Page 13 of House of Pawns
“Thank you,” is all I am able to offer.
He grunts and gives a little nod. “So, as I was sayin’, I heard he went an’ fell in love with you, and I understand what kind of danger that put the both of you in. Next, I hear that Ian Ward hasn’t shown up for work and that his gran’mama is in mourning. People start talkin’.”
There was no obituary for Ian. There were literally onlythree people at his funeral, besides the pastor. What did that man say? And, how much?
This is a small town. Word flies.
“Then I hear somethin’ about the dead walkin,’” Fred continues. He looks back over his shoulder at me. “But no one believes that one, cause everyone knew George and Cora Ward, and that neither of them was a Born vampire.”
“We don’t know what is happening,” I say with a shake of my head. “The only person who might have some answers is Lula. Ian won’t go see her and I’m too terrified.”
“You is a smart girl, after all,” he says with a chuckle. “But never mind all of that. You came here to talk to me.”
I take a deep breath, preparing myself to say what I have to say. “As much as I love working here, as much as I needed the normalcy the shop gave me, things have changed. I thought I could pretend that my father’s name had no grasp on me, but I was wrong. I can’t ignore it.”
“The past is a difficult thing to run from.”
I nod. “Things are going to happen. Big things are coming. And I’m afraid I’m going to be at the center of it all.”
“Play carefully, daughter of Henry Conrath,” Fred says as he washes his hands. He dries them and finally turns to fully face me. “The eye of the storm is the most dangerous place to be.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
Fred gives a nod, and then we’re done. I say goodbye and step back out from behind the counter.
Just as I’m opening the door, I nearly run right into someone.
“Daphne,” I say in surprise. I reach out to steady the both of us. A warm smile spreads on her face and mine.
“Alivia Ryan,” she says with that thick accent. “I was beginin’ to think you was gone for good.”
I shrug, but she obviously can’t see it. Daphne is blind, as in totally without eyeballs. “Yeah, I had to quit unexpectedly.”
“That is unfortunate,” she says. It’s chilly out here, probably a mere forty degrees, but she doesn’t seem bothered by it. “I’ve missed your company.”
“Me too,” I say. And, I realize it’s true. Our early morning, short chats were pretty much the only normal part of my life here in Silent Bend, Mississippi.
“Is everything alright, my dear?”
My chest tightens and the chill sinks in to my bones. “I don’t know. Not really. I constantly feel like I’m being manipulated into making choices that are changing who I am.”
She contemplates this for a long moment. Her dark hair whips in the wind and I worry her skeletal frame will be blown away. “Change either brings out the best or the worst in us. And sometimes, it shows us who wereallyare.”
“I guess,” I say, kicking a rock off the sidewalk with the toe of my boot.
“Don’t let people manipulate you, Alivia.” Her voice suddenly grows hard, her tone sharp. “Take charge. People will twist you if you don’t twist them.”
Her last statement is a little shocking to hear, but I don’t get a chance to react to it, because a truck pulls up and the newspaper deliverer hops out. “Morning,” he says sleepily as he hands me the stack of newspapers Fred scatters over the tables in the shop.
I mutter a good morning back and he pulls away.
I’m about to take them inside for Fred when the headline catches my eye.
“The Conrath Fires: A Look Back.”
“You okay, Alivia?” Daphne asks.
“Yeah,” I reply absentmindedly. I slip a paper off the top of the stack. I open the door, help usher her inside, and drop the stack on a table. “I’m sorry, I have to go.”
