“Sorry. I didn’t know it was a male.”

“Is.”

“Ma’am?”

“Coodles is a male. Not was a male.” She indicated the cat in her lap. “I’d prove it to you, but I swear that in sixty years of looking, I’ve never once been able to locate a cat’s pecker. You ever wondered why that is?”

Cole didn’t answer the question. He looked at the animal in Mona’s lap. “So you have two cats named Coodles?”

“Why would I have two cats with the same name?”

“I don’t think I’m explaining myself.” He decided to hell with tact. “Mona, your cat Coodles was injured badly this morning. Killed actually. I saw him. He was gutted right up the middle, probably with the same hatchet that was used to chop off my fingers.”

Mona nodded. “Ghastly, wasn’t it? Poor little thing.” She lifted the cat from her lap, held it in front of her face, and kissed it on the nose. She raised her pitch into a sort of baby talk. “You just got the fright of your life, didn’t you, boy?”

Cole now had no doubt that the rumors about Mona were true. She really was stark-raving mad. “Mona, you’re not really suggesting that this cat is—”

“They will pay for what they did to my little baby,” she said. “Have no doubts about that.”

She burned down a third of her cigarette with one inhalation.

Cole was at a loss for words. It was clear that Mona was unwilling or unable to accept the fact that one of her animals had been mutilated. Part of him felt he owed it to her to explain further. Another part wondered what good could actually come of that. If she wanted to believe the cat in her lap was the same good ole Mr. Coodles he had seen that morning, then who was he to tell her differently? At the moment he just wanted to get the hell out of there.

He tried to stand, but Mona quickly took hold of his hand again. “It isn’t right, what happened to you today, Cole. It appears your talent and success have created enemies for you, wouldn’t you say?”

“Yeah, I guess.” He grew uncomfortable with her touch, and fought the urge to pull his hand back.

“Question is, How far are you willing to go to make things right?”

He shrugged. “I just want to play football. That’s all.”

“Yes. Yes, of course. And that’s why you’re here, right? That’s why destiny has brought you here.”

“Destiny?”

She winked, then squeezed his hand hard between her palms.

Searing pain jolted through his body.

The wind began to swirl all around them. Trees swayed in the distance. The wind chimes swung and slammed into the overhang.

“What’s happening?” Savannah said, her voice tinged with panic.