“Then maybe you better get out of town and lie low for a while. I have a friend in Houston who owns a garage. He’d put you to work, no questions asked.”
“I’m not running away. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I did that. But I’d feel a whole lot better if you’d head on down to Houston. I don’t want to see anything happen to you, old man. You’re the only family I got left.”
Marsilius downshifted as he turned a curve. “I can take care of myself. You’re the one I’m worried about. This ain’t over, Dave. They’ll be back, and next time I might not be around to pull your ass out of the wringer.”
“They won’t come back right away. They know I’ll be ready for them now. They’ll wait until they think they can catch me by surprise again.”
“You seem pretty sure about that.”
Dave shrugged. “It’s what I’d do.”
“I hope you’re right, son. I truly do.”
They were both silent after that, and Marsilius didn’t speak again until he pulled into Dave’s drive and cut the engine. He offered to come in, but Dave wasn’t up for any more company, and he wanted to be alone so that he could try and figure out what his next move would be.
Inside the house, he went from room to room, securing doors and windows, but he knew the effort was futile. The glass in the back door had been broken so that someone could reach in and turn the lock. Dave wouldn’t be able to get the window fixed until the next day, and he was too tired to even board up the opening for now.
He hoped what he told Marsilius held true, that Nettle wouldn’t come for him again right away. But just in case, he placed his.38 on the sink while he showered, and slipped it underneath his pillow when he went to bed.
Then he lay on his back for a long time, staring at the ceiling as he thought about Claire. And Ruby.
He closed his eyes and tried to sleep. He was bone-deep weary, but he still couldn’t rest. After a while, he got up and walked over to the window. He heard one of the rocking chairs on his front porch creak, but he wasn’t alarmed. He knew who was down there.
He listened, heard the sound again as Marsilius shifted his weight to accommodate his bad knee. Dave stared out the window for a few minutes longer, then went downstairs to make coffee.
“‘You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…’”
The song penetrated the child’s dreams, and Maddy’s eyes slowly opened. “Mama?”
“Wake up, sleepyhead! Did you forget what today is?”
The child’s gaze darted warily around the room. “Where’s Father?”
Mama’s smile was tender. “He’s gone, darling. He won’t be back until tomorrow. We have the day all to ourselves, and I’ve planned such wonderful surprises for you. Look!” She pointed to the end of the bed, where a pink ruffled dress hung from the wooden bedpost.
“Is it mine?” Maddy asked in awe.
“Yes, of course it’s yours! Now go have your bath and I’ll help you get dressed. Then you can open one of your presents.”
The child hurried from the room and came back a few minutes later, all scrubbed and sweet smelling from the bath, blond hair curling in damp ringlets behind tiny ears.
The dress slid over thin shoulders and then Mama turned Maddy toward the mirror. “See there! Are you not the prettiest little girl in the whole wide world?” She gave the child a brief hug. “Do you like the dress, Maddy? Does it make you happy?”
“Yes, Mama. But what if—”
She silenced the child’s fear with a fingertip. “None of that now. It’s your birthday. Nothing but happy thoughts today.”
Maddy stared at the reflection in the mirror. The child staring back was pretty. Maddy couldn’t help smiling. “I love you, Mama.”
“I love you, too, my sweet. Now come with me. It’s time to open one of your presents.”
Maddy followed Mama into the large hallway and down the curving stairway that led into a spacious foyer. To the left of the staircase was the front parlor, decorated with heavy antiques and ornate wallpaper that looked like velvet. Normally, Maddy wasn’t allowed to even set foot in the parlor, but today Mama had decorated the gloomy room with balloons and streamers, and the French doors stood wide open to allow in sunshine. Maddy stood gazing around. The room seemed so different today without Father brooding from his easy chair.
The table from Maddy’s playroom had been brought down and laid with tiny porcelain dishes. A bowl of camellias rested in the center of the table and the scent hung heavy and sweet on the warm air.
Presents wrapped in bright paper and gaily colored bows were stacked around the chair at the end of the table. Maddy clapped in excitement. “Can I open them?”
“Only one for now. You can open the rest when the other children get here.” Mama walked over and picked up a large white box from the stack, handing it to Maddy. The package was lovely, wrapped in white paper and tied with a pink satin bow. Carefully, Maddy slipped off the ribbon and then, one by one, removed the sheets of scented tissue paper until the content of the box was revealed.
The child gasped in wonderment. The doll inside was lifelike and so beautiful! More beautiful, even, than Maddy’s reflection.
“Oh, Mama.”
She knelt on the floor, her eyes shimmering with tears. “Do you like her?”
The child could barely speak. “I love her! More than anything!”
“She looks just like you, Maddy.”
Or at least, the way Maddy would look if the blond curls had not been clipped so short. The doll had ringlets all the way down her back. But the blue eyes were the same. And the nose, the tiny heart-shaped mouth…
The doll looked exactly the way Maddy dreamed of looking.
“I had your aunt Savannah make her for you. Do you remember Savannah? You met her once, a long time ago. I sent her a picture. She had no idea it was you, of course, but I think the likeness is remarkable, don’t you?”
For an answer, Maddy hugged the doll tightly.
“She’ll have to be our secret, Maddy. You can only take her out on special occasions.”
“I know, Mama.”
“If your father…well, we won’t worry about that today, will we? Let’s get you ready for your party.”
Five little girls from the neighborhood had been invited over, and Mama had organized some games. After they were through playing, they took their places around the table. Maddy’s gaze lingered on each one of them, studying their features for a long, long time so that the memory of this day would last forever. Mama took pictures, but no photograph would ever be as vivid as Maddy’s memory.
And then someone mentioned Matthew, and Maddy’s heart started to pound in agitation. What if they found out the secret?
But Mama covered smoothly and said that Matthew would be celebrating his birthday a little later, because boys didn’t like to get all dressed up and attend tea parties. This time was just for Maddy.
The presents were opened then, and after the excitement died down, Mama served the cake, a
