Page 105 of Kiss of Wrath

“How about Mordr? Does he love you?”

“I don’t know. He never told me so.” But then, she hadn’t told him, either. She was so confused. “There is one thing.” Miranda told Gabrielle about the heart sign Mordr made just before he’d left for the last time.

Gabrielle had tears in her eyes when Miranda finished. “Ivak never made that sign to me.” He probably would before nightfall.

“What should I do?” Miranda asked.

“Pray!”

At first, Miranda thought it was Gabrielle who’d given that oversimple suggestion, but then she realized that someone else had stepped up behind them. It was a little old lady dressed in neon orange biking shorts with a purple tank top, sporting the logo “I’m Not Old, I’m Ripe,” and white orthopedic shoes and pink ruffled anklets. An explosion of liver spots covered every inch of exposed, sagging skin. Her gray curls were held back off her face by a rhinestone-studded headband. Makeup filled all the crevices on her wrinkled face, accentuated by false eyelashes and bright red lipstick. Grandma Moses with a Mary Kay addiction.

“Tante Lulu!” Gabrielle said, pushing herself clumsily out of her chair and offering the seat to the old lady. She went to the verandah rail and pulled another chair over. Before she sat back down, Gabrielle poured a glass of sweet tea and handed it to her guest. “I didn’t know you were coming today.” Eyeing her outfit, Gabrielle raised a brow. “You been out jogging?”

“In this heat? I swear, it’s so dry t’day, the bushes are followin’ the dogs around. No, I ain’t climbed on the crazy train yet.” Smiling at Miranda, whose jaw had been hanging open, she extended a hand and said, “Hi! I’m Louise Rivard, but you kin call me Tante Lulu, like everyone does. You mus’ be Miranda. Ivak tol’ me ’bout you.”

“Did you bring that snakebite medicine for Ivak?” Gabrielle asked, then explained to Miranda, “Tante Lulu is a famous traiteur, that’s what they call a folk healer here on the bayou. Ivak and his workers have been getting some bites from the nonpoisonous snakes that’re causing rashes and nausea and stuff.”

“I brought my Piss ’n’ Boots remedy. Tee, hee, hee! It’s made up of goat urine and boiled cowhide with a little gator fat ta bind it all t’gether.”

“You’re kidding!” Miranda said before she had a chance to bite her tongue.

“Pfff! I ain’t got time ta be kiddin’. If I hesitate too long, I might find myself on the Other Side.” She grinned to show Miranda that she wasn’t offended. “Anyways,” she addressed Gabrielle now, “I brought Jem Hawkins with me t’day. He’s a professional snake catcher. I swear, that guy is so skinny if he closed one eye he could pass fer a needle. And stink? Pee-you. Smells lak swamp water all the time. Thass why we call him Stinky Hawkins. I’ll hafta spray mah car with a gallon of air freshener.”

After that ramble, the old lady took a long drink of her tea, then leaned back in her chair and studied Miranda. “So. You gonna take my advice, girl?”

“Huh?”

“Pray. Dint you hear me tell you ta pray?”

“Oh. That.”

Really, the old lady’s brain skittered around from one subject to another without warning, like a human Ping-Pong ball.

“Yes, that. I woke up this mornin’—most days I’m jist glad ta wake up, truth to tell—and I felt St. Jude nudgin’ me ta come over here. When I heard you soundin’ kind of hopeless when I walked up, I knew you were ta be my mission.”

Oh boy!

“Tante Lulu is a great fan of St. Jude. He’s the patron saint of hopeless cases,” Gabrielle explained to Miranda.

“Well, I’m certainly feeling hopeless.”

“You came ta the right place, then. Tell me what the problem is.” Tante Lulu leaned forward, waiting avidly for her to spill her secrets.

To Miranda’s surprise, she did just that. For some reason, the old lady engendered trust . . . and, yes, hope.

Tante Lulu listened intently, especially interested in knowing that the man Miranda loved was Ivak’s brother. She nodded here and there, and shook her head at other times. Of course, Miranda didn’t mention all the vangel/Lucipire stuff.

When she was done, Tante Lulu squeezed her hand and said, “Sweetie, this is yer lucky day. I’m gonna be yer new best friend, and friends are God’s way of takin’ care of us, y’know.”

Okaaay! “So, what do I do about this situation with Mordr?”

“Pray. Dint you hear what I said ta begin with. You mus’ have cotton balls betwixt yer ears, bless yer heart.”

“I haven’t been to church in years, and I can’t remember the last time I prayed,” Miranda disclosed.

“Mebbe it’s time ta start,” Tante Lulu told her, wagging a forefinger. “Dontcha be worryin’, though. You aim fer the Big Guy, and I’ll be prayin’ ta St. Jude fer ya, too. A double whammy, thass what it’ll be.”

“Speaking of double whammies,” Gabrielle interrupted, “is it possible I’m carrying twins? I swear, I must have gained fifty pounds.”