Read Online Deadly Nightshade by Cynthia Riggs - Free Book Online Page A

a humming noise and looked over to see a string of x's march across the screen. Victoria put her knobby hands on the sill between the Wampanoag's heavy calloused hands, his nails bitten to the quick. The man continued to stare. Victoria heard Elizabeth's breathing. She heard the x's continue to march.
    Victoria turned to Elizabeth. “Hadn't you better do something about that?” She indicated the screen. Elizabeth stepped away from the computer and the x's stopped.
    Suddenly, the Wind and the Rain sagged. His muscles relaxed and his eyes closed partway.
    “Yes, ma'am, I'm Bessie's boy. The youngest Minnowfish.”
    “I thought so.” Victoria stood up straight, her hands on the sill, her arms extended. The man moved back from the window a half step, fingers with bitten nails still holding on.
    “Your great-grandmother was Charity Minnowfish.”
    “Yes, ma'am.” He opened his eyes and the irises floated.
    “Charity must have been your father's father's mother.”
    “Yes, ma'am.” He let go of the windowsill.
    “I went to school with Charity.” Victoria leaned forward. “She was one of my pals. We looked for birds' nests together.”
    “Yes, ma'am.” He shook his head, and Victoria heard the string of bones around his neck rattle. “That was a hundred years ago,” he whispered. The osprey feathers in his hair quivered. His black skull-printed scarf moved in the night breeze coming off the harbor.
    “Not quite.” Victoria leaned out the window toward the man, who had backed up as far as he could to the railing. She put her elbows on the sill so she could see him better.
    “You must be Dojan, the youngest boy, aren't you?”
    “Yes, ma'am,” he whispered.
    “Well, Dojan,” Victoria said in her Sunday school teacher's voice, “tell the sheik to come back tomorrow. We don't have room for him tonight.” She leaned farther out the window, and Dojan moved to one side. “Give the sheik my respects.”
    “Yes, ma'am.” Dojan moved along the railing, sideways like a crab, eyes fixed on Victoria. “A hundred years,” he whispered.
    “I remember when you were a little boy.” Victoria pointed at him. “You haven't changed a bit. Do you still lobster?”
    “Yes, ma'am,” Dojan said. “I fish some, too.”
    “Wonderful!” Victoria said brightly.
    “You like lobster?” he asked suddenly in a loud voice. A startled night bird flew up from the water, beating its wings, squawking.
    “Of course.” Victoria saw the breeze lift the ends of Dojan's skull scarf.
    “Will you be here tomorrow?”
    Victoria turned to Elizabeth, who was staring from her grandmother to the apparition beyond the window and back to her grandmother again.
    “Will we?” Victoria said to Elizabeth.
    Elizabeth nodded.
    “I'll bring you a lobster.” He moved his hands apart to indicate to Victoria the size of the lobster he would bring to her. “I'll bring you two lobsters tomorrow.”
    “How's Bessie?” Victoria still leaned partway out the window into the darkness.
    “She's well, ma'am. Touch of arthritis.”
    “I know all about that.” Victoria lifted her knobby hands. “Tell her hello from me, Victoria Trumbull.”
    “Yes, ma'am.” Dojan raised his hand in a movie Indian's salute and sidled away from the window. His black hair, black shirt, black jeans, and bare feet faded down the catwalk.
    Elizabeth let out her breath in a long sigh.
    Victoria spread her hands in front of her and looked at them. “I'm glad you don't bite your fingernails, Elizabeth.”
    Elizabeth slid the window shut, locked it. Locked the window over the desk. Shut the two windows that looked out over Nantucket Sound. Deleted the strings of x's on the computer screen and turned it off.
    “Dojan comes from a good family. He's quite bright. He can be a bit strange, but he's harmless. He's like his father, who was strange, too.” Victoria gathered up her papers and dropped them into her pocketbook. “Did you finish what you were doing?”
    “No way I