Come Out Tonight 9 страница

If they’re home, Sherry thought, they probably would’ve closed the curtains after dark.

The picture window was now behind her. So far, Toby hadn’t mentioned it. He must’ve noticed it, though.

Just a few paces past Chris and Ronnie’s door, Sherry came to her own bedroom window. Set higher in the wall than the picture windows, its bottom sill was level with her chest.

Looking around, she saw only Toby.

“Go on and open it, ” he whispered.

She turned toward the window, pressed both hands against the glass and tried to slide it sideways. Her hands slipped. The window stayed put. Reaching out with her left hand, she pulled at the edge of the frame while trying again to thrust the glass sideways with her right.

It still refused to move.

“You sure it’s not locked? ” Toby whispered.

“It’s just a little stuck. Maybe you can get it started with your knife. ”

He stepped in, shouldering her out of the way. With the tip of his knife, he delved into the crack at the window’s edge. He worked the blade sideways. The crack suddenly spread open wide enough for fingertips.

“That ought to do it, ” he said. He stepped back.

Sherry dug her fingertips into the narrow gap. As she skidded the window toward the center, a gust flung the curtain inward and bells jingled. She cringed.

“What’s that? ”

“Christmas bells. ”

“Huh? ”

“I hung some sleigh bells on the window. You know, so I’ll know if somebody tries to get in. ”

“How come you didn’t just get the lock fixed? ”

“I’ve had to get in this way a couple of times. And the landlord’s a creep. I don’t ask him for anything. ”

“I could take care of him for you. ”

She forced herself to smile. “Thanks, Toby. I might just take you up on that. ”

“My pleasure, ” he said. He switched the knife to his left hand, then gave Sherry a pat on the rump. After the pat, his hand cupped her buttock through the fabric of her skirt. “Go on and climb in. But don’t forget what happens if you try to pull something. ”

“What do you want me to do after I’m inside? ”

“Nothing. Just wait. I’ll come in right behind you. ”

Sherry thought about her pistol. Before taking her Jeep in for repairs, she always removed it and left it on the bookshelf just inside her front door.

“If you’d like, ” she whispered, “I could just walk through and open the front door for you. ”

“Thanks anyway. ”

“Just trying to make things easier. ”

“Don’t bother. ” He gave her rump a couple of gentle pats, then said, “Climb on in. ”

“Okay. ”

Sherry planted both hands on the windowsill, jumped, thrust herself up and caught the edge of the sill with her right knee. She brought up her other knee. Perched precariously, she raised her arms and found handholds—her left hand clutching the frame, her right hand gripping the side of the open window itself.

As she knelt there, the curtain deflated. It drifted in, brushed against her face, then sailed off.

Though she had climbed in this way a few times, she wasn’t exactly sure how she’d maneuvered herself from this point. It seemed that she needed to bring one leg forward and get her foot on the sill. But which leg would be better to start with?

She flinched as Toby touched her.

His hand was underneath her skirt, an open curve against her thigh. Slowly, it drifted upward between her legs.

The curtain settled against her face. She turned her head aside.

She wanted to yell. She wanted to clamp her legs together. She wanted to reach down and stop Toby’s hand.

But any quick moves might make her fall.

And if she tried to stop him…

Just let him.

Kneeling on the sill, she remained motionless except for her breathing and the quivering of her muscles as Toby’s fingers stroked her, spread her, delved.

The curtain rubbed her cheek.

She felt Toby’s thumb.

The gun’s on the middle shelf, she told herself, trying not to think about what he was doing. I oughta just make a run for it. It’s all set to go. One up the chute, five or six more in the magazine. All I’ve gotta do is pull the trigger.

Chapter Twenty-five

Toby took his hand away, but he didn’t say anything. Twisting her head around, Sherry looked down at him. He was licking his fingers. As he slid his thumb into his mouth, he noticed her watching. He slowly pulled his thumb out. “Go on in, ” he said.

Though every muscle in her body seemed to be trembling, she struggled off her knees and managed to get both feet onto the windowsill. The curtain, briefly blown inward, came silently back at her. It slipped between her thighs, brushed against her face.

She couldn’t see. The darkness was bad enough, but the curtains blinded her completely.

Reaching out with her left hand, she swept the curtain out of her way.

And lost her balance.

Left shoulder first, she started falling forward into the darkness.

Toby grabbed her skirt. She felt a rough tug at her waist. Her fall almost stopped. But then came a pop and a rip. The skirt went loose.

Loose but not gone, it snared her feet and kept them high as she plunged toward the floor.

On the way down, she struck nothing. She was apparently dropping into the narrow space between her bed and the side of her desk.

With her hands, she tried to break her fall.

They were bashed out of the way and her head struck the floor. For a moment, she felt as if she’d been propped upside-down and crooked against the wall. Then her legs started to drop. Her rump and back followed them toward the floor.

Shit!

She bent her back and jerked her knees toward her chest.

Instead of slamming down with a stunning crash, she rolled quietly to a sitting position.

She jerked her head around.

The blowing curtain let her see Toby as he boosted himself onto the windowsill. When his body blocked the wind, the curtain swept toward him.

Sherry struggled to her feet. Her bedroom doorway was straight ahead, its opening darker than the walls. She staggered over to it. In the hallway, she dodged to the right and broke into a run for the living room.

From behind her came a heavy thud—Toby hitting the floor?

The people under us must think…

No, they’d moved out a few days ago. There isn’t anybody under us.

“Sherry? ” Toby’s voice was a harsh whisper. “Sherry! ”

She suddenly heard his footfalls.

Here he comes!

After the deep darkness of the hallway, the living room seemed almost bright. The curtain across the picture window looked like a dimly glowing wall. It cast a gray luminescence over the couch and the coffee table, but it left the front door in utter blackness.

Sherry couldn’t see the bookshelf at all.

She raced for it, anyway, dashing past the coffee table then turning toward the door.

Toby sounded as if he might already be in the room.

She hurled herself against the door, reached out past its jamb and slapped the light switch. The room filled with light. She heard Toby gasping, running, but she didn’t look at him.

Instead, she twisted away from the door and lunged for the bookshelf.

The place near the front edge of the middle shelf, where she’d left her pistol, was empty.

No!

As Toby pounded toward her from behind, she raced her eyes up and down the whole bookcase.

It has to be here!

She suddenly remembered Duane.

Because her Jeep was in for repairs, Duane had come here to pick her up for their evening together. But she hadn’t been quite ready to leave, so she’d left him alone for a few minutes. Coming out of the bathroom, she’d found him in front of the bookshelf with the pistol in his hand. “You really shouldn’t leave something like this out in plain sight, Sherry. You shouldn’t have one at all, but that’s beside the point. What if a kid came in and—? ”

“Kids don’t come in. ”

“You should at least keep it somewhere out of sight. ” With that, he’d reached up to the top shelf, pulled out a handful of hardbacks, placed the pistol at the rear of the shelf, then returned the books to their place. Looking pleased with himself, he’d said, “Now some stranger won’t come in and end up shooting somebody with it. ”

Not wanting to begin their evening with an argument, Sherry had nodded and smiled. “Good idea, ” she’d said. She would be away from the apartment, anyway.

Gotta make sure I take it out of there when I get back.

The moment she remembered what Duane had done, she reached for the highest shelf with both hands. The books were in her way. She clawed at them. Seven or eight flew forward, falling, some of them hitting her face and shoulders and chest.

Fingernails suddenly scratched the nape of her neck and she was jerked backward by the shoulders of her blouse. As she stumbled away from the shelves, Toby swung her to the right. A corner of the couch clipped her leg out from under her. She slammed down sideways on her coffee table, skidded across it and tumbled off the other side. Her back struck the floor.

She tried to raise her head off the floor, but couldn’t work up the strength.

What’s he doing?

Pretty soon, the coffee table slid out of the way. Then Toby loomed over her. Standing on his left foot, he rested his bare right foot on her belly. His robe was gone. Sweat was spilling down his body as he huffed wildly for breath.

He held the butcher knife in his left hand, Sherry’s semi-automatic pistol in his right.

“You were…gonna kill me, ” he gasped.

Blinking sweat and panting for air, she stared up at him and didn’t try to answer.

“I…warned ya…what’d happen. ”

“Go to hell, ” she said.

He gazed down at her and shook his head. “Now you’re…in for it. ”

“Fuck you, ” Sherry said.

“Huh-uh, fuck you. ”

He stomped on her belly.

As her breath exploded out, her knee

s jerked up. Hugging her belly, she rolled onto her side and curled up.

“That’s for starters, ” Toby said.

She felt as if she’d been caved in. She couldn’t breathe at all, just hugged her knees and struggled to drag air into her wide-open mouth—but couldn’t.

Then something crashed against the side of her head.

Her brain seemed to detonate with a brilliant flash.

He shot me?

Chapter Twenty-six

What’s going on?

Sherry’s head throbbed with fiery pain and her scalp, just above her right temple, was stiff and wet. She felt something moving under the back of her head. Under her whole back. It was flat, rubbing her, making her burn.

The carpet?

She realized she was being dragged by her feet.

I’m still alive.

She thought about trying to open her eyes, but decided against it. Without her lids down, her eyes would burst into flames.

They won’t, she told herself.

But they felt as if they might.

Anyway, let him think I’m out cold.

Maybe I am, she thought.

Or maybe I’m dead. Dead and dreaming that he’s dragging me by my feet.

What if I’m dead and it all keeps going on?

Scared, she opened her eyes. They felt raw and hot, but she kept her lids open long enough to see that she was being dragged down the hallway by Toby. Apparently, the lamps were still on in the living room. They cast a dim glow on her elevated legs and on Toby. Both her feet were bare, now. Toby was clutching her ankles together out in front of him, leaning backward and towing her along like a bag of rocks.

He seemed to be staring at her breasts.

Sherry could tell by the feel that her blouse wasn’t just wide open, it was gone.

She shut her eyes.

She wondered what to do.

What can I do?

Go with it. Just let it happen.

She wondered what Toby had done with the knife and pistol. He didn’t have them with him, that was for sure.

Had he left them somewhere in the living room?

I’ll just run right in and find them.

Sure.

Toby lowered her legs to the floor.

She heard his footsteps alongside her. They moved past her head and kept going. Opening one eye slightly, she saw her bedroom windows high on the wall beyond her feet. The windows were pale in the darkness and one side of the curtains was sailing high, flapping and shaking.

The desk lamp came on.

Sherry shut her eyes.

Toby walked up behind her head. He shoved his hands under her shoulders. As he lifted her into a sitting position, she let her head sway and flop. Staying limp, she felt him reach under her armpits, wrap his arms around her chest, and hoist her off the floor. In a tight hug, she was swung sideways. She landed on the mattress, Toby still clinging to her, heavy on her back.

He loosened his hold, but didn’t climb off.

His hands, pressed between her body and the bed, moved around until they were underneath her breasts. He began to flex his fingers. His mouth opened against the side of her neck. He kissed her there, sucked and nibbled, while his hands plied her breasts and his body began to writhe.

He felt soft and hot and slimy on her back and buttocks. Soft except for his penis. She could feel it back there, big and rigid and sliding against her.

He’s gonna get me this time, she thought. Nothing I can do to stop him.

Thanks for moving my gun, Duane.

In her mind, she heard him answer, Thanks for sending me out for the condoms, Sherry.

It’s not Duane’s fault, she told herself. Don’t blame him.

It’s Toby.

All Toby.

Gasping for air, Toby pulled his hands out from under Sherry and climbed off her. She could suddenly feel the wind rubbing against the sweaty skin of her back and buttocks.

Toby lifted her legs onto the bed. Then he turned her over. Shoving and pulling, he arranged her body so that she lay flat on her back with her arms down straight against her sides and her legs spread wide.

The wind blew down on her.

It felt good.

But she knew things were about to get very bad.

Here we go.

Keeping her eyes shut, she felt the mattress shift. Then there were hands on her thighs. She could feel them trembling as they slid upward. When they reached her groin, she heard Toby moan. Then she felt his mouth, his tongue.

His teeth.

Though she tried to remain limp, her body flinched with the sharp, sudden pain. Though she tried to stay silent, a quiet squeak escaped from her throat.

“Told you I’d eat you, ” Toby said.

She raised her head off the mattress.

Toby raised his head and smiled at her. He had blood on his lips.

He went down again and thrust in his tongue, then took it out and began licking his way up her body. As his tongue lapped and probed, his hands glided up to her breasts. They squeezed her, pinched and pulled. Then his hands moved up to her shoulders and held her down while his mouth latched on to her right breast, pulled at her nipple, opened wide and sucked hard. She felt as if her whole breast were being drawn into his mouth.

She felt the edges of his teeth.

No!

Just when she was sure he would bite, he pulled his head back. Her breast popped out of his mouth with a sucking, slurpy sound and he planted his wet lips against her mouth and thrust in his tongue.

She thought about biting it.

But he could’ve chomped off half my breast and maybe he will if I bite his tongue.

She decided not to do it.

A moment later, Toby rammed his penis up deep into her and his mouth caught her outcry of pain and despair.

He turned off the lamp, then came back to the bed. He lay down beside Sherry. She hadn’t changed her position, still lay sprawled on her back, arms at her side, legs spread. She supposed she could move, but she wasn’t sure of it. She knew, however, that she didn’t want to. She hurt everywhere. And if she moved, Toby might do something to make it worse.

He rolled toward her. His belly pushed against her side. Reaching across her chest, he curled a hand over her left breast. He eased his upper leg forward and rested it on the top of her right thigh. Then he squirmed, rubbing his penis against her hip. It felt soft and sticky.

“You know what? ” he whispered.

Sherry didn’t answer.

Toby stopped squirming, but she felt one of his fingertips slowly circling her nipple. “You’re the greatest. ” He went silent. He hardly moved at all except for his belly pushing at her as he breathed, his fingers drifting lazily over her breast. She had goosebumps and her nipple was sticking up straight and rigid. Toby’s fingers kept returning to it. “Know what? ” he whispered. “This is the best night I ever had. ”

She didn’t say anything.

She could hardly even think; she felt too hurt and tired and defeated.

She closed her eyes. Tears slid out and trickled down toward her ears.

“I never…never even had a girlfriend before. Never did any of this stuff. Good news, huh? I mean, you’re probably worried, me not using a rubber. AIDS and stuff. But I haven’t got it. I’m a hundred percent healthy. ”

“I’ve already got it, ” she heard herself mutter.

Now you’ve got it, she wanted to add, but the words didn’t come out.

Had she really spoken the first part?

Must’ve. And Toby must’ve heard it, too, because his hand was no longer fiddling with her breast.

She hadn’t planned to say such a thing, hadn’t given it any thought at all—it had just grumbled out. Apparently, her mind wasn’t totally wrecked, after all.

Good going, she told herself.

Give him something to think about.

“You do not, ” he said. “Duane had to go out and buy rubbers. I bet it was you who made him

…”

“Didn’t want…him…to catch it. ”

“Bullshit. ”

“You…should’ve left me…alone. Now you’re…gonna die. ”

“Fuck you. ”

“You did. And…bit me. ”

He shoved himself back. Braced up on an elbow, he stared down at her.

“Got blood in your mouth. My blood. You got AIDS now. ”

“No I don’t. ”

“Yeah. ”

“Lying bitch. ”

“Sorry. ”

“Take it back. ”

“Not sorry. ”

“Say it’s a lie. ”

“Sorry. ”

“You’re dead, ” he muttered.

“You, too. ”

His right fist shot out and bashed the side of her face, knocking her head sideways and throwing spit from her mouth.

Then he climbed onto her.

“Say it’s a lie, ” he said.

She couldn’t say anything.

But she soon found that she could scream.

By the time Toby tore the scream out of Sherry, she had a pillow over her face.

Chapter Twenty-seven

An hour before dawn, Toby stopped the van on an empty stretch of Mulholland Drive. He could see the orange glow of the Malibu fires in the distance. But the glow was very far away. The fires would probably be stopped long before they got this far.

But if they came here tomorrow or the next day, so much the better.

There were trees on one side of the road, a drop-off on the other.

No cars were in sight.

He opened the rear doors of the van, leaned in, and dragged the rolled blanket toward him with both hands.

He wrestled it onto his shoulder.

Staggering under the weight, he made his way to the side of the road and stepped up to the guard rail.

In front of him, Los Angeles was a distant vista of bright lights.

Leaning over the guard rail, he let go of the blanket.

It dropped.

He leaned over some more. The blanket was slightly darker than the earth and bushes of the hillside. He thought he could see it falling, then bouncing.

It was only a vague black blur down there.

As he watched, its shape seemed to change.

The blanket seemed to be growing.

It’s coming unrolled, he realized.

And then Sherry emerged from the blackness.

Her wonderful, pale body left the blanket behind as she dived and tumbled on her wild journey to the bottom.

Chapter Twenty-eight

“Sid. Sid, wake up. ” Dawn was shaking him by the shoulder.

He rolled onto his back, turned his head and blinked at her. She looked worried.

“Somebody’s at the door. ”

“Huh? ”

“He keeps ringing the doorbell. ”

“He? Who? ”

“I don’t know. Somebody. He keeps ringing it. ”

The doorbell rang.

“See? ”

“Shit, ” Sid muttered. He turned his head the other way and saw the clock on the nightstand.

6: 50.

“Shit, ” he said again.

The doorbell rang once more.

“Aren’t you gonna see who it is? ” Dawn asked.

“I’m gonna see who it is, all right. ” He swept the top sheet away from his body and sprang out of bed. His father’s blue silk robe lay in a pile on the carpet. He snatched it up and put it on.

The doorbell rang again.

“Do you think something’s wrong? ” Dawn asked.

“Whatever it is, I’ll take care of it. ”

“Should I like…hide? ”

He swiveled around, scowling. But he lost the scowl when he saw the way Dawn was braced up on her elbows, naked down to where the sheet draped her lap, her skin tawny against the white of the sheets. Smiling, he shook his head. “What do you wanta hide for? ” he asked.

“I don’t know. You tell me. ”

He suddenly felt a small, squirmy chill deep inside. “No reason I can think of. But you’re welcome to hide if you—” Knuckles knocked hard against the door. Flinching, Sid gasped out, “Shit! ” Then he said, “Okay, I’m gonna go kick some ass. ”

“Be careful. ”

“Sure. ” He hurried out of the room. On his way to the door, he closed his robe. The front edges barely met. As he tied the belt, he remembered how large the robe used to seem. His father had been a big guy—a real lard-ass. In the past couple of years, however, Sid had outgrown him.

With Sid, the bulk was all muscle.

Soon, if he kept up with the weights, he wouldn’t be able to shut the robe at all.

Dawn’ll love that.

Whoever was on the other side of the front door kept pounding.

What if it’s the cops?

It’s not, he told himself. No way.

Then who is it?

He stepped up to the door, leaned forward and put his eye to the peephole.

Toby?

Toby, all right, but looking weird.

Sid unlocked the door. By the time he could swing it open, Toby had taken a few steps backward and put a nervous smile on his face.

“Greetings, bro, ” Toby said.

His hair was a tangled mess, his face filthy and battered. He seemed to be wearing nothing except a red nightshirt with Winnie the Pooh on the front. Winnie wore a sleeping cap and carried an oil lamp. Sid had never seen the nightshirt before.

It was much too small for Toby. It hugged his body, bulging around his midsection and butt. It didn’t reach very far down his thighs.

“Get in here, ” Sid told him.

Toby entered the house.

Sid shut the door, then turned around and said, “You look like shit. ”

“Yeah, I know. I got jumped. Some guys…”

“You got jumped? What’re you talking about? Where were you? ”

“Out. ”

“Out where? ”

“It’s a long story. ”

“Yeah, sure. Well, I got lots of time. I mean, who needs any sleep? ”

“Sorry. ”

“You’re sorry, all right. Sorriest dumb fat-ass tub of shit I’ve ever known. ”

“It’s not my fault. ”

“Yeah, sure. Nothing’s ever your fault. ”

“I didn’t do anything. They were just looking for a guy to nail, you know? And there I was. ”

“Where? ”

“I stopped at this Speed-D-Mart to get me some nachos…”

“Oh, yeah. Always gotta feed your face. ”

“Anyway, they had the car surrounded when I came out. ”

“The Mustang? ”

“Yeah. ”

“Shit. You better not tell me they stole it. ”

“They didn’t. That’s the thing. The way they were hanging around it, I could tell they were gonna jack it. I mean, they were real bad-ass types, you know? I think they were probably Crips or Bloods or something. ”

“Yeah, sure. ”

“So anyway, I come out of the store and see ’em, so I don’t go for the car. I act like it ain’t mine and just keep on walking, you know? But they come after me. One of ’em says, ‘All we want’s your car, man. Just give us the keys ’n nobody’s gonna hurt you. ’ So you know what I do? ”

“What? ”

“I run like hell, and all these guys chase me, but I make it to the road and throw the keys down one of those storm drains. ”

“You what? ”

“I threw ’em down a storm drain. You know, one of those big holes under the curb…”

“I know what a storm drain is, asswipe. You threw your keys down one? ”

“Yeah. ”

“Smart move. ”

“Kept them from getting ’em. The house keys, too. ” A smile lifted one side of Toby’s mouth. “Guess I saved your ass, huh? ”

“Yeah? ”

“You know what’s in the car? Like the registration? It’s got our address on it. I bet they would’ve paid you a visit last night. You and Dawn. She’s here, right? ”

“She’s here. ”

“They would’ve eaten her alive. ”

“Who would’ve eaten…My God, Toby! What happened to you? ” Dawn strolled into the foyer, her bare feet silent on the marble. She’d put on her cut-off jeans and the top of her lime-green, string bikini.

“I’m okay, ” Toby said. “I got jumped by some guys, that’s all. They wanted to steal the car and—”

“You look awful! ”

He smiled and blushed and shrugged his shoulders. “I kinda pissed ’em off when I threw away the keys, so they let me have it. ”

Looking concerned, Dawn stepped up to him. She put an open hand gently against the swollen side of his face. “You poor darling, ” she said.

“I’m okay, ” he told her. “But they took everything. All my clothes, my wallet…” Meeting Sid’s eyes, he said, “But they didn’t get the car. ” To Dawn, he said, “I was afraid they’d come over here. They would’ve…done awful things to you, Dawn. ”

“That was so brave of you. ”

“My ass, ” Sid said. “You know what was going on? Little brother here, he was out driving around in the middle of the night…Doing what, Tubby? Looking in windows? ”

“I was on my way home from a movie, as a matter of fact. ”

“Sure. ”

“I was. ”

“If you say so. ”

“Be nice, honey, ” Dawn said.

“Oh, he’s such a fuckin’ loser. Don’t believe a word out of him. He probably lost his clothes while he was jackin’ off in somebody’s back yard or something. ”

“Did not. Those guys stole my clothes and beat me up and left me in an alley. They knocked me out. That’s how come it took me so long to get home. I must’ve been out cold for hours. And then I woke up and had to find something to wear. ” He plucked at the front of his nightshirt. “I found this hanging up to dry on somebody’s clothes line. And then I had to walk all the way home in it. I had to hide every time a car came along. ”

“So where’s my car? ” Sid asked.

“Over by the Speed-D-Mart on Robertson. At least that’s where it was. I figured we could go and get it this morning. ”

“You los

t it, you go get it. ”

“I’ll drive you over, ” Dawn said.

“That’s what you think, ” Sid told her.

“I will if I want to, ” she said.

“You better not want to. ”

She pushed her lower lip out at him. “You know, Toby is your brother. You could stand to treat him a little better. ”

“Never mind, ” Toby said. “I’ll just walk over and get it. I don’t need a ride. ” Facing Sid, he asked, “Can I at least borrow your keys? ”

“You gonna throw ’em down a drain? ”

“No. I’ll go somewhere and get duplicates made. ”

Sid thought about it for a moment, then said, “You’re not going anywhere with my keys. I’ll go and get dupes made. Then you can walk over and pick up the car this afternoon. ”

“I’d sort of like to get it over with, ” Toby said. “You know? The car’s not very safe over there. ”

“Yeah, well. If it made it through the night, I guess it’ll be okay for a while longer. I’m going back to bed. You better take a shower or something. Let’s go, Dawn. ”

He started toward the bedroom, Dawn walking ahead of him.

“What time are we gonna go? ” Toby asked.

“When I say so, ” Sid said. “Now shut up and leave us alone. ”

“Creep, ” Toby muttered.

Sid swung around. “What’d you say? ”

“Nothing, ” Toby said, shaking his head and backing away.

“You call me something? ”

“No. ” “I’ll kick your fuckin’ ass! ” Sid lurched forward, stomping the marble floor with his bare foot.

Toby whirled around and ran for the other end of the house, his fat butt bouncing under the nightshirt.

Sid laughed and came back to Dawn.

“That wasn’t very nice, ” she said, frowning slightly.

“He called me a creep, the fat fuck. ”

“Sometimes you are a creep. ”

He slugged Dawn on the upper arm. The blow knocked her stumbling away from him. Clutching her arm, she started to cry.

“When I want your opinion, ” Sid explained, “I’ll ask for it. ”

Chapter Twenty-nine

Brenda, seated on the living room floor for her breakfast of toast and milk, thumbed a remote button to mute the television. “Hey, Dad, ” she said, “does Sherry know about the car wash? ”

Her father, seated in his usual armchair, looked up from the book he was reading. “I don’t know if she does or not. I don’t think I’ve mentioned it to her. ” He picked up his coffee mug and took a drink. “Couldn’t hurt to give her a call, I suppose. ”

“Did they get the phones working again? ”

“Forgot about that. Let’s see. ” Dad set down his mug, reached across the lamp table and picked up the phone. After listening for a moment, he said, “Well, we’ve got a dial tone. ”

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