Page 19 of Dead Evil
When the elevator doors opened, everyone crowded inside. A few minutes later, they opened onto the lobby. “All ashore!” Ronan called out.
“Ronan! Tennyson!” a loud voice called out to them.
Ronan turned toward the man shouting and recognized his face. Even if he hadn’t, the large covered box the man was holding would have given his identity away. “Devin Forrest! How the hell are you?”
“Good. Really good. I saw that you guys were working the con and was hoping to catch up with you. Everly’s not here?”
Ten shook his head. “No, she’s coming tonight.” He turned to the others. “These are our friends, Jude, Cope, and Fitz.”
“Nice to meet you all. I’d shake, but my hands are full of precious cargo.”
“Is that Agatha Louise?” Jude asked, excitement in his eyes.
“It sure is. Would you like to meet her?” Devin asked.
“I would,” Jude agreed.
“Just have a caution how you speak to her. My darling is secure in her box, but there are airholes.”
Ronan opened his mouth to ask why the box had airholes, but he shut it again. Obviously Devin wanted the doll to be able to breathe. God help him, if he didn’t keep his big mouth shut, Ten was going to be picking out his coffin tomorrow.
Devin motioned everyone to follow him to a nearby table. He set the box down and slowly pulled the cover off the box. His dramatic movements reminded Ronan of a magician pulling back a drape to reveal a box full of doves instead of the rabbitthat had been there when the box was covered. “Here she is, my little love, Agatha Louise.”
Jude smiled at the doll and knelt in front of her box. “Hello, Agatha Louise. You look beautiful today.”
As Jude complimented the doll, her head swiveled toward him.
Ronan bit his tongue to keep from screaming. He waved instead.
“These are all of my friends. We’re very excited to have you here. I’ll come visit you later, if that’s okay?” Jude asked.
The doll’s one good eye closed and then opened again.
“She must really like you,” Devin said. “It’s rare for her to respond to anyone but me like that. You should be honored, Jude.”
“I am.” He set a hand over his heart. “I really am. It was nice to see you both. We’ve got to go set up before the attendees start coming inside. I’ll see you later.” Jude waved at the doll and watched as Devin covered Agatha Louise and followed his handler into the auditorium.
“How cool was that?” Jude asked.
No one said a word. Ten gave two thumbs up. Ronan, Fitz and Cope quickly followed.
Jude snickered and headed toward the convention floor.
“I was about to shit my pants when her head turned. No word of a lie,” Ronan said when Jude was out of earshot.
“Same,” Ten agreed. “I don’t think I want to see her again.”
“Me either,” Ronan agreed. “Once was enough.” He breathed a sigh of relief that Everly wasn’t here with them. Knowing his kind-hearted daughter, she would have made fast friends withthe doll or the demon who inhabited her and would have given them a friendship bracelet.
Breathing a sigh of relief that his encounter with Agatha Louise went smoothly, Ronan headed for the snack bar before the attendees started filing into the building. After all, not dying at the hands of a serial killer doll was cause for a treat. Right?
9
Tennyson
Surprisingly, Ten didn’t have a problem getting into the swing of his readings that morning. He’d put his encounter with Agatha Louise behind him and focused his gift on the paying customers who’d booked readings with him that morning.
Ronan stood a few feet away, keeping his eyes on the customers visiting the West Side Magick psychics. He’d snapped pictures for them with Tennyson and Cope and also had to send a few on their way when the scheduled reading time was over. For the most part, everyone was courteous.
