Sookie 13.5 After Dead (7 page)

OCTAVIA FANT
lived with Louis Chambers in a small house in New Orleans until a tree branch, broken by a violent storm, crashed down on the corner of the roof that covered their bedroom. When Octavia’s niece came to clean out the house, she decided to burn all the magic aids and accoutrements that Octavia and Louis had accumulated. Amelia found out too late to rescue it all.

FARRELL
still lives in the Dallas nest and still dresses like a cowboy.

HOYT FORTENBERRY
married Holly Cleary, who became pregnant on their honeymoon. In addition to stepson Cody, the two raised a son, Jason, and a daughter, Moonlight. Jason Fortenberry married Marie Stackhouse.

MAXINE FORTENBERRY
and her silent husband, Ed, lived out their lives happily, taking care of their grandchildren.

Arlene Fowler’s children,
COBY
and
LISA FOWLER
, were adopted by Brock and Chessie Johnson. Coby became an independent filmmaker and shot a movie about his mother’s death, which won awards but caused a lot of unhappiness in the Bon Temps community. Coby had severe emotional issues for his whole short life: He died of an accidental drug overdose at forty-seven. Lisa became a romance writer, and she married three times.

FREYDA
is still the Queen of Oklahoma, and she has never regretted her bargain with Eric.

LUNA GARZA
became the face of Latina two-natureds, and she lobbied for the rights of Animal Americans until she was well into her sixties, when she retired to a ranch in New Mexico to paint landscapes.

DANIELLE GRAY
lived with a couple of guys but never quite made it to the altar again. Her daughter, Ashley, scored really well on her ACT and got a full ride at a community college. From there, she financed the rest of her college tuition by dancing at a gentlemen’s club, and she earned enough to become a nurse. Danielle’s son, Mark Robert, worked for Wal-Mart his whole life.

GINJER HART
continued to pass bad checks until she spent five years in jail. After that, she reformed her ways. She lectured to high schools and Sunday school classes for a modest fee, and she worked at a thrift store.

Even after
HEIDI
’s addicted son, Charlie, died in an alley within two years of her moving to Louisiana, Heidi stayed in Shreveport. She married Pam. They swap clothes, and every now and then they go hunting for drug dealers. Heidi developed such a good reputation as a tracker that she occasionally helps the police search for missing people and fugitives.