Come Out Tonight 3 страница

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Now I’m the missing one, she thought.

Serve him right.

She doubted, however, that he had returned to his apartment.

It’d be nice, but didn’t seem very likely.

The longer I stay away, she thought, the more likely he’ll be there when I get back.

“Are you going to be subbing again pretty soon? ” Toby asked.

“I don’t have anything lined up. ”

“How does that work, anyway? ”

“Well, I’m on the district’s list of substitutes. If they want me to work somewhere, they phone me in the morning and tell me about it. Then I can either accept the assignment or turn it down. ”

“You like it? ”

“Oh, it’s not so bad. ”

“Everybody craps all over the subs. ”

“It can be a little hairy sometimes. Usually, though, I get along okay. ”

“I guess a lot of ’em take it easy on you because you’re so beautiful. ”

She let out a quiet laugh. “Think so? ”

“Yeah. Guys, anyway. I bet they do. I mean, they’d all want to get on your good side, you know? ”

“I suppose that might happen sometimes. ”

“Anybody ever…you know, put moves on you? ”

“Oh, sometimes. ”

“I bet. Oh, here comes the Nacho Casa. Looks like it’s still open. ”

“I think it’s open twenty-four hours. ”

“Yeah, maybe so. Sure you don’t mind if we stop? ”

“No, that’s fine. ”

Signal blinking, Toby eased over to the right-hand lane then made a turn into the Nacho Casa’s driveway. “How about if we go in? ” he asked. “I sort of need to make a pit stop. ”

“That’ll be okay. ”

“Sorry, ” he said, and swung into a parking space.

“No problem. I don’t suppose five or ten minutes is going to make much difference one way or another. For all I know, Duane might be gone for hours. ”

He might be gone forever.

Dead.

I might never see him again.

The thoughts gave her a hot, squirmy feeling.

Don’t be an alarmist, she told herself. He’s probably fine.

Then where is he?

“Maybe I’ll wait for you in the car, ” she told Toby.

He grimaced. “If you want to. But…I don’t know how safe it’d be. I mean, it’s getting pretty late and this isn’t the greatest neighborhood. Somebody comes along and sees you by yourself…”

“You come back and I’m missing, ” she said.

“I’d hate to have that happen. ”

“Me, too. Hey, maybe I’d end up in the same place as Duane. ”

Toby laughed. “That’s a good one. ”

“I’ll come in with you, ” she said.

As she climbed out, the wind flung her skirt up. She shoved it down. Holding it against her thighs, she met Toby behind the car. “I hate skirts, ” she said.

“You look nice in ’em, though. ”

“Thanks. ”

They walked across the parking lot to the door. Toby hurried ahead and opened it for her.

She entered the Nacho Casa and was glad to be out of the wind. Toby pulled the door shut.

The small restaurant was well lighted. Air conditioning chilled the air. All but two of its tables were empty. A gray-haired man sat alone at a corner table, his eyes checking out Sherry as he bit into a burrito. At another table, a teenaged couple sat across from each other. The way the guy was staring at his girlfriend, Sherry figured he must be madly in love.

Do I ever look at Duane that way?

She was pretty sure she didn’t.

When was the last time I looked at anybody that way?

It had been a very long time.

“You want to go ahead and have something, don’t you? ” Toby asked.

“I don’t think so. ”

“Are you sure? ”

She remembered the bowl of popcorn she’d eaten on the couch with Duane. Though she’d devoured a lot of it, she now had a vague, empty feeling in her stomach. It probably had to do with missing Duane, not with hunger.

But maybe a snack would help.

“I guess I could use something, ” she said.

Standing beside Toby, she tilted back her head and studied the elaborate display of menu items above the counter area.

“Can I help you? ” asked the teenaged girl behind the cash register.

They never give you a chance to look at the menu.

“Just a second, ” she said.

As she frowned at the menu and tried to make up her mind, she realized Toby was staring at her.

Thinks I’m beautiful.

Sure is checking me out.

Feeling herself start to blush, she smiled at him and said, “I guess I’ve made up my mind. ”

Side by side, they stepped up to the counter.

“Have you decided? ” the girl asked.

“You first, ” Toby said to Sherry.

“Okay. I’ll have one hard-shell shredded beef taco and a small Pepsi. ”

“Give me a medium Pepsi, ” Toby said, “and two of those tacos like she’s getting. ”

“Will that be for here or to go? ” the girl asked.

Toby looked at Sherry.

“Either way, ” she said. “They might be messy, though. Maybe we’d better eat them here. ”

“Are you sure? ”

“Sure. ”

“Great. ” Looking very pleased by her decision, he said, “For here. ”

The girl repeated their order. As she rang it up, Sherry opened her denim purse to look for her billfold. “My treat, ” she told Toby.

“Oh, no, I’ll get it. ” Toby reached for a rear pocket of his shorts.

Sherry caught hold of his wrist.

He gasped and looked at her, his mouth drooping, his face turning crimson.

“I’m paying, ” she said.

“But—”

“You’ve been nice enough to help me look for Duane. I really appreciate it, too. I don’t know what I would’ve done if I hadn’t run into you. So let me pay. Okay? Please? ” She squeezed his wrist.

“Well…okay. ”

Chapter Seven

“I guess I’ll use the john while we’re waiting, ” Toby said.

“Okay. I’ll be right here. ”

He hurried away, and Sherry remained standing near the front of the counter.

On the other side, the girl filled cardboard cups with ice and Pepsi while a young man was busy behind her preparing the tacos.

The girl snapped plastic lids onto the drink containers. “Your tacos’ll be ready in a just a minute, ” she said, and pushed the drinks across the counter.

“Thanks. I’ll come right back for them. ”

Sherry picked up the Pepsis, grabbed a couple of straws and went looking for a table. The gray-haired man stared at her.

Pick a table nice and far away from him.

She smiled at the young couple as she stepped past them, but they didn’t seem to notice. Their eyes were locked on each other.

Not wanting to intrude, Sherry picked a table a fair distance away from them. It looked clean except for the small wadded ball of a straw wrapper. She set down the drinks, placed a straw across the top of each, then returned to the counter for the tacos.

The man kept staring at her.

Finished with his burrito, he sucked on a straw as his eyes followed Sherry.

Not a bad-looking guy. Slim and rugged-looking.

But creepy, the way he wouldn’t quit

staring at her.

Don’t choke on your drink, jerk.

At the counter, she found two plastic plates. One held a single taco wrapped in white paper. On the other were two tacos. Each plate was piled with tortilla chips.

She picked them up carefully and headed back for the table.

The guy was still watching her.

She frowned at him and he smiled.

A creepy smile, as if he had secret, nasty plans for her.

She looked away from him.

The way she was dressed, she supposed she shouldn’t blame him for staring. Not every night you get to see a gal wandering around in a cheerleader skirt and Hawaiian shirt.

I must look like a refugee from a pep squad luau.

On second thought, her costume probably didn’t matter to this guy: he seemed to be looking straight through her clothes as if he had x-ray vision.

She set the plates on the table, then turned her back to the man and sat down.

Maybe it’d be better to keep an eye on him.

Why bother? she asked herself. It’s not as if he’s going to try anything. Not inside a place like this.

I hope.

She tore the paper wrapper off her straw. As she poked the straw through the crossed slits in the lid of her drink, Toby stepped past her. She felt as if the troops had arrived. She smiled up at him.

“Everything okay? ” he asked.

“Everything’s fine, ” she said.

Toby sat down across the table from her. Unwrapping his straw, he leaned forward and whispered, “You wouldn’t believe what just happened to me in the john. ”

“Oh, I’d probably believe it. ”

“Something happen to you? ” he asked.

“No. Not really. Just some guy in the corner who can’t seem to take his eyes off me. ”

Toby sat up straight and gazed past Sherry’s left shoulder. “Him? The gray hair and blue shirt? ”

“Yeah, but don’t stare. ”

“What’d he do? ”

“Nothing. Just sits there and…you know, watches me. Like he’s never seen a woman before. ”

Blushing, Toby said, “He’s probably never seen one who looks like you. ”

“Right. I’m one of a kind. My clone moved to Alabama. ”

Toby laughed softly and sipped his drink. Then he said, “Want me to get rid of him? ”

“No. Are you kidding? Just ignore him. Unless he tries something. Then you can wrestle him down and I’ll kick him. ”

Laughing, Toby unwrapped one of his tacos. “I guess you’re kidding, huh? ”

“Sort of. ”

“You like to kid around, don’t you? ”

“Sometimes. ”

“Everybody in class thought you were hilarious. ”

“Well, I try to keep things interesting. ”

“You should’ve heard them telling Chambers about you. He’ll probably ask to have you back, next time he’s out. ”

“Hope so. ”

“Anyway, I’ll take care of this guy if he causes any trouble. ”

“Let’s not think about ‘taking care’ of people, okay? Let’s just enjoy our meal. ”

With that, she unfolded the white paper around her taco, lifted the dripping concoction to her mouth, and took a bite. Her teeth crunched through the corn tortilla shell. Inside was a mixture of cool shredded lettuce and cheddar cheese, hot sauce and hot, spicy, shredded beef. She moaned with pleasure as the flavors filled her mouth.

The shredded beef was springy. After a lot of chewing, she swallowed and took a long drink from her Pepsi.

Then she said, “You were going to tell me about a restroom adventure? ”

Toby chewed and nodded. As he swallowed, he glanced around as if afraid someone might overhear him. Then he leaned forward. Speaking quietly, he said, “There was a girl in the john. ”

“In the men’s room? ”

“Yeah. She came out of a stall while I was…you know, going. ”

Sherry grinned. “Holy Toledo, ” she said. “You were at a urinal? ”

He blushed. “Yeah. With my thing out and everything. ”

“Jeez. ”

“She came up behind me and put a hand on my rear end and asked me if I wanted her to…uh, you know…give me a blow job. ”

“You’re kidding. ”

Eyes wide, he shook his head. “I swear to God. ”

“Wow. ”

“Yeah. Never had that happen before. ”

“So, did you take her up on the offer? ”

He looked shocked. “No! Are you nuts? ”

Smiling, Sherry shrugged. “What’d she look like? ”

“I don’t know, she looked pretty good. She looked a lot like you, but not nearly as pretty. And she didn’t have short hair like yours. Hers was down to her shoulders. I like it a lot better your way. ”

“So, what else? What was she wearing? ”

Toby grimaced and shook his head. “Nothing. ”

“Nothing? ”

“I’m not kidding. She was starkers. Totally. ”

“You were in the men’s restroom, a naked girl came out of a stall while you were peeing, put a hand on your butt and asked if you wanted a blow job? ”

“Yeah. That’s what happened. ”

“And she was good-looking? ”

“She was great looking. ”

“And you turned her down? ”

“Sure. ”

“Why? ”

He shrugged, said, “I’m not that kinda guy, ” then took a large bite of taco.

Smiling, Sherry shook her head. “That’s amazing. ”

He shrugged again and chewed.

“Did she ask for money? ”

He shook his head.

“What did she want? ”

After swallowing, Toby said, “I don’t know. She didn’t say. Just that she’d like to…you know, do that to me. She had that hand on my rear end, you know? And then she reached in front of me with her other hand and…took hold of my, uh…thing. ”

“Lord. ”

“I was sort of like done going by then. But she was holding me and she said, ‘Your cock’s wet, honey. Want me to blow it dry for you? ’”

“You’ve gotta be shitting me, ” Sherry whispered.

Face red and twisted into a half-smile, Toby said, “I couldn’t believe it myself. ”

“So then what happened? ”

“I pulled her hand away and said ‘Thanks anyway, but I’m saving myself for the woman I love. ’

” “You said that? ”

“Sure. Why not? It’s just the truth. ”

“So then what happened? ”

“She said, ‘If you change your mind, you know where to find me. ’ Then she went back into the stall. ”

Astonished, Sherry shook her head. “You think she’s still in

there? ”

“I guess so. I don’t think she can leave without coming out through there. ” He nodded toward the passageway behind Sherry.

“Tell me if she comes out. I’d like to get a load of her. ”

“I’ll let you know. ”

They continued eating for a while. Then Sherry said, “Weren’t you tempted? ”

“Huh? ”

“To let her do it? ”

Toby swallowed, took a drink, then said, “Not really. ”

“Most guys I’ve ever known, they’d kill for a chance like that. ”

Blushing, he shrugged. “Maybe if I was by myself. But not with you sitting out here waiting for me. ”

“A couple more minutes wouldn’t have hurt. ”

“It’s not that. It would’ve been an insult to you. ”

“Not if I didn’t know about it. Even if I did know…no reason for me to be insulted. ”

“Anyway, ” Toby said, “it just seemed like a really crummy idea. And dirty. I wouldn’t want to mess around with someone like her. ”

“Well, I can’t knock that. Good for you. ”

“Oh, hey. ”

“What? Is she coming? ”

“Huh-uh. But it looks like there’s a guy on his way to the john. ”

Twisting around, Sherry glimpsed the teenaged boy as he walked beneath the BANOS sign. A moment later, he disappeared down the passageway.

“Oh, shit, ” she muttered.

“What’s wrong? ”

“I suppose she’ll try him. ”

“Sure she will. ”

What’ll he do? Sherry wondered. He was obviously madly in love with the girl at his table. But how many guys would be able to resist such temptation?

“You want to do me a favor, Toby? ”

He met her eyes. “Anything. Just name it. ”

“Go back in there. She probably won’t try anything if there’re two people in the john. ”

“You want me to, like, save that kid from her? ”

“Couldn’t hurt to try. ”

“Okay. ” Toby wiped his mouth with a napkin, then left the table and headed for the restrooms.

Sherry watched him hurry into the passageway.

Then she turned forward and resumed eating her taco.

Wait till I tell Duane about all this. A naked babe grabbing guys at a urinal and…

She remembered that he was missing.

It made her feel sick.

What if I never see him again?

What if he’s dead?

He’s probably just fine, she told herself. Might even be wondering what happened to me.

Chapter Eight

Toby came back to the table, smiling and shaking his head.

“What happened? ” Sherry asked.

“Nothing. ”

“Is she gone? ”

“I think she was still in the stall. Somebody was. But she didn’t come out. I went ahead and pretended to use the urinal. ”

“What about the kid? ”

“He wasn’t in there to go. He was trying to buy rubbers out of the vending machine. ”

Buy rubbers?

“You’re kidding, ” Sherry muttered, shocked.

What is this, the Night of the Condoms?

“They’ve got this vending machine in there, ” Toby explained. “Two of ’em. One has stuff like cologne and aspirin, and the other has nothing but different kinds of rubbers. ”

She shook her head.

“So the guy, like, bought some while I was at the urinal. He left before I did. And the girl stayed in the stall the whole time. ”

“Good deal. ”

Smiling, Toby said, “I guess he�

� � s gonna score with his girlfriend tonight. ”

“Apparently he hopes to. ”

With a shrug, Toby picked up his remaining taco. “Guys like that always score, ” he said.

“Scoring isn’t what counts, ” Sherry said. “But I think you already know that, having recently turned down a rather amazing offer. ”

He almost smiled. “I guess so. ”

“It’s finding the right girl. ”

“Yeah, ” he said, then bit into his taco.

“It’s being in love. ”

Chewing, he nodded. “You in love with Duane? ” he asked, his mouth full.

Sherry almost said, “Sure. ” Instead, she tilted her head, smiled and shrugged. “I don’t know if it’s love, exactly. We certainly care a lot for each other. I know I want to find him. ”

Toby swallowed and said, “But you don’t really love him, huh? ”

“I sort of love him. ”

“And you sort of don’t? ”

Sherry forced herself to smile. “You practicing to be a shrink? ”

He took another bite, shrugged and chewed.

“Anyway, ” Sherry said, “we haven’t been seeing each other for very long. It’s only been three weeks. He’s a terrific guy and we get along really well for the most part. ”

Toby took a drink of Pepsi and said, “Must be something wrong with him. ”

“Not really. ”

“If you don’t always get along, must be something wrong with him. ”

“The only thing wrong with him right now is that he’s missing. Or maybe he isn’t, anymore. He might be he back by now and wondering where I am. ”

“Guess we’d better get going, ” Toby said.

“You can finish…”

He stuffed the remains of the taco into his mouth, wiped his bulging lips with a napkin, wrapped a hand around his drink and started to stand up.

Sherry waved him down. “Take it easy. I’m not in that big of a hurry. ”

Toby settled back down in the seat.

Sherry thought about making a trip to the restroom herself. She felt a need to go, but it wasn’t urgent.

Maybe I’d better wait. They’ve got a naked gal ambushing guys in the men’s john, no telling what I might find in the ladies’.

Twisting around in her seat, she looked for the gray-haired man who’d spent so much time staring at her.

He was no longer at his table.

She couldn’t see him anyway.

Maybe he left.

Maybe he’s waiting for me in the john.

He’ll have a long wait, she thought.

Done chewing and swallowing the taco he’d shoved into his mouth, Toby sucked Pepsi up his straw. After a few seconds, the straw made sputtery sounds. “I’m ready, ” he said.

On the way out, Sherry saw the young lovers still sitting across from each other. They were holding hands in the middle of the table and gazing deeply into each other’s eyes.

Deeply, searchingly, sincerely.

Sherry figured the guy was at least sincere in his desire to screw her.

Can’t blame him for that, she told herself.

Just hope all the goo-goo eyes stuff isn’t a big act.

She tossed her garbage into a container near the door, then followed Toby outside. The wind grabbed her and shoved her. She stumbled and almost fell before regaining her balance. Toby hurried over to her. He put an arm across her back. Hand firm against her side, he held her steady.

“You okay? ” he asked.

“Yeah. Thanks. I’m fine. ”

“I’ll help you over to the car. ” Keeping his arm around her, his hand planted just below her armpit, he walked her across the parking lot. By the side of his car, he let go of her and unlocked the passenger door. He put a hand on her shoulder as she climbed in. Then he swung the door shut.

Glad to be out of the wind, Sherry set her purse on the floor, then drew the seat belt across her chest and lap.

Toby hurried around to the other side. “Wild out there, ” he said, dropping into the driver’s seat.

“You’re not kidding. ”

“Hey, thanks for the tacos and Pepsi. ”

“Thanks for helping me look for Duane. ”

“Oh, that’s okay. ” He fastened his seat belt, started the engine and put on the headlights. “Know what? Maybe it’s true what they say about the Santa Ana winds. ” He drove out of his parking space. “You know, that they make people crazy. ”

“Wouldn’t surprise me, ” Sherry told him.

“Maybe that’s how come there was a naked gal in the john. ”

“Right, ” Sherry said. “Or maybe the wind blew her clothes off. ”

Toby turned his head and smiled. “Yeah. ”

“And the Santa Anas might easily be the reason she was so eager to go around and blow people. ”

He laughed. “Like the wind! ”

“Yep. Turnabout’s fair play. ”

Shaking his head, Toby eased to a stop at the driveway’s exit. “Anyway, ” he said, “it might’ve made her nutty enough to do something like that. ”

“Could be. ”

Toby waited for a few cars to rush by, then pulled forward onto Venice and turned right.

Toward the ocean.

A center divider prevented any left-hand turns, but Sherry reminded him, “We do need to go the other way. ”

“I know. I’ll find a place to turn around pretty soon. ”

Sherry nodded. “I guess you might as well take me back to the Speed-D-Mart. ”

“What’ll you do? ”

“See if the van’s still there. ”

“What’ll you do if it is? ”

She thought for a few moments, then said, “I don’t know. I’ve never had anybody…disappear before. I’m not sure what to do. At some point, if he doesn’t show up, I guess I’ll have to call the police. But that seems like it ought to be a last resort. Especially since I don’t know what happened to him. Wouldn’t want to get him in trouble. ” She huffed out a laugh. “There we go, ” she said, “a real-life catch-twenty-two. ”

“Huh? ”

“Since I don’t know what’s going on with Duane, I can’t call the police. If I did know, I wouldn’t have to call because I’d already know what happened to him. Catch-twenty-two. ”

Toby looked at her. “I don’t get it. ”

Sherry shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. Just sort of a teacher thing. ”

“Oh. ”

“Anyway, it’s a bad idea to get the cops involved in anything unless you really have to. You can end up getting the wrong people in trouble. Even yourself. ”

“Guess so. ”

“We’re still going the wrong way, Toby. ”

“Oh? Yeah, you’re right. I got so busy listening to you. ” Laughing softly, he shook his head. “I’ll turn us around next chance I get. ”

“Maybe you can pull a U at the next light. ”

“Right. ”

“Left, ” Sherry said.

Toby laughed again. “Trying to confuse me? ”

“Nah. ”

Nearing the deserted intersection, he eased into the left-hand turn pocket. He pulled up to the crosswalk and stopped for the red light. Then he said, “Uh-oh. No U-turn. ”

Sherry scowled at the sign.

“Should I make one anyway? ” Toby asked. “Nobody’s around. ”

“You’d better not. You never know. We don’t want to get pulled over. Anyway, it’s always better to play by the rules. ”

“Another teacher thing? ”

“I suppose. ”

“What’ll I do? ”

“Go ahead and turn left. Then we can just circle the block and come back to Venice. ”

When the traffic signal changed to green, Toby swung through the intersection and headed up the sidestreet. This was a residential neighborhood, a mixture of homes and apartment buildings, both sides of the street lined by trees that shook wildly in the fierce winds.

Slowing down, Toby said, “Why don’t I just

turn us around here? ”

“That’d be fine. ”

Though there was no traffic, he drove slowly past the first driveway. It was wide and well lighted. He drove past two more. Sherry wondered if he’d changed his mind; maybe he planned to circle the block, after all.

Then he swung to the left, crossed the empty lane and steered up the driveway of a small, stucco house. The driveway was narrow and dark and had a thick hedge close to the driver’s side.

Toby shut off his headlights.

Then he shut off the engine.

Chapter Nine

“What’re you doing? ” Sherry asked.

Had she missed something? He was supposed to back the car out, not shut it off.

He turned his head toward her. Here in the driveway, so little light came into the car that Sherry could only make out the vague shape of him. His face was a dark oval surrounded by shaggy hair. He seemed to have no eyes, no nose or mouth.

“Is it okay if we just sit here for a minute? ” he asked. He sounded hesitant, a little sad.

“What’s the matter? ”

“Nothing. ”

“Toby? ”

“Please? ”

“What is it? What’s wrong? ”

“I don’t know. ”

“Come on. What is it? ”

“It’s just…if I take you back, it’ll all be over. Maybe I’ll never see you again. I don’t want to never see you again. ”

“Hey, ” she said gently. Shaking her head, she reached out and patted his knee. “We’re friends now. We’ll see each other. ”

“Nah. I don’t think so. I think…after tonight, you won’t wanta have anything to do with me. ”

“Sure, I will. ” She gave his knee a squeeze.

“Nah. You won’t. You wanta know what’ll happen? You’re gonna find out I lied about Duane, then you’ll be mad at me and—”

“What do you mean, you lied about Duane? ”

“Well…I never saw him go off with that guy. ”

“What? ”

“That queer guy in the net shirt I told you about? I made him up. ”

“You made him up? ”

“Yeah. I’m sorry. ” He sighed. “I figured I’d…you know, if I told you a story about Duane walking off with some guy, maybe you’d let me drive you around to look for him. ”

“You’re kidding, ” Sherry muttered.

“I’m sorry. I know it was a dumb thing to do. ”

She realized her hand was still on his knee. She took it away. “You lied about the whole thing? ”

“Pretty much. ”

“Did you see Duane at all? ”

“Yeah. I saw him. ”

“Saw him do what? If he didn’t walk off with the guy you told me about, where did he go? ”

“I’m not so sure you want to know, ” Toby said.

“Believe me, I want to know. ”

“It’s pretty bad. It’s another reason why I lied and wanted to take you for a drive—to get you away from it. I guess…I sort of wanted to protect you. ”

“Protect me from what? ”

Toby shook his head.

“Tell me. ”

“Are you sure? ”

“I’m sure. Come on, I want to know what happened. ”

“When he came out of the Speed-D-Mart, he ran into this woman. He called her Grace. ”

“Grace? ”

“Do you know her? ”

Sherry shook her head.

“Duane knew her real well. First they kissed, right there in front of the store. Then they went over to his van and got in. But the van didn’t leave. And they didn’t come out. Grace was still in there with him when you came along. That’s why I made up the story about the queer guy. I mean, I wanted to save you from finding him that way. ”

She gazed at Toby, stunned.

“I’m sorry I lied, ” he said. “The thing is, I thought the truth would hurt you. ”

“My God, ” she muttered.

Duane goes to the Speed-D-Mart for condoms, then has to try them out on this Grace woman? So he’s in the back of his van, having a merry old time with her while I’m worried sick about him, searching high and low, half-figuring he’s dead or something.

What sort of bastard…?

Hang on, she told herself. Maybe it didn’t happen. All I’ve got is Toby’s say-so, and he lies.

Would Duane do something like that? she wondered.

Might. Who knows what a guy’ll do, you wave a hot babe in front of him?

“Are you all right? ” Toby asked, sounding very timid.

She shook her head.

“I didn’t want to tell you, ” he said.

“I…It’s all right. It’s something I…I’m glad you told me. ”

Gotta find out if it’s true, that’s the thing.

“I don’t want to say anything bad about your boyfriend, ” Toby said, “but he must be a real jerk. You know what I mean? ”

“Oh, yeah. ”

If he did it…

“To do that to you. I mean, he was so lucky to have you, and then to treat you that way…” Toby shook his head. “Not just a jerk, but nuts. ”

“I’m just glad I found out now. Before things went any further with him. ”

“Yeah. I’m really sorry. ”

“Not your fault. But I wish you’d told me the truth in the first place. ”

I could’ve taken a look in the van right then and there, she thought.

“I couldn’t, ” Toby said. “Huh-uh. ‘Oh, yeah, I saw him, all right. He’s over there in his van doing it with some other gal. ’” Toby shook his head. “No way. I couldn’t tell you that. I like you too much. I couldn’t stand the idea of hurting you like that. And, like I said, I got this idea about the two of us driving around to look for him. I thought you were so terrific when you were subbing for Mr. Chambers, and this’d be my big chance to spend a little time with you…I know it was wrong to lie…But also, I figured by the time we’d get done searching around, maybe Duane would be finished with this other gal. So then you might never have to find out what a horrible cheating creep he really is. That’s also one of the reasons why I wanted us to stop and have a snack—so he’d have more time to get done screwing around in his van. So maybe you wouldn’t catch him at it. But then when it came time to turn around, I got to thinking what if they’re still doing it? I couldn’t just take you back to the Speed-D-Mart and have you find them in the van like that. So…now you know. I guess I can take you back, now, if you want. ”

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