Maudlin's Mayhem (Bewitching Bedlam #2)(67)

I tried to doze, but I couldn’t get out of my head. I was overexhausted and my body had taken a rough hit from the drug. I coasted, floating on a dizzying sea, until Sandy returned. She was carrying a bowl of instant mashed potatoes.

“Eat this.”

I didn’t want to eat, but the potatoes smelled good, and my stomach lurched with hunger. She slid her arms around me and helped me sit up enough so I wouldn’t choke, then fed me, spoon by spoon, until I had eaten it all.

A blissful warmth began to spread through me, cushioning my nerves, easing the raw, frayed feeling. A few minutes later, my eyes were beginning to close.

“What’d you put in those?” I asked, barely conscious enough to form the words.

“Honey, I had a bottle of Valerio in my purse. I figured it might come in handy.”

Valerio was a compound that Andy McGee made at his pharmacy and it rivaled the strongest sleep aids out there. I usually slept just fine so I didn’t keep it around, but now, I decided, I was damned well going to. And with that last thought, my breathing eased, and I let myself slink into blessed, dreamless sleep.





THE FIRST SOUND I heard was a woman’s voice. Then I heard Sandy answer her. As I blinked, trying to pull out of the fog-shrouded sleep, I picked up bits and pieces of the conversation.

“Please, you know that Maddy would let us stay here if she knew what was going on.”

The voice sounded familiar, and then it registered—it was Snow White.

“I know, but she’s had a lot of problems lately and I don’t want to make a promise without her approval. Can’t you find another hotel or something?”

“Ralph cut off my money and took my car keys. It’s not even my car—we don’t have them in Storybook Land. Since I refused to finish the movie, he told me and the boys to find our own way home.”

“How the hell did he manage to conjure you out of the book, anyway? That kind of magic isn’t always looked on too highly.” Sandy didn’t sound all that pleased.

“Ralph’s cousin did it. She’s some sort of dust queen…dust witch…” Snow paused. “I’m not sure of the technical term, but I didn’t even know about her till the other day when I found her in the back yard.”

“So, she is a Dirt Witch.”

“That’s right! Apparently she knows all sorts of tricks—”

I stopped listening, staying very still on the sofa. I didn’t want Sandy to know I had heard her and Snow White talking. For one thing, I was pretty sure Sandy wouldn’t like it if I got up and ran over to Ralph’s and had a little talk with Honey. For another, my muscles felt frozen into place, and I needed to get up very slowly and stretch.

“Tell you what. Let me call my assistant and have him take you all out for a drink. Maddy should be waking up soon, and when she does, I’ll see what she says. But for now, don’t mention the Dirt Witch to her. She’s been through a rough patch and really doesn’t need to hear that.”

Snow agreed, and the next thing, I heard Sandy calling Alex, and then a taxi. She shooed Snow and the boys outside to wait for the cab and, in another five minutes, I heard her heading back toward the parlor. I slowly shuffled around, making noise, and yawned loudly.

“Sandy? Sandy, are you still here?” I sounded like a bullfrog, my voice was still a bit tenuous.

“Right here, Maddy. Are you all right? Do you need help?” She rounded the sofa, and I blinked, rubbing my eyes, and let her help me sit up.

“I’m a little foggy, but overall, a lot better than…what time is it? How long have I been asleep?” I glanced at the clock. It was three-thirty. “Aegis! Did he—”

“Don’t worry. I put him to bed in his lair for you. Good thing he trusts me,” Sandy said. She rubbed my back and shoulders for a moment. “So, is the Rutillite out of your system?”

I closed my eyes. Stomach—check. Head—a little foggy, but check. Blood felt fine. Everything checked out except for the ache in my muscles, and that would work itself out as I moved around. Finally, I took a deep breath and my lungs felt fine.

“I’m good.” I opened my eyes again. “What happened while I was asleep?”

Sandy paused, then slowly said, “Snow showed up, looking for a room. Ralph apparently kicked her and the boys out when they refused to finish the movie.”

I shrugged. “They can stay the night, I suppose.” I thought about pushing Sandy into telling me what I had overheard, but decided why bother. I had confirmation of who the Dirt Witch was, and that was the most important thing. “Did you call Garret?”

“Yep, and he’s on his way over right now. He told me he’d be here around three-forty-five.” Right on cue, the doorbell rang. Sandy motioned for me to sit still. “I’ll get it. You just get used to being awake again.”

I winced as I stretched my arms over my head. Then I stood and bent over, balancing myself on the edge of the sofa. The back of my legs ached, but the stretching began to ease the tight muscles and by the time Sandy reentered the room, I was able to stand without pain. I looked a wrinkled mess, but with everything that had happened, I really didn’t give a damn.

Garret nodded as he sat down on the sofa next to me. I motioned for him to wait a moment.

“I’ll be right back. I had a rough night and just woke up. Excuse me.” I turned and hightailed it out of the room, heading for the downstairs bath. I needed to pee, and pee bad. Afterward, I washed my hands and splashed cold water on my face, blinking as it woke me up. I found a brush and tugged the snarls out of my hair, then took a washcloth to my underarms, given I didn’t have time to run upstairs and take a bath.