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Leslie had always thought that Nellie looked as though she should be a model or a movie star, with her sad blue eyes and downturned soft ht then She didn't look frightened - she looked enraged Her beautiful face isted, ugly, and, at the saly scary in a way that would haunt Leslie's dreams even as an adult

The woman, the one in the airy-fairy dress who'd come with the men, exited the house about the sa Nellie in the backseat of the car She locked the door of Nellie's house behind her, and when she was finished she looked up and saw the three of the After a pause, she strolled across the street and down the sidewalk to the fast, but she was opening the front gate al for them

"And what do you think you're looking at?" she saidthe snap that held his gun in the holster

Mrs Cullinan stepped forward, her jaw set like it had been the day that she'd faced down a couple of young toughs who'd decided an old woame "Justice," she said with the same soft et uppity with me I knohat you are and I'm not afraid of you"

The strange woht Leslie took a step behind her father But Mrs Cullinan's retort had drawn the attention of the men by the limousine

"Eve," said one of the men mildly, his hand on the open car door His voice was mellow and rich, as thick with Ireland as Mrs Cullinan's own, and it carried across the street and down the block as if there were no city sounds to muffle it "Come to the car and keep Gordie company, would you?" Even Leslie kneasn't a request

The woman stiffened and narrowed her eyes, but she turned and walked away from them When she had taken his place at the car, the man approached them

"You'd be Mrs Cullinan," he said, as soon as he was on their side of the street and close enough for quiet conversation He had one of thosefaces that didn't stand out in a crowd - except for his eyes No matter how she tried, Leslie could never remember what color his eyes were, only that they were odd and strange and beautiful

"You know I am," Mrs Cullinan said stiffly

"We appreciate you calling us on this and I would like to leave you with a reward" He held a business card out to her "A favor when you need it most"

"If the children are safe to play in their yards, that is reward enough" She dried her hands on her hips and made no move to take the card from him

He smiled and did not put down his hand "I will not leave indebted to you, Mrs Cullinan"

"And I know better than to accept a gift from the fairies," she snapped

"Oneti I promise that no intentional har as I a voice, he said, "Coe, when your kind and ours needs ether You could have called the police with your suspicions - which were correct Had you done so, she would not have gone without killing a great hed and glanced back at the car's darkened s "It is difficult to change when you are so old, and she was always in the habit of eating ss, was our Nellie"