Lord love a duck! “Is Doc going to be scarred for life when he wakes up?”
“I make no guarantees.” I heard Harvey’s clothes rustle, and then a snapping sound—which I knew was one of his suspenders.
“That is enough, Mr. Harvey.”
“Are we finished here, Prudence?” I asked, shifting again to give my tailbone a break. The coffee table wasn’t getting any softer.
“One more,” she answered. “Now, Mr. Curious, take off that silly hat and look in the mirror.”
She must mean Cornelius. “His last name is Curion,” I corrected the know-it-all.
“I know the Collector’s name, Scharfrichter.”
Holy ravioli! “Were you just making a joke, Prudence?” And here I’d thought any funny bone she might possibly have possessed had probably withered up and turned to dust when the rest of her body had given up the ghost.
She harrumphed. “I do not joke. It was merely a play on words.”
Cornelius moved lightly over the carpet compared to Harvey and Cooper. I heard his nose whistle in my ear. The dry winter air must be getting to his sinuses like it did mine some days. I sniffed in sympathy without meaning to, then settled in for him to play his part in this song and dance.
“What would you have me think about, milady?” he asked her in a languid tone.
I rolled my eyes behind my closed lids.
“Focus on the door.”
“Which door?”
“You know which one. Where you hide away the demons that haunt you.”
I turned in her direction, eyes still closed. That was the same place that had knocked Prudence for a loop last time and drained her of energy, as well as Zelda. “Isn’t that putting Doc at risk?”
“We shall only take a peek, Scharfrichter. Now, hold onto that mirror firmly.”
Oh, shit. I gripped both the mirror and Doc’s hand tight, ready as I could be. “Do it, Cornelius.”
I waited, counting in my head, every muscle holding tight. My hand was locked onto Doc’s like he was dangling off the edge of a building, but my palm was getting sweaty.
Come on, baby, you can do this.
I wasn’t sure if I was talking to Doc or myself. Or maybe he was putting those words in my head.
He flinched, yanking on my hand a little.
That wasn’t so bad.
I pulled his hand my way, re-gripping quickly.
His whole body seized then. I could feel it in the strength of his tug on my hand. The couch creaked under him.
“Do not let go of him!” Prudence shouted.
“I know!” But my fingers were slipping.
He was pulling so hard. I braced my feet against the couch, using my legs to keep from being hauled on top of him if he heaved harder.
“Now open the door, Mr. Curion,” Prudence said.
What?!! The door wasn’t even open yet? Fuck!
“I don’t think this is a good—” I started.
Doc yanked hard, lifting me clear off the table as he thrashed.
I pushed my feet against the couch while pulling back with all of my strength. Damn it! He was too strong for me. All of those hours he spent at the gym were not helping me here. I couldn’t hold him much longer. The mirror started to tilt in his direction, my hold on it slipping as well.
“Prudence!” I yelled.
“Hold steady, Scharfrichter!”
“I can’t! That’s enough!”
“Close the door!” she ordered Cornelius.
Doc stilled so quickly that I almost toppled over backward and pulled him with me. Thankfully he was no lightweight, so I only pulled him several inches toward the edge of the couch. I struggled to sit upright, not letting the mirror touch him.
In spite of our sweat-slicked grip, I stayed clamped onto his hand, afraid of what would happen if I let go to dry off my palm. My heart pounded in my ears, bouncing up and down on a pogo stick in my chest.
“You can step back now, Spirit Miser.”
The floor creaked behind me, same as when Cooper had left my side. There must be a loose board under the carpet.
“Open your eyes, Violet.” Again, her tone was less bitchy with me. Maybe I’d passed some test in her Executioner book. Or maybe Zelda was in there somewhere taking pity on me.
I peeked out of one eye first, making sure the non-bloody version of me was in the mirror. The coast was clear. I opened the other eye, happy to see my beat-up face and wild hair no worse for the wear.
“Constable, take the mirror from her.”
Cooper relieved me of that burden. I stared down at Doc’s hand that was still gripped in mine. “Can I let go of him now?”
“Ask him yourself.”
I looked up. Doc’s dark eyes held mine, his forehead triple-lined.
“Well?” I asked him, trying to smile and succeeding. Mostly. Please don’t let Prudence’s voice come from his lips.
“You could scare children with that smile, Tish.” His voice was the same deep, velvety baritone as always.
“Oh, sweet lollipop land,” I said, my breath shaky with relief. I let go of his hand and shook the tension out of both of mine before scrubbing them on my pants. “Are you okay?”
“I think so.” He sat up, rolling his shoulders one at a time, then stretching them back. He swung his feet to the floor and took my hand again, cradling it while he inspected it. “Did I hurt you?”
“No, it’s fine.” I flexed it to show him. Although my arms felt a little shaky yet.
“Good.” He looked over at Prudence, who stared at him with her white eyes and taut-jawed expression. “That last one?”
“The Spirit Miser has quite a collection squirreled away, wouldn’t you agree?”
His gaze shifted to Cornelius. “How in the hell are you still alive, let alone sane?”
Cornelius pulled his furry hat back on and gave Doc his usual crooked smile. “My grandmother used to claim that Lady Fortune was in love with me.”
Shaking his head, Doc turned to Cooper. “The Hellhole leads to the basement of the courthouse,” he said. It wasn’t a question, although it left plenty of them in my mind.
Cooper crossed his
