The Cakes of Wrath (29 page)

She screamed in pain and staggered backward, grabbing at the shaft and trying to pull it out of her shoulder. That was all I needed to reach the door and tear it open. I raced out onto the porch, shouting as loud as I could for help. I was aware of someone racing toward me, of a familiar voice taking up my cry for help, and the sound of a police siren nearby. Red and blue lights streaked through the night, but I didn't have time to wonder how they'd arrived so quickly. I felt arms slide tenderly around me and looked up into Gabriel's worried brown eyes. I don't think anything has ever looked so good to me. At that moment, he really did look like a superhero.

Sometime later, I took a sip of weak hospital coffee, grimaced, and put the cup on the table in front of me. My hand throbbed beneath the bandage the paramedics had applied at the Feathered Peacock, but I was feeling lucky that I was alive to feel the pain.

Pearl Lee had been rushed to the hospital, still alive but not by much. I was sitting in a tiny waiting room with Gabriel, who hadn't left my side for a minute. That was great, except for how he'd also badgered me into letting the paramedics bring me in. I understood his concern, but I'd had enough of this place. I didn't mind waiting here for word about Pearl Lee, but I refused to come back as a patient—at least not for a few months.

The police had found Zora trying to slip out the back door. She'd put up a fight, but she'd also lost a lot of blood from that wound in her shoulder. It hadn't taken long for them to subdue her and haul her off to jail. I was still having trouble believing how completely she'd fooled me.

Moose and Scotty sat across the room from us, which felt a little awkward given that I'd been convinced that at least one of them was a cold-blooded killer for the past ten days. They'd come running up to the Feathered Peacock a few minutes after the police arrived, ready to slay dragons or do whatever it took to save Pearl Lee and me. Which was actually really sweet. I thought Scotty had looked a little disappointed that it was all over before he got there. I know he was genuinely concerned about Pearl Lee.

Over the past few hours I'd picked up enough of the story to know that when Scotty had realized Zora wasn't happily beading, he'd also realized that something was seriously wrong. Since the beading class was held just two doors away from the Dizzy Duke, Scotty had gone to the bar looking for Moose, who was there drowning his sorrows in Jack Daniels. And that's how Gabriel found out that I was in trouble. He'd told Scotty to call the police and then he'd torn out of the Duke and come to my rescue.

Now we all sat together while somewhere a team of medical professionals tried to save Pearl Lee's life. Too agitated to sit still, I stood and paced until the sound of rapid footsteps in the corridor drew me to the door hoping that one of the doctors was coming with good news. Instead I saw Miss Frankie clutching the hand of her best friend and neighbor, Bernice, and talking to someone at the nurses' station. I had called Bernice while Gabriel and I were en route, explaining the situation and asking her to go next door so Miss Frankie wouldn't be alone when I told her about Pearl Lee. Bernice, a sweet little lady with a poof of white hair and an accent as smooth as Southern Comfort, is a real trooper and tougher than she looks. Even though she'd been ready for bed when I called, she'd offered to drive Miss Frankie to the hospital and meet us here.

Miss Frankie glanced in my direction, saw me in the doorway, and hurried down the hall toward me. We still had issues between us, but this probably wasn't the time to talk about them. Putting all the awkwardness out of my mind, I hugged both her and Bernice, who had trailed her down the hall.

“How is she?” Miss Frankie asked. “Have you heard anything? What do the doctors say?”

“We don't know anything yet,” I said. “They're working on her now.”

“Where is she? Here in the emergency room?”

“Probably. I really don't know. They're not saying much. Would you like to sit down? We may be waiting for a while.”

Miss Frankie's amber-colored eyes were dark with worry and her lips quivered. “I just can't believe this is happening. Sugar, I need you to tell me everything. How on earth did she end up with that horrible woman?”

“I'll tell you the whole story,” I promised. I put an arm around her and gave her a gentle squeeze. She leaned against me as she had more than once in the past year, and I changed my mind about that apology. Maybe this was the perfect time for it.

I asked Bernice to give us a minute. She disappeared into the waiting room and I led Miss Frankie a few feet away from the door. “I'm so sorry this happened,” I said. “I failed you. Not only did I
not
keep Pearl Lee busy at Zydeco and away from men, I let her get seriously hurt.” That was a major understatement, but I didn't want to make the situation appear too bleak. Pearl Lee had to be okay. She just
had
to.

Miss Frankie looked astonished by what I'd said. “Oh, Rita, nobody can contain Pearl Lee. She's always been that way. We give it a gallant try, though. I suppose it helps a little. The truth is, I never should have asked you to take her on. It was sheer selfishness on my part.”

“Well, so was my handing Edie's baby shower over to you,” I admitted. “I thought anything would be better than having to plan that shower. Turns out, I was wrong.” I paused, took a deep breath, and then let out the rest in a rush. “About the other day—I shouldn't have shouted at you the way I did, especially not in front of the Bryces. It was horribly rude. I just hope you can forgive me.”

Miss Frankie put her fingers on my cheek. Her hand was cool and soft, her touch gentle. “Rita, you know how much I love you. You're family and that means there's no problem too big for us to get around. So don't you worry for a minute. We'll work it all out, okay?”

Tears stung my eyes and I was way too tired to fight them. I sniffed and nodded and hugged her tightly, especially since she didn't even point out that she'd been right to bring Edie's family to town. “I love you too, Miss Frankie.”

“I know you do, sugar.”

We stood that way for a minute, crying a little and hugging a lot and leaning on each other until Miss Frankie gently pressed me away. She reached for my hand and scowled down at the bandage that she seemed to notice for the first time. “Goodness, Rita, I think you're the one who needs someone to watch out for her. I'm going to want to hear all about this, too. But right now let's find out where they've taken Pearl Lee. I insist that someone tell me what they're doing to her every minute.”

I waved to Gabriel as Miss Frankie dragged me past the waiting room and tried to signal that I'd be back later. It took us three full hours and a whole lot of gentle persuasion, but we finally got the answers we were looking for. Pearl Lee was weak but she was alive, and the doctor assured us that she'd be back to normal in no time. I drew on Miss Frankie's earlier example and decided not to tell him that Pearl Lee hadn't exactly been “normal” to begin with. There are some things that just don't need to be said out loud.

• • •

The baby shower decorations were beautiful—vintage canisters filled with pale roses sat in the middle of half a dozen round tables; lengths of cloth in delicate pastels streamed out from a cluster of blue and pink balloons to form a canopy in the middle of the ceiling. Fairy lights twinkled all around us, giving Zydeco's conference room a magical appearance.

“I think it looks lovely, sugar. Don't you?”

I nodded at my mother-in-law and returned her smile. Keeping the shower small-ish wasn't the only concession she'd made. She'd given up the search for a “perfect” venue and agreed to hold the shower here. I wanted her to know that I appreciated her efforts. “It's perfect,” I said. “Thank you for doing this.”

She slid a sidelong glance at the bandage on my hand. “I guess it's a good thing you asked me to do it after all. I can't imagine what we'd be doing today if you hadn't turned the planning over to me.”

“Plastic tablecloths and crepe paper streamers,” I said with a grin. “I can almost guarantee it.”

She looked out over the room again. “I'm awfully glad you're here today, Rita. I don't know what I would have done if that woman had succeeded in killing you.”

“Well, she didn't,” I said gently. “And Pearl Lee's recovering nicely. We'll both be around to argue with you awhile longer.”

“Yes. Well.” Her lips curved again ever so slightly. “Don't make a habit of
that
. Pearl Lee's already up to her old tricks. By the way, she has requested that we bring a piece of cake to the hospital for her.”

“That's easy enough.”

“You did invite that nice young man who came to your rescue, didn't you?”

“Which one?” I teased. “Gabriel or Scotty?”

Miss Frankie gave my arm a pat. “You know I'm talking about Gabriel, sugar. Edie specifically requested that I add him to the guest list.”

“Well, don't be surprised if he doesn't show up. I don't think baby showers are his thing.”

“You never can tell, can you? Take Scotty, for instance. Pearl Lee seems genuinely interested in him, and he actually seems to care for her. Maybe it's not such a bad match this time. I guess time will tell.”

We were interrupted then by the sounds of voices and footsteps, and a moment later everyone on the reduced guest list burst into the room. Almost everyone, that is. Sparkle had gone to the airport to pick up her brother, but she and Edie had patched things up, and she promised she'd be back for the party.

Edie looked happy and healthy. Charlie beamed like the proud grandpa-to-be he was, and Lin accidentally smiled at me once. After delivering a stern warning for me to relax and stay where I was, Miss Frankie rose and assumed her duties as hostess.

To my complete surprise, Gabriel, looking all sexy-Cajun-ish in jeans and a tight-fitting black T-shirt, wandered in a few seconds later. He stopped off to pick up a beer and a glass of wine, then sauntered over to me. He bent to kiss my cheek, grazing the side of my mouth slightly in the process. A delicious shiver filled my body with warmth as he sat next to me. “You look like a crash test dummy,
chérie
. You really need to stop letting yourself be used as a punching bag.”

I made a face at him. “Oh. Good idea. I'll see what I can do.”

He grinned and held out the wineglass. “For you.”

I looked at it longingly and then shook my head. “Thanks, but I shouldn't mix alcohol with the pain pills the doctors gave me.” My third set in two weeks. I think I'd set some kind of record. This prescription was stronger than either of the other two and made it hard to think clearly. But with my hand out of commission while the knife cut healed, I'd be benched from decorating for a while anyway.

“Thanks again for coming to my rescue the other night,” I said. “I don't know what would have happened to Pearl Lee and me if you hadn't shown up when you did.”

Gabriel leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and holding the glass in his hands. “You don't have to thank me every time you see me, you know.”

“I know. I'll stop in a month or two, I'm sure. But you really ought to milk my gratitude for all it's worth while you've got it.”

He treated me to a lopsided grin that had a stronger feel-good effect on me than any pain medication. “If I thought you were up to it, I most definitely would.” He ran an assessing look over my fading bruises and bandages. “How long do I have to take advantage of that offer?”

I laughed and gave him a little bump with my undamaged shoulder. “Seriously. Thank you.”

“For nothing,” he said. “I'd do it again if I had to, but I really hope you won't do anything like that again.”

“I couldn't just sit back and let Zora kill Pearl Lee.”

“You could have called the police.”

“And say what? I think this nice old lady just vandalized my business? As far as I knew, I was going to stop a catfight.”

Gabriel gave me a skeptical look. “Are you saying that you hadn't figured out she killed Destiny by then?”

“Would you believe me if I told you I knew it all along?”

“Not for a minute. By the way, your friend Detective Winslow came by last night.”

“Oh? I've been expecting him to show up here with an apology.”

“You might be waiting for a while. He really isn't a member of the Rita Lucero Fan Club but it's his loss.” Gabriel turned toward me, his gaze darkly intense. I could tell he was going to say something important and I leaned forward in anticipation. But just as he started to open his mouth, Sparkle appeared in the doorway with a tall young man. They were clearly related, though his hair was lighter than her dyed black locks, and he sported a dark tan—the exact opposite of his sister. He had an open, friendly face and a curious look in his eye. I liked him immediately.

I stood up to welcome him, and that was when all hell broke loose.

Edie shot to her feet so fast her chair tipped over behind her. “Sparkle? What are you
doing
?”

Her brother looked surprised. “Hey,” he said to Edie. “Is this your party?”

Sparkle's black-rimmed eyes widened a lot. “I asked Miss Frankie. She said it was all right.”

The commotion had claimed everyone's attention. But really, after everything we'd been through the past couple of weeks, was it such a big deal? Apparently, Edie was more emotionally fragile than I'd thought. It was her baby shower, after all, but I was a little embarrassed that she'd pick a fight with Sparkle and make a scene now over an extra party guest.