Fear Familiar Bundle (148 page)

But who is that lovely young woman approaching him with an urgent look on her face? She's devastating with that cascade of mahogany hair! And those eyes, shattered blue crystal! She isn't as tall as my lovely Eleanor, but that peacock silk dress clings to every slinky curve. I wonder why she's so very disturbed. Oh, to wipe that look of consternation from her lovely face.

But first things first. I must hear what she's whispering to Eugene. She looks likes she's going to burst.

"H
E'S PULLING UP
in front of the house," Jennifer Barkley whispered, unable to hide her fury. "He's going to crash the party and try to start a fight." She gave a worried glance to the fifty-odd guests who were chatting and laughing all around the lower floor of the Adamses' beautiful home. This was definitely not the place for a scene. "Now, Eugene, whatever you do, don't let him provoke you. Everyone knows he's a fat bully!"

"Crush Bonbon is no match for me!" Eugene Legander straightened his cravat and put his glass of burgundy on the table where he'd been signing copies of his highly acclaimed children's book,
Tribe of the Monkey Children.
At the look on the author's face, several guests stopped talking and moved closer.

Jennifer Barkley looked at the author with serious doubt in her spangled blue eyes. Her grip on his shoulder tightened as the front door opened with too much force and a mountain of a man blocked out the beautiful spring day. His roving glare caught Eugene's and held.

A whisper spread through the elegant old house— Crush Bonbon had arrived— uninvited.

Jennifer put her other hand on Eugene's shoulder, hoping to hold him in place. As if sensing the building tension, the front parlor where Eugene had been sitting began to fill with curious partyers. Jennifer took a deep breath. "As your publicist, I order you to sit still and keep your lip zipped. You know how he gets your goat."

"He may get my goat, but today I'm going to rattle his gizzard." Eugene stood. Though he was in his seventies, he was spry and fit. "I'll go more than one round with that cockatoo." He assumed the stance of a fencer, daring Crush to advance with a wave of his hand.

Jennifer rolled her eyes. Eugene, or Uncle Eugene as he was known to his millions of young fans, was the most lovable, dearest— most stubborn— man she'd ever met. And he enjoyed a good verbal sparring match with Mobile's most conservative and obnoxious radio talk show host, Crush Bonbon. The two had been at each other's throats since Crush had moved to Mobile a decade before.

"Well, well, Crush," Eugene said as he stepped forward, the gleam of battle in his eyes. "I didn't realize you were so lonely you had to crash parties uninvited. Crush the Crash. How fitting."

"I've come to uncloak you for the sick man you are," Crush replied, his double chin quivering with indignation. "Your books are a source of wickedness in a world already filled with evil. You encourage mischief in children, foolishness in women, and— " he looked around the room, making sure he had everyone's full attention "— moral decay."

A tall, slender woman with chestnut hair touched only lightly with gray stepped to the door. "Mr. Bonbon, this is a private party. Please leave now."

"Mrs. Adams." Crush gave her a courtly bow. "I have no wish to show discourtesy to you, but you've been conned by this man." He pointed at Uncle Eugene. "He pretends to love children, to write for their entertainment. But look at the children in his books. Terrible things happen to them. They swing through trees like monkeys. They mock their teachers and their parents. His books teach insurrection and anarchy. He must be stopped— " he pointed at Eugene dramatically "— before another child disappears."

Victory glinted in his small eyes as he watched the shocked adults in the room. The meaning of his words didn't take long to sink in. A low rumble of murmurs spread among the partygoers.

"Why, I never!" Martha Whipple, the local librarian shook her finger at Crush.

"What child has disappeared?" Eleanor Curry asked as she stepped forward, baby Jordan in her arms.

"Mimi Frost is missing. She disappeared in the park this morning.
After
she was seen with Eugene Legander, feeding the pigeons."

Eleanor shifted Jordan to a more comfortable position. "Get out of this house as Mrs. Adams has requested." Her normally pale face was stained with anger. "I've known Eugene Legander since I was a small child. He loves children, and I won't allow you to stand here and make unwarrented innuendos." She stepped forward. "Get out now."

A hush had fallen over the rest of the room. Mrs. Adams put a hand to her mouth. "I can't believe it. Little Mimi. I must call her mother immediately. There's been that terrible custody battle. Maybe her father took her…" She didn't complete the thought as she realized how damning it could be.

"Maybe Eugene can tell us where she is." Crush held his ground. "Especially since a page from his ridiculous book was found with her hair ribbon. The exact page where the first child is kidnapped by the monkeys. 'Kidnapped' is, of course, the operative word."

Another murmur ran through the room. Eugene stood frozen.

"I've asked you politely…" Eleanor was breathing rapidly and she turned to find Jennifer Barkley at her side. "Now I'm telling you, get out or I'll have you removed."

"Mr. Bonbon," Jennifer said, completely in control. "Your accusations are grounds for slander. I suggest you leave before your mouth gets you into more serious trouble. Most of the time intelligent people can overlook your ugly drivel, but this time you've gone too far."

"Ah, Ms. Barkley. Eugene is your meal ticket. No wonder you protect him so fiercely. I'd— " He stopped at the sound of a low, deadly growl. His eyes widened at the sight of a big black cat, crouched between Eleanor and Jennifer, staring directly at him.

"Grrrr— grrrr— grrrrr!" Familiar swatted at his pant leg with one sharpened set of claws.

"Mark my words." Crush backed up, his gaze on the angry cat. "If Eugene Legander is allowed to roam free, more children will disappear. He's a sick man. A child hater. A very sick man!" He threw up both arms and turned to run as Familiar leapt into the air at him.

Eleanor closed the door on his hasty departure and looked down at the cat. Familiar stuck out a back leg and nonchalantly began to clean it, as if he were sitting at home in front the television. "Haven't I taught you not to growl at strangers?" Holding the infant in her arms, she bent to stroke the now purring cat. "Good work, Familiar, you little escape artist. How did you get out of the bedroom?"

"Meow." Familiar basked in her praise, then wound around Jennifer's extremely attractive ankles.

"What a cat." Jennifer bent to lift him so that she could look into his golden green eyes. "He was defending you."

"Yes." Eleanor nodded. "He was. Familiar is a very special cat." She gave him a knowing look. "And like all special creatures, he can sometimes cause more trouble than you could ever imagine. That's why I didn't leave him in Washington."

"What an extraordinary creature!" Eugene rushed forward and took the cat from Jennifer's arms. "I do believe it must be the soul of Lancelot returned to us in feline form."

"Meow." Familiar puckered his whiskers and yawned to show his disdain of human evaluation, but he made no effort to move away from the stroking hands.

Backing slightly out of the group that had now resumed chattering with full force, Jennifer hid her frown. The party had resumed as the guests drifted back to the buffet table, the bar, or the gardens. But Crush Bonbon had greatly disturbed her— and Eugene. He was doing a good job of hiding it, but she could see the distress in the set of his shoulders. Had one of the local children really disappeared, or was that some gambit on the part of Crush Bonbon to start a controversy? His daily talk show fed off rumor and fear. If he could start a stampede of mothers worried about the safety of their children, he would do so. Simply for the fun of it— and the audience it would draw.

The uncanny sensation of someone watching her made Jennifer pause. She felt her pulse quicken at the strangest tingle along her spine, almost as if she'd been touched. Nonchalantly she turned into the mocking gaze of James Tenet. "Damn," she whispered under her breath. Tenet was a journalist with a sharp eye and an even sharper wit. They'd gone a round not more than two weeks ago when Tenet had opined in a column that fiction, in general, had become too dollar-driven. It was true the column had not addressed Eugene's books, but the general tone of it had set Jennifer off and she'd lowered both barrels at James when she'd met him in the mall.

The trouble was, he'd been wickedly amused by her volley of fire. In fact, had goaded her. And something more. Her face flushed at the memory of how he'd made her pulse jump. It had been the heat of combat,
and
something else. Something she refused to acknowledge.

Now she could tell by the delight in his eyes that he had more grist for the horrible newspaper mill. The scene between Crush and Eugene— and the ugly accusations— would be sensationalized in the morning newspaper unless she could somehow defuse the story.

Jennifer took a steadying breath and walked over to the reporter's side. "I hope you realize Crush Bonbon's accusations are contemptuous lies."

"Possibly. But very entertaining lies." James kept his expression coolly neutral, but he couldn't keep his gaze from sweeping Jennifer Barkley from head to toe. She was one of the most attractive women he'd ever seen. She hummed with energy, especially when she was angry. When she'd accosted him in the mall, he'd been unable to resist teasing her. She was so beautiful when aroused, and her flashing eyes had done a little arousing of their own. In fact, he'd come to this writer's shindig for the express purpose of seeing her again. He grinned at the expression on her face. And it was going to be well worth his time and effort. She was one publicist who took her job a bit too seriously.

Watching his expressions, Jennifer felt a sudden drop in the bottom of her stomach. The man was difficult to deal with and required complete cool. Why was she suddenly so fluttery? To hide her discomfort, she flagged a passing waiter and picked up two glasses of champagne. She handed one to him with a carefully constructed smile. "Surely you're too intelligent to allow the likes of Crush Bonbon to manipulate you. He's a great shepherd to the sheep, but you aren't a sheep." She raised her eyebrows in question.

"Neither sheep nor goat." He smiled and sipped the champagne he'd accepted with one arched eyebrow. "Is it true that a child has disappeared?"

"I don't know," Jennifer replied. "I was hoping you could tell me." Whether she liked to admit it or not, there was something about the tall, dark-eyed reporter that tempted her to linger beside him. His slightly tilted eyes and golden skin reflected his Filipino heritage, but his mocking smile was all his own.

"The police reporter will know. I'll check before I write the story." He grinned. "I'm accurate, and I'm not led around by the nose."

"There's an old saying. You can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink. I think that's been updated." Jennifer's smile was challenging. "You can lead a reporter to the truth, but you can't make him think. I hope you enjoy the party." Her perfect exit was ruined by the loud, distressed wail of a young child.

"Mama!"

All eyes turned to the garden entrance where an eight-year-old girl stood in the tatters of a once beautiful yellow organza sundress. "Mama!" She held out her arms but did not move. Dirt covered her legs and hands, and tears had tracked through dirt on both cheeks.

"Daisy!" Amanda Adams rushed to her daughter and quickly inspected her for serious injuries. When she was certain she wasn't hurt, Amanda pulled the child against her, heedless of the expensive silk of her own dress. "What is it, darling?"

"He pinched me!" Daisy wailed the words, her face pressed into her mother's side.

"What?" Amanda ignored her guests as they clustered around. "What did you say?"

Daisy pulled away from her mother long enough to throw Eugene Legander a look that managed to hold both horror and betrayal. "He pinched me. Hard." She held out her arm. In the tender flesh under the muscle there was a bright, angry red blotch where the abused tissue was collecting blood.

"Who pinched you?" Amanda's voice was controlled, but concern was giving way to fury.

"He did!" Daisy pointed at Eugene and then pressed her face against her mother and sobbed. "Please, make him go away."

Jennifer started to step forward, but the look of hurt on Eugene's face stopped her. Would it be better to confront the child and make her admit her lie, or to get Eugene out of the party? Her first official duty was to guard his reputation, but in the time she'd worked as his publicist for Grand Street Press, she'd come to regard Eugene's feelings as most important. He was a generous man who gave without expecting anything in return. She could see that Daisy Adams's accusation had cut him to the bone.

"Daisy, you must be mistaken." Eugene took matters into his own hands as he knelt beside the child and spoke softly to her. "I would never pinch you."

"You did," Daisy said on a cry as she pressed tighter to her mother's side. "You pinched me, and then you pushed me into the garden shed and locked me there. I've been trying to get out for hours!"

Eugene started to reach out to the child but thought better of it. He stood, shaking his head, all color drained from his face. "I should be leaving, Amanda," he said to her mother. "I didn't do a thing to Daisy. Perhaps when she calms down she'll— "

"I'm sorry, Eugene." Amanda Adams spoke stiffly. "I think it would be best if you go. Daisy doesn't tell fibs."

"And neither does Eugene." Jennifer stepped forward. She bent to Daisy. "Did you see Eugene when he pushed you into the shed?"

The little girl paused in her crying to remember. "I was picking flowers. For Uncle Eugene's jacket." She hiccuped and her breath caught several times before she could continue. "We'd been talking about the impatiens, the red ones." She hiccuped again. "I went to pick a carnation for him, and then he came up behind me where I couldn't see and he pinched my arm and pushed me into the shed." She peeked a glance at Eugene from behind her mother's leg.