From Dead to Worse

transformational magic when she turned Bob into a cat; they were having what must have been very adventurous sex. I’d never had the nerve to ask her what she’d been trying to do. It was clear that it was something pretty exotic.
    “The deal is,” Amelia said suddenly, and I went on the alert. The real reason she’d stayed up to see me was about to be revealed. Amelia was a very clear broadcaster, so I picked it right up from her brain. But I let her go on and speak, because people really don’t like it if you tell them they don’t have to actually speak to you, especially when the topic is something they’ve had to build up to. “My dad is going to be in Shreveport tomorrow, and he wants to come by Bon Temps to see me,” she said in a rush. “It’ll be him and his chauffeur, Marley. He wants to come for supper.”
    The next day would be Sunday. Merlotte’s would be open only in the afternoon, but I wasn’t scheduled to work anyway, I saw with a glance at my calendar. “So I’ll just go out,” I said. “I could go visit JB and Tara. No big.”
    “Please be here,” she said, and her face was naked with pleading. She didn’t spell out why. But I could read the reason easy enough. Amelia had a very conflicted relationship with her dad; in fact, she’d taken her mother’s last name, Broadway, though in part that was because her father was so well-known. Copley Carmichael had lots of political clout and he was rich, though I didn’t know how Katrina had affected his income. Carmichael owned huge lumberyards and was a builder, and Katrina might have wiped out his businesses. On the other hand, the whole area needed lumber and rebuilding.
    “What time’s he coming?” I asked.
    “Five.”
    “Does the chauffeur eat at the same table as him?” I’d never dealt with employees. We just had the one table here in the kitchen. I sure wasn’t going to make the man sit on the back steps.
    “Oh, God,” she said. This had clearly never occurred to her. “What will we do about Marley?”
    “That’s what I’m asking you.” I may have sounded a little too patient.
    “Listen,” Amelia said. “You don’t know my dad. You don’t know how he is.”
    I knew from Amelia’s brain that her feelings about her father were really mixed. It was very difficult to pick through the love, fear, and anxiety to get to Amelia’s true basic attitude. I knew few rich people, and even fewer rich people who employed full-time chauffeurs.
    This visit was going to be interesting.
    I said good night to Amelia and went to bed, and though there was a lot to think about, my body was tired and I was soon asleep.
    Sunday was another beautiful day. I thought of the newlyweds, safely launched on their new lives, and I thought of old Miss Caroline, who was enjoying the company of a couple of her cousins (youngsters in their sixties) by way of watchdogs and companions. When Portia and Glen returned, the cousins would go back to their more humble home, probably with some relief. Halleigh and Andy would move into their own small house.
    I wondered about Jonathan and the beautiful withered man.
    I reminded myself to call Eric the next night when he was up.
    I thought about Bill’s unexpected words.
    For the millionth time, I speculated about Quinn’s silence.
    But before I could get too broody, I was caught up in Hurricane Amelia.
    There are lots of things I’ve come to enjoy, even love, about Amelia. She’s straightforward, enthusiastic, and talented. She knows all about the supernatural world, and my place in it. She thinks my weird “talent” is really cool. I can talk to her about anything. She’s never going to react with disgust or horror. On the other hand, Amelia is impulsive and headstrong, but you have to take people like they are. I’ve really enjoyed having Amelia living with me.
    On the practical side, she’s a decent cook, she’s careful about keeping our property separate, and God knows she’s tidy. What Amelia really does well is clean. She cleans when she’s bored, she cleans when she’s nervous, and she cleans when she feels guilty. I am no slouch in the housekeeping department, but Amelia is world-class. The day she had a near-miss auto accident, she cleaned my living room furniture, upholstery and all. When her tenant called her to tell her the roof had to be replaced, she went down to EZ Rent and brought home a machine to polish and buff the wooden floors upstairs and downstairs.
    When I got up