The world seems to tilt.
“What?”
“That’s right.” Midge gives a bitter laugh. “Heart attack? That’s what everyone thinks. But it wasn’t his heart. It was the pills I ground into his coffee every morning for three weeks. I made sure it was slowand painful. And I relished watching him suffer the way he made me suffer.”
“Well,” Percy chirps. “This is rather like discovering your angel food cake is actually devil’s food. We’ve crossed into much darker territory,haven’t we?”
Funny. I’ve never thought of Midge Thornbury as an angel myself.
“You killed your own husband?” I can hardly get the words out.
“He betrayed me!” Midge’s voice cracks. “Thirty-two years of marriage. I gave him everything. And he threw it away for thatwitch. So yes. I killed him. And then I killedher. And you know what? I don’t regret either one.”
She snatches that tray of banana pudding off the bench.
“You self-righteous little busybody,” she snarls. “You and your pathetic bakery and your multiple husbands and your perfect little life! You have no idea what it’s like to build something for decades and watch it crumble.”
Before I know it, the tray is hurled my way, and both Greer and Percy press down on my shoulders, causing me to inadvertently duck—and just in the nick of time.
Banana pudding cups explode against the lattice behind me in angry, orange splats.
A cry of frustration bursts from Midge’s throat before she makes a break for it.
Straight for the woods.
“Oh no, you don’t!” I shout, taking off after her.
Percy swoops ahead. “Don’t worry, Lottie Lemon. I’ve got her! Her Jell-O won’t be jiggling for long!”
Greer appears beside me for half a second. “I’m getting Carlotta to call for help!” Then she vanishes in a fit of hot pink stars.
But I keep running. And much to my chagrin, Midge is fast, surprisingly fast for someone in kitten heels and a vintage dress. But I’ve got rage and justice on my side, plus it doesn’t hurt that I’m wearing sensible shoes.
We crash into the tree line as branches whip at my face. The ground is uneven and covered in last year’s leaves along with new spring growth. I can hear Midge ahead of me, her footstepsfaltering, her breathing growing ragged.
“Give up, Midge!” I shout. “There’s nowhere to run!” Okay, so there are plenty of places to run, but I’m not going to be the one to tell her that.
“Leave me alone, Lottie!” She takes a moment to turn my way and bleed a wicked smile. “Believe me, you don’t want to get on my bad side.”
I push harder, closing the distance.
And then I do something I learned from watching Lyla Nell take on other toddlers.
I dive for the woman as clean and neat as if I were jumping into a swimming pool.
Midge dodges my efforts, but as luck would have it, I manage to catch her by the ankle. She goes down hard as dirt and leaves scatter in every direction.
“Get away from me.” She does her best to wriggle free, but I’ve got a death grip on her. Within seconds, she’s on top of me, and the struggle for control is on. She’s stronger than she looks. All those years of kneading dough and lifting cast-iron skillets have given her arms like steel cables. But then again, I’ve been doing the very same thing.
She pushes me down to the ground, and her hands wrap around my throat.
“You ruined everything!” she screams.
I try to buck her off, but she’s got leverage. Her fingers dig into my neck, and my vision starts to blur. I do my best to pluck her hands off me, but she’s not budging.
Can’t breathe.
Percy appears above us, his spectral form blazing. “GET OFF HER! Pecan pie STAT!”
