Part 42

I slept in the earthen hideaway in Sookie's house that day, were there a way I could have remained with her I would have done so. She slept past the sunrise, for which I was grateful. Even with my blood in her body she needed rest, and nourishment, and I elicited a promise before she slept again that she would eat properly that day; I knew it was going to be very difficult for her. Not only did she face the task of planning a funeral for her friend, a man I knew she loved in her way, but she was also tasked by me with contacting the witches again, beings who had thrown her life into chaos, whatever good had come of it in the end. It was not a minute past the sunset, a rosy hue still coming in the curtained windows when I sprang from the crypt to find her.

She was at the kitchen table, her hands wrapped around a mug of coffee, again the scent hit me before the sight of her, but any associated memories of it were pushed out of my conscious thought. It took nothing to understand that her day had been just as difficult as I had imagined it would be and I pulled her from the chair as gently as I could, sweeping the mug from her hand before it could spill and wrapped her in my arms, kissing her head over and over as I felt the moisture of her tears against my bare chest.

"My Beauty, my love," I cooed to her, "Talk to me." And she did.

It seemed that she had met Terry over at the funeral parlor, the only one in Bon Temps, just after breakfast. It had been obvious to her that he had been crying the entire night; his face was red, his eyes swollen, his hands shaking. She had pulled herself together to be a rock for him, because he needed her to be, as much as she felt like dissolving herself. Sam was not the kind of guy who wanted any kind of monument or anything. Given his druthers he'd have probably just asked to be left alone in death with no service or anything; at least that was what Terry and Sookie figured. But of course, funerals aren't for the dead, they're for the living, so they had decided on a cremation, and a wake, one last night at Merlotte's where everyone could get together and reminisce about Sam, and good memories, and get drunk. The wake was to be two nights hence, and the ashes, well, Terry had some kind of idea about a hunting spot he liked that Sam would have liked too, so he was going to take his ATV out with the urn and scatter things up there. Sookie related that she had wondered when that might be, and if Terry would be ready to give up the ashes before next spring. But she hadn't pressed him, because it really didn't matter.

The timing of the event had me concerned; that would be the third night of wailing for this Banshee if I had my assumptions correct. Being at Merlotte's might not be the safest venue because it seemed that someone was going to die. But at least I would be able to be there with Sookie, and I would invite Pam down as well, and with Jessica that would make three fairly powerful Vampires. If the Banshees still ran that way it would be an even fight.

I sat quietly and listened as Sookie outlined the arrangements for me. She intended to open the club that afternoon, give it a once over clean, and then set up the bar for everyone. It hadn't been that long it had been closed, but Terry was going to check the kegs and make certain everything was still working. He was also going to start a few pots of gumbo and some cornbread. Somehow Miss Fortenberry had gotten wind of the arrangements and had been more than eager to get the church ladies together to make some desserts and their 'specialties' for the evening. That woman seemed to be aware of everything going on in Bon Temps, at least the non-supernatural aspects of it. I began to wonder if she didn't have some kind of gossip radar of her own, but it had made Sookie feel better to hear from her, and I was willing to take her generosity at face value. Sookie had everything sorted it seemed, and had spent a great deal of time on the phone spreading the word. I was proud of her, I was always proud of her. She was so strong in the face of everything she'd had to endure. I let her talk till she got it all out of her system. Then she just looked up at me, wide-eyed, with her sad little smile.

"Thank you Eric."

"For what?"

"You just listened to me. You let me talk for the better part of an hour when I know you want to know if I got a hold of Octavia. But you put that aside for me."

I could only smile at her then.

"I did speak with her Eric." She looked at her watch. "She left New Orleans at about five, she said she needed that much time to put everything together."

"So she will here nearer to midnight then?"

"She said that Amelia would be driving so she thought they would make good time."

"Amelia?" I was stunned, though perhaps that isn't the correct word to express my dismay and displeasure at the impending presence of the girl who had helped to torture my darling. I had not forgotten that Octavia had taken the girl under her wing, but I had not anticipated that Octavia would bring her into my presence again. The fact that she seemed to have dismissed Sookie's feelings made me less receptive to the woman, as much as I wanted to respect her. "Are you going to be all right with Amelia being here Sookie?"

"If she can do anything to help figure out who killed Sam and why, then I will manage Eric."

"Why didn't you tell me this first Sookie, I would have stopped her."

"Because I will manage Eric. And I know you won't let anyone hurt me."

"I will snap her neck if she tries anything Sookie."

She nodded with that sad smile that had become such a fixture on her face these last few days. "What do we need to do in the meanwhile Eric?"

I never got to answer the question, as my cell phone rang, I had left it in the bedroom where the cubby was and so I retrieved it and returned to Sookie in the kitchen before the third ring.

"Northman." I answered the trill.

"Eric?"

It was Lafayette.

"Can we meet somewhere and talk?"

"You may come to Sookie's house." She looked at me oddly, not being able to hear who it was. I squeezed her hand to reassure her.

"Twenty minutes." And he hung up. It seemed we had our answer. Lafayette had thought of something else, or had decided to reveal something else. Whatever the motivation I looked forward to seeing him and hearing what he had to say.

Lafayette arrived almost exactly twenty minutes later, carrying a plate for Sookie.

"Terry mentioned that you looked like you hadn't been eating right." He told Sookie, looking over at me sideways. "So you put down some of this while we talk okay Sook?"

She took the offer graciously, and we sat around the table, her picking at the food slowly, probably so she didn't appear rude eating in front of us. Lafayette didn't wait for me to prompt him to talk, he began almost immediately, as if something had been sitting on his chest all night and day.

"Tara didn't kill Sam." He began, but we knew that already. His loyalty was being tested; I could see that in his face. I nodded. "Not that she didn't joke about it, or even threaten him in my presence when she'd had a few to drink. She was plenty pissed at him."

"Because of Holly?" I asked.

"Because of a lot of things Eric. I don't know what was up with Sam, but I think he got his self messed up in something dark, and I think that red-head was the one to start it."

"Go on."

"That night, that wasn't the first time she'd been by. She came a few weeks back. Asking a lot of questions, some about you and Sookie, at least to hear Tara tell it."

"Tara?" It seemed that this story was coming to me second hand.

"She was spying on Sam, still pissed at the way he'd dumped her for Holly, only I don't know that he'd really dumped her, 'cause I don't know that they'd been anything but friends with benefits, not that Tara saw it that way. You have to understand, she's just been looking for something to hold onto. Her whole life people have left her; for one reason or another. I guess she didn't understand Sam. I don't want to dump on her for being the way she is, but she did follow him, and heard Sam talking to this woman outside his trailer. She wanted to know where Sookie was, and where you were, and Sam wasn't giving up any information."

"When did she tell you this?"

"Last night, after you left. She was so mixed up; ashamed, angry, entitled. I thought you should know Eric. I have a bad feeling it means something, I just don't know what." He sounded scared, and remorseful, and a myriad of other things as he spoke. I wondered if he thought that I was going to hurt him or his cousin for holding this back. But I had to give him credit for not shying away from me as he said it. I could hear his heartbeat racing in his chest and I could see the way his hands were trembling. Yes, some credit to him for that.

"Thank you Lafayette, I will not forget what you've done for us tonight." I chose not to elaborate on what his information had given me. I would bring Sookie into my confidence when he had left.

"You aren't going to get Tara involved in this are you Eric?"

"If you decide to come to the wake tomorrow evening at Merlotte's I would suggest that you take your leave earlier rather than later." I put my hand on his shoulder, felt him start at my cold touch, and leaned in to whisper in his ear. "In fact, I insist on it." The fewer people as midnight approached, the better.