The Secret Garden of Martha Grim
By Richard A. Lopez
(c) 1992
Page 28

After leaving Tommy in the other room, Willie made his way through the beaded curtain, and into the adjoining parlor, as directed. Still wary and watchful for anything that looked like a trick. He could hear Ann banging on the door for a bit, then it suddenly stopped. That set off all sorts of warning buzzers in his head. Ann was not the type to give up on anything. Hell, he figured when he saw her in the garage, she was probably looking for something to put in his food, or something like that. He wouldn't put it past her. No, something had to have happened to her.
Just as he was turning towards the beaded curtain, a rustling drew his attention back to the room. This time he paid attention to the room he was in. There was a large, circular couch in the center, and four huge vases, about five maybe six feet tall in each corner with the oddest looking plant he'd ever seen overflowing from them. Outside of the couch and the vases, the room was devoid of furniture. Was a window opened? Where did the rustling come from? Maybe she had mice? Could be, the place was full plants and vines and crap, stands to reason there'd be mice. Willie could see no sign of mice, or any home pest. The home was immaculate. But something was off. Something
was wrong, he could just feel it.

Before he could check the room out further, there was a sound of to his left, over his shoulder, which caused him to turn, and suddenly, there she was, standing by a door that wasn't there when he first came into the room. For a moment he was taken aback by her presence.
She seemed to be floating there, in a gown of white silk with green printed flowers, that flowed in the same phantom breeze that seemed to cause the rustling sound, just minutes before. Until this moment he had never really looked at Martha Grim. Never really studied her as close as he was to her now, in this light...She was exquisite. Her skin was flawless. It looked as smooth as marble, but there was something off about it. Something not quite right. It was too perfect. She was too perfect. Willie was getting that itchy feeling that he always got when something was going to go wrong, and every bit of his gut was telling him to screw this deal and bolt. Then she spoke.

"Mr. Cole, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting. There was just something I had to attend to in the basement." her voice was odd, there was
a sing-song quality to it that almost lulled you off guard. "So what is it that brings you here today, Mr.Cole? Aside from the small package in the adjoining room." a small, sly smile crossed her lips as the last words were spoken.

Willie finally found words
"Well lookie here, if it ain't the queen of death herself," he said, trying to put on his best tough guy persona, "Cut the act lady, I know what you got down in the basement, and as far as I'm concerned you can keep her too. You know damn well what I'm here for. I want that damn secret you have growing and keeping these damn grounds green. It's either a seed, or a feed a fertilizer, something, but damn it lady, I want that secret, or I'm telling everyone what you've done!" His voice was almost cracking..His false bravado wavering.
She noticed this, and was on it like a shark that had just scented blood...

"Please Mr.Cole, spare me the dramatics, your machismo is as transparent as the beads of sweat forming on your brow." She moved into the room, almost like she was floating.

Willie took a step back, without thinking, then reached for the gun in his waistband, "You can just stop right there, lady.." he said, finding his voice, "We ain't dancing partners, and I ain't here looking to hook up
so just cool your jets. I know you got something sinister going on here. I know it, My dad knew it, and I'm pretty damn sure Quinn knew it, and that's what got him killed!"

Martha stopped her advance, eyeing him warily.

Ah..Willie thought, that hit a nerve. His confidence renewed, he continued on, hoping to scare or trick her into revealing more of the gardens secrets.
"So, it's true. Quinn is dead. I knew it. I knew he was, and I knew you had something to do with it. That look in your eye just told me. You know what else it tells me lady, it tells me that you're going to give me whatever the hell I want." He emphasised the last point by producing the gun from his waistband.

Martha didn't even blink. She just gazed from the gun, to Willie, and to what he thought was the door to the other room. Willie caught that, and was quick to misjudge. "Don't bother," he said, waving the gun in the direction he thought she was looking, "You may be slim and quick, but you can't outrun a bullet. And yeah, I'll take the kid out, too.."

Then she did a strange thing. She smiled.

Not just a grin, but a wide, toothy smile, like a shark, or that cat he always heard of that ate that damn bird..and it froze his soul.

"Mr.Cole, I don't know if you are a bigger fool for coming here, or for thinking YOU could actually harm me."
She started to laugh..Why the hell was she laughing..Stop laughing..

"You think this is a game?" Cole was getting incensed, "Listen lady, I'm not playing I will use this thing!" waving the gun, but she just laughed more.
So to emphasize the seriousness of his intent, Willie fired a round off into the corner of the room, hitting a vase on a shelf. The vase and its contents spilling out in a gooey mass onto the floor.
Suddenly, the laughter was replaced by an ear splitting scream that seamed to shake the entire house.
Willie almost dropped the gun, when he covered his ears. Almost.

Martha ran to the corner, dropping to her knees, she cradled the plant like an injured child or pet that had just been hit by a car.
When he recovered, Willie felt like hit. looking for her, he saw her in the corner cooing to the damned thing.
"Dammit lady!" he yelled, "it's just a fucking plant! Now get the fuck up!"
She wasn't moving, she was just cooing to that damn plant. He was getting angrier, "Damn lady, don't you understand, I'm not kidding here, get up or I'm going to..."
She wheeled on him like a cobra, her face contorted in anger, eyes black and filled with tears. "You're going to what, Mr. Cole?" her look stopped him in mid step. "What are you going to do? Shoot me? With what?"
Here eyes darted to the gun.
Just as quickly, Willie heard , more then felt the gun fall to the floor. Looking down, he saw the reason why. The gun never left his hand. It was still in its grip. The hand was just no longer part of his arm.

Warmth splashed down his leg. Followed by a sharp pain as the nerve endings were exposed to the air.
The reality of it all had not hit him. He just stared as the blood spilled down his leg, from his severed wrist.
His mind screamed. His heart pounded. Then he felt himself grabbed about the waist and legs. His other arm taken by what he thought at first were giant snakes. One of the "snakes" grabbed his right wrist and squeezed it tightly. Tight enough to stop the blood flow and break him from his trance.
He was lifted from the floor. What he thought were snakes were in fact vines, and they seemed to come from everywhere. They held him aloft, squeezing the breath from him so he could not scream. He struggled in vain to get free, but the vines just held him tighter, until something slapped his right wrist, brushing the raw nerves. Willie tried to scream, but what came out was a whimper.

"Bring him here, my children." he could hear her say, who was she talking to? The plants. This was insane. These are plants, this doesn't happen!
"Hold him, Here!" She pointed to a spot in front of her, where she stood holding that damn plant.
"So you idiot, you wanted to know the secret to my plants," she said, he could hear the venom in her voice as she spat the words at him,
"You, who would be a king among the animals, are nothing but fodder! You want to know the "Secret"? You had it in you all along. And you brought it to me so willingly. You truly are a fool. You will feed them. give them that which sustains your worthless hide. Then your carcass will become the fertilizer that will keep them forever green. THAT is the secret you soulless slug." With the last word, she slapped him across the face, drawing blood.

She turned away, still holding the plant that she picked up off the floor, "come child, lets find another spot for you. Walking away, she spoke to the vines, "Place him on the mantle, and take your time draining him..I don't want a drop left in his worthless carcass."
Willie screamed, as he was lifted from the floor and slammed to wall above the mantle. He struggled to turn his head, and could see the vines creeping up towards him, slithering out of the big dark vases in the corners of the room. As they reached him, he could see thorns break from their tips, and like small hypodermic syringes, jab greedily into the exposed flesh of his arms, through his pant-legs, and even his shoes!
And before the sight was stabbed out from his eyes, he could see out to the corner window, a window he didn't notice before from the floor because it was behind a free standing room divider. It was a small window that looked out onto an enclosed patio that was filled with smaller vases like the larger ones in here. They held yellow and red flowers with green tendrills that seem to stretch out to one central point.
The body of Sheriff Quinn.