Page 13 of Dead Evil
“I don’t think we can bring Everly to the convention,” Ten said. “I know Wolf is excited to see the demon hunters, but, Jude, you might want to reconsider bringing him. Better to be safe than sorry.”
“She knew about Agatha Louise. The doll’s past and future.” Ronan took a deep breath.
Ten held up a hand to interrupt. “Oh, no, Ronan. Let me stop you right there. You’re going to tell me that Everly should be there so she can save the alleged ninth victim. Just so you know, I mean this in all sincerity, and pardon my French, but are youfuckingcrazy?”
“Swear jar!” Everly sang out from the living room.
Jude snorted. “Ten’s finally one of us!”
“Babe, why don’t we take a little time to make our final decision? The con is a few days away. Let’s see what happens between now and then.”
“You make no sense. Before, you were against her going because you thought people might try to take advantage of her gifts, now you’re saying she should go so she can save a stranger from dying at the hands of a killer doll?”
“I wonder if they’re gonna bring that clown doll fromPoltergeist?” Jude asked. “I want my picture taken with it.”
“Not helping, asshole,” Ronan muttered.
“Well,” Kaye said, getting to her feet. “As crazy and informational as this dinner was, I’m going home. I don’t want anything to do with King of Deliverance, but if you need me to be at the con with Everly, I’ll be her shield against evil, no matter what form it takes.” She kissed the tops of Jude, Ronan, and Ten’s heads and walked out of the kitchen.
“It’s a world gone mad,” Ronan said, making himself another sandwich. “Kaye’s willing to go to the convention to save Everly.”
Tennyson couldn’t have said it better himself. When he first heard of Paranormal Phantasmagoria coming to Salem, he’d been thrilled to his toes. He was hoping that if it was a huge success, maybe a similar convention could be held in Salem annually. He’d been excited for Everly to meet young people with gifts like her own. Everything was coming up roses, but now, Ten couldn’t help but wonder if they’d be dead and black.
6
Ronan
The days leading up to the convention passed at the speed of light. With Ronan and Jude’s help, Fitzgibbon held a press conference about the convention, King of Deliverance, and Agatha Louise. Most people Ronan had spoken with afterward thought the press conference was a clever marketing ploy to bring more people, and their wallets flush with cash, to the Witch City, rather than the serious warning it was.
After severaldiscussionswhich nearly bordered on shouting matches, Ten and Ronan decided that Everly could go to the convention on Friday, since the doll wasn’t scheduled to appear until Saturday. Everly would be there for the vendor’s lunch, to meet and greet the other talent, and could stay for the opening of the con to walk around the vendor booths, so long as she had an adult with her.
At the moment, she was in the West Side Magick booth talking to a psychic from California and her daughter, Petunia. She and Everly looked as though they were becoming fast friends. Ronan loved that for his daughter, but he was still worried as hell about King of Deliverance and Agatha Louise. Both of whom were yet to make an appearance.
When Ronan, Ten, and Everly arrived at the convention center, he expected to be met by members of KOD with hateful signs and even uglier shouted slogans. To his surprise, there had been none of that. In fact, there hadn’t been any members of the megachurch anywhere to be seen, which worried Ronan. Where the hell were they? More importantly, what the hell were they planning?
“The KOD has landed,” Fitzgibbon said, shoving his walkie-talkie into his back pocket.
Ronan checked his watch. It was just before three when the con was about to officially open. It made sense that would be the time for KOD to show up. “What’s going on, are they behaving themselves?”
“So far, so good,” Fitz said. “I have a feeling getting out of here when the con ends could be tricky.”
Ronan had been thinking the same thing. “My main concern is getting Everly and Tennyson out of the building and home safely. Thankfully we’re parked in the underground garage. That should minimize our contact with the protesters.”
“Daddy, can you walk me and Petunia around the convention floor?” Everly asked. Petunia was standing behind her. The little girl looked to be about Everly’s age and could have passed as Wednesday Addams’ mini me with her dark braids, black dress, and sneakers. Ronan wondered if the little girl was cosplaying the character or if this was how she normally dressed.
“Sure, what are you ladies interested in seeing first?” Ronan asked.
“There are a couple of kids in the tarot booth over there.” Everly pointed to a booth where brightly colored tarot decks were being sold, along with altar cloths and handmade bags to hold the card decks.
“Okay, lead the way.” Ronan ushered them away from the booth.
“Who is Wednesday Addams?” Petunia asked Everly as they walked toward the booth.
Ronan snorted. Obviously the little girl could read him like a book. He’d have to watch his thoughts closely. He tended toswear more often in his head than he did out loud. The last thing Ronan wanted was for Petunia to go home with a colorful list of new vocabulary words.
When they reached the booth selling tarot decks, Ronan kept his distance and let the girls shop without him eavesdropping.
“Wow! Look at this deck, Daddy!” Everly motioned Ronan toward her.
