Candy Shop War (43 page)

A moment later Mrs. White pushed through the batwing doors, wearing a black eye patch. “Nate, how good of you to join us!” she said. She unlocked the front doors and opened them, admitting him. “I didn’t expect to see you again. You arrived just in time for the grand finale! I understand I have you to thank for claiming my prize.”

“You could say that,” Nate agreed in a meek voice.

Mrs. White closed the door, locked it, and offered Nate her arm. He let her escort him into the back. Summer, John, and Gary were tied up sitting on the floor. Pigeon was there too, webs still binding his arms to his sides. They gazed at Nate in despair. Old Kyle was seated on a chair beside Denny. Wyatt stood beside a worktable where the ornate goblet rested, clipping his fingernails.

“Look who came for a visit,” Mrs. White said elatedly. “Our
old
friend Nate! I’ve always been taught to show respect for my elders, so Denny, please pull him up a chair front and center.”

Denny retrieved a chair and Nate sat down directly in front of the goblet.

“Friends,” Mrs. White said. “In this humble room, in this obscure town, you are about to witness the dawn of a new era. All of you will be invited to serve me. Those who refuse will face nightmarish consequences. The rest of us are about to embark on a journey that surpasses anything you could possibly imagine. Decades of hiding and studying and preparing have finally reached their culmination!”

Mrs. White seized the goblet and raised it high. “To a new beginning,” she cried exultantly, and began gulping down the water. She continued drinking until she held out an empty goblet for all to see.

The change began almost immediately. Her stature diminished. Wrinkles smoothed away. Faint freckles came into being. Her clothes hung baggy on her smaller frame. Within a moment, Mrs. White looked ten years old.

Nate leaned forward, eyes narrowed, hands clenched into fists. Denny coughed, muffling the sound as best he could. Everyone in the room watched the young girl in expectant silence.

Her jubilant expression faded. The eye patch fell down around her neck, revealing a vacant socket. The young girl looked around at everyone, no recognition in her eye. She seemed flustered and disoriented. “Who are you?” she finally asked in a small, hesitant voice. “Where am I?”

Using the worktable for leverage, Nate stood up. “You are a lucky little girl,” he said, his age adding a certain dignity to his voice. “Not everyone gets an opportunity to start over with a Clean Slate!”

There was a moment of utter silence. Then John Dart threw his head back and laughed.

Wyatt approached the young girl. “Belinda?”

“Is that my name?” the girl asked. She reached up a hand, touched her vacant eye socket, and jerked it away. “What happened to me? Who are you people?”

Wyatt glared fiercely at Nate. “You put a Clean Slate into the goblet?”

“I still had the one Mrs. White intended for us to use on Mr. Stott,” Nate said. “Before the spider wrapped me up, I tucked it into the waistband of my underpants. It was my last resort. You didn’t even search me for candy.”

Wyatt shook his head. He rubbed a hand against the worktable. A rueful grin crept onto his face. “This probably ranks as the best sucker punch I’ve ever seen,” he murmured to himself.

Wyatt cracked his knuckles. He fixed Nate with a steady gaze. “I’m not glad you did it,” he growled. “But it’s done. There’s no going back. I’ve seen the Clean Slate in action before. This is over. Her mind is irretrievable.”

“What are you talking about?” the little girl asked.

Wyatt crouched. “You lost your memory,” he explained. “You have no family. Maybe some of these people can help you find a foster home.”

John Dart stood up, hands bound behind his back. He walked toward the Fuse. “What’s your move, Wyatt?”

“Not a step closer, John,” the Fuse said. “Far as I’m concerned, this whole endeavor is a bust. If I didn’t think you’d hunt me down, I might take my leave quietly.”

“From the look of things, you’re running out of unmarked skin,” John said. “My guess is Belinda promised to restore you with her augmented powers.”

“I’ve got enough juice left to take all of you with me,” Wyatt spat.

“Maybe,” John said. “But why perish? Let me take you in.”

“Not a chance,” Wyatt said, backing away. “Never underestimate a Fuse. You’d do well to give me your word you won’t pursue me, and let me depart in peace.”

John looked around the room, making eye contact with Nate and the kids. “You realize I can’t speak for my employers,” John said.

“I’m more worried about you than them,” the Fuse said. “I’ve made it personal with you. I’m going to trust that your employers have bigger fish to fry than a Fuse who bet on the wrong horse and has almost burned out.”

John looked wretched. “All right, for the sake of the kids, I pledge I won’t chase you if you leave immediately.”

The Fuse smirked, dipping his head. “That’s all I needed to hear. Look after little Linda, would you?”

Wyatt ambled out the back door. Nate heard him thumping up the stairs.

John turned to face Nate, a warm smile spreading across his lips. “Nate, I can’t believe it, you’re one in a million.”

Nate grinned as Pigeon, Summer, and Gary shouted words of approval. It was sort of pathetic to watch people tied up on the floor trying to cheer. But he appreciated the sentiment.

“What about me?” Kyle said, standing feebly. “What about Eric?”

“She wasn’t going to change you back,” Nate said. “I used magic to visit the future. She was going to enslave all of us, including you, Denny. Where is Eric, anyway?”

“Upstairs with the dwarf,” Denny said. “They’re both in bed. They’re too injured to be on their feet.”

“We’ll have to go pick up Mr. Stott,” Nate said. “He’s stranded as a coyote in his ice cream truck. Without his help, we wouldn’t have stopped her.”

“What about Trevor?” Summer asked.

“I got him out of the mirror,” Nate said. “I’ll tell you all about it later. Right now I feel really tired.”

Denny pounded a fist into his palm. “Dirt Face, I’ve got to say, I didn’t know you had it in you.”

“Nate,” John said, “I’ve never been so thoroughly defeated. We were all helpless. I have to agree with Denny, I didn’t see a way out of this. You have my eternal respect and admiration.”

“Thanks,” Nate said, sitting down. “I’d do it all again if I had to, but ideally, I’d rather not spend the rest of my life as an old man.”

“Don’t worry,” John said with a wink. “I know a guy.”

µ

Epilogue

New Jobs for John

“You guys need any more bean dip?” the coyote inquired.

“I’m stuffed,” Trevor said, rubbing the side of the brace encasing his ribs.

“You sure?” the coyote version of Mr. Stott persisted. “I have several more cans in the pantry.” They were all seated in Mr. Stott’s living room. Half-empty bags of chips littered the coffee table, along with a platter of bagels, several tubs of cream cheese, a bowl with remnants of onion dip, an empty bean-dip container, and a dozen paper cups.

“How about you, Gramps?” Summer asked Nate. “Still hungry?”

Leaning forward on the couch, Nate poked Summer in the thigh with his cane. “I warned you,” he growled. “If you get to call me Gramps, I get to jab you.” Elderly Kyle, sitting beside him, chuckled and coughed.

“We won’t get to call you Gramps much longer,” Pigeon said. “What time is John getting here, anyhow?”

Kyle checked his watch. “Any minute.”

“How about Old Timer?” Trevor tried.

Nate tried to prod him, but Trevor was out of reach.

“Or Old Man Sutter,” Summer said, moving away from Nate. “Or Geezer. Or Fossil. Or Dinosaur.”

“Nathanosaurus,” Pigeon proposed.

“Laugh it up,” Nate grumbled.

“Up until a few days ago, I would have been hesitant to let John Dart set a foot in this house,” the coyote interjected. “He has a sinister reputation in our circles. But if he hadn’t arranged to have my truck towed here, I’d probably be roaming the hills chasing rabbits by now. He seems to be genuinely trying to set everything right.”

“Is John bringing Linda?” Pigeon asked.

“I believe so,” the coyote said.

“You wouldn’t want her to leave without saying good-bye,” Nate teased.

Pigeon blushed and looked away.

“Pigeon, don’t you think having a thing for her is a little twisted?” Trevor said. “After all, she tried to kill us.”

“Not kill us,” Pigeon corrected. “She was mainly just trying to turn us into mindless slaves. And it wasn’t her, not really. Belinda is gone. Linda is a new person.”

“I think he’s into the eye patch,” Summer said.

“It matches his leather jacket,” Nate observed.

“The patch is sort of cute,” Pigeon mumbled.

“I want to be best man at the wedding,” Trevor joked.

“You’ll have to ask John’s permission,” Summer said. “He already treats her like a daughter.”

There came a heavy knock at the door.

“Speak of the devil and he appears,” the coyote exclaimed.

Pigeon crossed the room to answer the door, but it opened before he arrived. Linda entered, wearing a black eye patch, followed by John, who held a plate stacked with miniature quiches.

“Hey, guys,” Linda said with a small wave. They had all hung out a few times since she had lost her memory. Sweet, friendly, and a little shy, Linda had offered no hint of recalling her former identity.

“Hi, Linda,” Pigeon stammered.

She beamed at him.

“No dip left?” John complained.

“I have some in the cupboard,” the coyote said.

“I’ll help you grab it,” Trevor offered, walking out of the room.

“I brought little quiches,” John said, setting the plate on the coffee table.

“What are quiches?” Nate asked.

“You’ll like them,” Summer said. “They’re soft. You can gum them.”

She was out of reach, so Nate stood up and shuffled toward her, brandishing his cane. Laughing, she ran away from him. “Come back here, you whippersnapper!” Nate called in his most cantankerous voice.

Summer cowered behind John. “Can’t you shoot him or something?”

“You’re on your own,” John said, raising both hands and backing away. Summer shrieked as Nate swatted her leg with his cane.

Trevor and the coyote returned with a can of bean dip. “What happened this time?” Trevor asked, popping the tab on the bean dip and tearing off the lid.

“She said I have to gum my food,” Nate huffed, panting.

“Don’t worry, Nate,” John said. “I’ll have you chewing like a pro again before you know it.”

“Did you bring him?” Kyle asked.

John reached into a bag and pulled out some tortilla chips. He scooped up some of the pasty brown bean dip and put the chips in his mouth. “I just got off the phone with him,” John said around the crunchy mouthful. “He’ll be here any minute. Nate is a lucky boy. Mozag does not normally make house calls. He was impressed by my report, and wanted to see personally to Nate’s well-being. No offense, Kyle, but he’s not here for you. You and Eric will have to journey with me to the lair where the Council meets.”

“Why not fix me while he’s here?”

“The Council wants you and Eric to account for your actions before offering any assistance,” John explained. “They’ll make Sebastian explain his role in all of this as well. I’m confident they’ll restore all of you in the end, though I imagine they’ll have a punishment in mind for you and Eric.”

“Punishment?” Kyle blurted.

John shrugged. “Nothing compared to losing the best years of your life, I assure you.”

“Where does the Council meet?” Kyle asked.

“Ohio.”

“You prepared the vehicle so I can ride in it?” the coyote asked.

“It will serve as a temporary lair,” John said, snatching more chips. “Should be quite a road trip. Two eighty-year-old kids, a little girl with amnesia, and a talking coyote.”