Part 16 (1/2)

”A little,” Fran said. ”But the bed was comfortable, and I kept the light on. I read for a while and then I fell asleep.”

”Did you see your heart's desire?” Ophelia said.

”I guess I did,” Fran offered, and then said no more.

”OK, then,” Ophelia said. ”I guess you should go. You should go, right?”

”I'll come back in the morning,” Fran said. ”I'll be here afore you even wake.”

”Thanks,” Ophelia said.

But Fran didn't go. She said, ”Did you mean it when you said you wanted to help?”

”Look after the house?” Ophelia said. ”Yeah, absolutely. You really ought to go out to San Francisco someday. You shouldn't have to stay here your whole life without ever having a vacation or anything. I mean, you're not a slave, right?”

”I don't know what I am,” Fran said. ”I guess one day I'll have to figure that out.”

Ophelia said, ”Anyway, we can talk about it tomorrow. Over breakfast. You can tell me about the suckiest parts of the job, and I'll tell you what my heart's desire turns out to be.”

”Oh,” Fran said. ”I almost forgot. When you wake up tomorrow, don't be surprised if they've left you a gift. The summer people. It'll be something that they think you need or want.”

”Good grief,” Ophelia said. ”This is starting to sound like Christmas or something.”

”Or something,” Fran agreed. ”But you don't have to accept it. You don't have to worry about being rude that way.”

”OK,” Ophelia said. ”I will consider whether I really need or want my present. I won't let false glamour deceive me.”

”Good,” Fran said. Then she bent over Ophelia where she was sitting on the bed and kissed her on the forehead. ”Sleep well, Ophelia. Good dreams.”

”'Night, John-Boy,” Ophelia said, and laughed.

Fran left the house without any interference from the summer people. She couldn't tell if she'd expected to find any. As she came down the stairs, she said, rather more fiercely than she'd meant to, ”Be nice to her. Don't play no tricks.” She looked in on the Queen, who was molting again.

She went out the front door instead of the back, which was something that she'd always wanted to do. Nothing bad happened and she walked down the hill feeling strangely put out. She went over everything in her head, wondering what still needed doing that she hadn't done. Nothing, she decided. Everything was taken care of.

Except, of course, it wasn't. The first thing was the guitar, leaned up against the door of her house. It was a beautiful instrument. The strings, she thought, were pure silver. When she struck them, the tone was pure and sweet and reminded her uncomfortably of Ophelia's singing voice. The keys were made of gold and shaped like owl heads, and there was mother-of-pearl inlay across the boards, like a spray of roses. It was the gaudiest gawgee they'd yet made her a gift of.

”Well, all right,” she said. ”I guess you didn't mind what I told her.” She laughed out loud with relief.

”Why everwho did you tell what?” someone said.

She picked up the guitar and held it like a weapon in front of her. ”Daddy?”

”Put that down,” the voice said. A man stepped forward out of the shadow of the rosebushes. ”I'm not your d.a.m.n daddy. Although, come to think of it, I would like to know where he is.”

”Ryan Shoemaker,” Fran said. She put the guitar down on the ground. Another man stepped forward. ”And Kyle Rainey.”

”Howdy, Fran,” said Kyle. He spat. ”We were lookin' for your pappy, like Ryan says.”

”I told Andy when I ran into him at the convenience,” Fran said. ”He went down to some meeting to praise Jesus. All the way to Florida, but I ain't heard from him yet, so mebbe they stopped over in Orlando to meet Mickey Mouse.”

”I went to Disney World once,” Ryan said. ”Got thrown out for cussing out a princess.”

”If he calls, I'll let him know you were up here looking for him,” Fran said. ”Is that all you wanted to ask me?”

Ryan lit up a cigarette, looked at her over the flame. ”It was your daddy we wanted to ask, but I guess you could help us out instead.”

”It don't seem likely somehow,” Fran said. ”But go on.”

”Your daddy was meaning to drop off some of the sweet stuff the other night,” Kyle said. ”Only he started thinking about it on the drive down, and that's never been a good idea where your daddy is concerned. He decided Jesus wanted him to pour out ever last drop, and that's what he did, all the way down the mountain. If he weren't a lucky man, some spark might have cotched while he were pouring, but I guess Jesus don't want to meet him face-to-face just yet.”

”And if that weren't bad enough,” Ryan said, ”when he got to the convenience, he decided that Jesus wanted him to get into the van and smash up all Andy's liquor, too. By the time we realized what was going on, there weren't much left beside two bottles of Kahlua and a six-pack of wine coolers.”

”One of them smashed, too,” Kyle said. ”And then he took off afore we could have a word with him.”

”Well, I'm sorry for your troubles, but I don't see what it has to do with me,” Fran said.

”What it has to do is that we've come up with an easy payment plan. We talked about it, and the way it seems to us is that your pappy could provide us with entree to some of the finest homes in the area.”

”We'd do a little smash and grab,” Kyle said. ”Except this way we could leave out the smash. Everybody would be happier.”

”Like I said,” Fran said. ”I'll pa.s.s on the message. You're hoping my daddy will make his rest.i.tution by becoming your accessory in breaking and entering. I'll let him know if he calls.”

”Or he could pay poor Andy back in kind,” Ryan said. ”With some of that good stuff.”

”He'll have to run that by Jesus,” Fran said. ”Frankly, I think it's a better bet than the other, but you might have to wait until he and Jesus have had enough of each other.”

”The thing is,” Ryan said, ”I'm not a patient man. And what has occurred to me is that your pappy may be out of our reach at present moment, but here you are. And I'm guessing that you can get us into a house or two. Preferably ones with quality flat screens and high-thread-count sheets. I promised Mandy I was going to help her redecorate.”

”Or else you could point us in the direction of your daddy's private stash,” Kyle said.

”And if I don't choose to do neither?” Fran asked, crossing her arms.

”I truly hope that you know what it is you're doing,” Kyle said. ”Ryan has not been in a good mood these last few days. He bit a sheriff's deputy on the arm last night in a bar. Which is why we weren't up here sooner.”

Fran stepped back. ”Fine,” she said. ”I'll do what you want. There's an old house farther up the road that n.o.body except me and my daddy know about. It's ruint. n.o.body lives there, and so my daddy put his still up in it. He's got all sorts of articles stashed up there. I'm not saying he steals from the summer people, but I have wondered from time to time if he don't have a business on the side. Like maybe he's holding for someone else.”

”Dammit,” Ryan said. ”And he calls himself a Christian man.”

Fran said, ”I'll take you up. But you can't tell him what I done.”

”A'course not, darlin',” Kyle said. ”We don't aim to cause a rift in the family. Just to get what we have coming.”

And so Fran found herself climbing right back up that same road. She got her feet wet in the drain, but kept as far ahead of Kyle and Ryan as she dared. She didn't know if she felt safe with them at her back.

When they got up to the house, Kyle whistled. ”Fancy sort of ruin.”

”Wait'll you see what's inside,” Fran said. She led them around to the back, then held the door open. ”Sorry about the lights. The power goes off more than it stays on. My daddy usually brings up a flashlight. Want me to go get one?”

”We've got matches,” Ryan said. ”You stay right there.”