Foxglove.Foxes glofa.Fairy gloves. Witch’s thimbles. Dead man’s bells. No matter what name it was called, it was extremely poisonous. Every part of the plant was toxic, especially the leaves.
Una pictured Beth drying the leaves and crushing them into a fine powder. She must’ve mixed that powder into her pastry dough along with lots of sugar, honey, and jam. Lots of sweetness to disguise a bitter taste. She’d given the finished product to Mrs. Smith.
Did Beth want to make her sick? Or to kill her?
Whatever her intentions, Beth’s scheming had cost Paul his life.
Paul, who’d been Kristofer’s friend for a decade. How many beers had they shared on a Friday night after work? How many Sunday afternoons had they wiled away fishing? How many winter Saturdays were spent at the bowling alley, hoping to be the best in their league?
Mrs. Smith knew the cookies were poisoned but gave them to Paul anyway.If Una needed proof that the woman was a monster, she had it.
She saw no point in sharing these thoughts with her husband. Paul was dead. Nothing was going to bring him back, and Una had to focus on her plan to protect the children. Not just Charles and the Scott children, but all the children at the party. Any of them could become Mrs. Smith’s next victim.
Una hadn’t been able to save Svana. But she wouldn’t let thatthingdrag another innocent down into the deep.
Early that morning, she’d met Jill and Charles at the neighborhood park, which was little more than a playground with two benches and a picnic table. Sitting at the table, the three of them had shared their fears about Mrs. Smith.
“When I saw her standing outside her house, I knew she was the monster who drowned my sister,” Una had begun. “She knows that I recognize her—she might even remember me, too—so I am a threat to her. She will come after me tonight. And you children, too.” She glanced at Jill. “Did any of your books say how to defeat her?”
Looking hopeless, Jill had tossed a pebble into the road. “If she’s Lamia, she’s been around for at least a thousand years. How are we supposed to fight a demon?”
As if expecting this question, Charles said, “We have to get her before she goes in the water. She’s in a human form now. If she bleeds, she can be killed.”
“I’ll bring a sewing needle and prick her with it, just to be sure.” Una patted her purse. “I will also bring this.”
She pulled out a bundle of cloth and unwound it, revealing a knife with a bone handle. Symbols had been scratched into the blade, and a fish with teeth had been carved into the handle.
Charles had leaned closer to the weapon. “Is that from Iceland?”
“Yes. It belonged to myafi. My grandfather. He was a fisherman. He made this knife out of whalebone and steel. My grandmother added these runes. They’re for protection.” Una rewrapped the knife and placed it back in her purse. “You should have a weapon, too. Both of you. Something sharp. Something you can take out quickly.”
Jill and Charles nodded.
“We have to make sure none of the children are ever alone with her,” Una continued. “We must watch her at all times. If she goes off alone, we must assume she is hunting.I will go after her. If I end up in danger, you must warn everyone else.”
Charles splayed his hands. “How?”
Jill replied before Una had the chance. “We can tell the DJ there’s an emergency. Or grab his mic. Or we could set off the smoke alarms. Cruise ships have smoke alarms, so I bet this boat does, too.”
“Good,” Una had said. “Or find the captain. Tell him that one of the guests is trying to hurt a child. Do whatever it takes to get people to listen.”
Thinking back on this conversation, Una wished she’d had more answers for Jill and Charles. She wished she had a more powerful weapon than an old fishing knife. She wished there was an army to stand between the children and Mrs. Smith. She would give her life to save them, but would that be enough?
“Picking out your party clothes?” Kristofer asked from the doorway.
Una turned to him. “I am. I just hope you’ll be okay without me.”
He came into the room and put his arms around her. “I’ll be fine. After I drop you at the yacht club, I’m going to Wendell’s house. We’re going to grill burgers and watch the game. Try to enjoy yourself. Drink champagne. Eat cake. Go crazy on the dance floor.”
“The only person I want to dance with is you.”
Kristofer led Una to the living room. He switched on the radio and held her tight as the Flamingos sang “I Only Have Eyes for You.”
Una smiled at her husband. “You promised me a lifetime of rainbows the day you asked me to marry you. I’m glad I believed you. I’m glad I said yes.”
“I was the luckiest boy in Iceland,” he said, kissing her on the cheek. “Now I’m the luckiest man in America.”
Later, after an afternoon of laundry and lawn mowing, Kristofer drove Una to the yacht club, where the valet stopped them and signaled for Kristofer to roll down his window.
