I found her at home watching television. The sound blared, and until she shut the contraption off, I was reduced to repeating, “I said, hello,” at the top of my lungs.
“Come on in,” Fannie said.
“I brought you a gift.” I handed her the bag.
A flash of pleasure washed over Fannie's face when her fingers rumpled the paper sack. “You didn’t need to bring this.”
“I didn’t mind. Thought you could use it.”
“Would you like a glass?”
I raised my palm. “No thanks. I only drink the soft stuff.”
Fannie cackled. “The stuff for ladies, huh? You don’t like a good stiff drink?”
“No thanks, I’m okay without one.”
Fannie sat and patted one of her stuffed cats. How could I have forgotten about them? The army of taxidermied animals had slipped my mind until I entered the home.
“What can I do for you, Blissful?” Fannie gestured for me to sit. I claimed a spot on the couch. A stuffed cat lay beside me.
It was stuffed until my thigh squished its tail. Then the creature whipped up and hissed at me.
“Sorry, cat,” I said.
Fannie waved in dismissal. “Miss Sourpuss is always testy.”
I glanced at the dead creatures. “Maybe because she knows what’s in store for her.”
Fannie laughed. “You’re a funny one, Blissful. But what can I do for you?”
“We have a little problem where I work.” My gaze swept the room. If Fannie had stashed theSpiritusin view, I wanted to find it. Nothing but dusty surfaces and fur filled the living room.
Fannie opened the whiskey and poured two fingers. “What sort of problem is that?”
“Something’s gone missing.”
“Never a good problem to have.”
“No, it isn’t.” I waited until Fannie had nestled herself into her recliner with the drink before continuing. “I had a canister—a very long tube with drawings on it. I think you might’ve seen it the day you walked by.”
Fannie inhaled the brown liquid. She whirled it in the glass and sniffed again. Her whole face brightened. “You think I saw what again?”
“A tube with markings on it.”
“I can’t say I did.”
I leaned forward and rested my elbows on my knees. “You know, the funny thing about that canister is that it’s dangerous. Very dangerous. It doesn’t look like it is, but believe me. You don’t want to mess with it.”
Fannie stared at me over her glass as she sipped the whiskey. She lowered it to the TV stand with a thud. “And what makes you think I have anything to do with this missing object?”
“I saw you staring at it. I don’t know what sort of power it has, but trust me, you don’t want that thing to gain any hold on you. It’s not worth it. What’s inside is evil.”
Fannie laughed. “Evil, Blissful? Things can’t be evil. What are you talking about?”
I rose. Seeing as how this conversation wasn’t going anywhere, there was no point in trying to convince this woman of something she wouldn’t believe.
“I know it’s hard to swallow, but the object has something harmful inside. Do me a favor. If you come across anything that looks like it, just don’t open it, okay?”
