked down her cheek.

Trixie was asking Marcia Pickett how the pharmacy was doing when Carroll found her. He touched Trixie’s arm, and she turned and glanced up into his face, which looked haunted. “’Scuse me, sweetie,” she turned to say to Marcia, but Marcia was gone. “Let’s go home,” Trixie said to Carroll. She put her arm around him—he seemed frozen into a strange position—and steered him toward the door. After a few steps he breathed normally again, and then his arms came down, one around her shoulders. “What happened?” she asked.

His face tightened. He shook his head.

“All right. Okay, sweetie. Let’s go home. I’ll make you some warm milk.”