"Give it to her—one drop in the sugar," Bethany snapped. "One drop," Kyleigh repeated, like tasting the order with her tongue. "Do it slow. Not enough to kill. Just slide her out. Make her small and soft." "Gerardo will be at the night shift until ten," Bethany said. "By then she'll be... useful. We arrange the marriage to Javier, the neighborhood will believe he's done her a favor, and Farrell will keep his mouth shut if we give him a reason to look away." "Farrell likes to look away when it's profitable," Kyleigh said, laughing. "He'll pretend concern and take her out of the house. By morning she'll be under a blanket like a child. No more trouble from Juniper." "Good," Bethany said. "Bring the sugar bowl to the living room. Wait until Gerardo goes down to the gate. One drop, on the rim of her cup. She won't know. She'll say the right things when she wakes up." "Should I smear some make-up so she looks pitiful? Grey under the eyes, a little tremble when she answers?" Kyleigh's voice had the comfortable cruelty of a child practicing a new game. "Yes," Bethany said. "Make it believable. And have Javier over after. Let him see her. Let everyone see. They will applaud Gerardo for shaping his household." There was a footstep on the landing, Gerardo's heavy tread, talking quietly into the corridor phone. His voice came from the stairwell