Part 33 (2/2)
”You were at a movie until . . .” I glanced at my watch. ”Almost one in the morning?”
”We had a flat on the freeway,” Morgan said. ”We had to wait for the patrol. We waited, like, forever.”
”The State State Patrol,” corrected Britney. I gave her another little squeeze. She squeezed back, as if I were the one in need of comfort. What a paradise I'd fallen into, embracing her skinny little body, feeling her bony ribs expand and contract as she breathed. Life was such a G.o.dd.a.m.n miracle. I gazed into Allyson's eyes. Her mother had been able to read my feelings, too, often before I knew them myself. Allyson stepped forward and kissed my sooty cheek. Patrol,” corrected Britney. I gave her another little squeeze. She squeezed back, as if I were the one in need of comfort. What a paradise I'd fallen into, embracing her skinny little body, feeling her bony ribs expand and contract as she breathed. Life was such a G.o.dd.a.m.n miracle. I gazed into Allyson's eyes. Her mother had been able to read my feelings, too, often before I knew them myself. Allyson stepped forward and kissed my sooty cheek.
”You must have been worried.” With those words of comfort from a nine-year-old, life began to flow back into me.
”Yeah, and they never came,” said Britney. ”The State Patrol never came.”
”Why didn't you guys take my truck? I left the keys with Morgan.”
”We started to. We drove all the way into town, but Brit threw up in it,” Allyson said.
”She what?”
”I think she had too much pizza and c.o.ke.”
Britney made a face. ”It was the c.o.ke. I can eat any amount of pizza without throwing up. At Lindy's party I ate three and a half slices. I held the record.”
”You threw up there, too,” Allyson said.
”Yeah. From the c.o.ke.”
”You all right now, pumpkin?” I asked.
”I'm fine. We didn't want to take the truck after I threw up in it.”
”You guys must have been off in the truck when Stephanie and I came by the first time. You get the flat fixed?”
”Morgan didn't know how,” Allyson said. ”Finally one of the boys on Morgan's tennis team saw us, and him and his mom gave us a ride. Then we saw all these fire trucks.” Britney put her cheek against mine.
”Where's my stuff?” Allyson said. Always ready to stick up for herself, Allyson wasn't inclined to let this affront to her perfect summer slide.
”I'm afraid it's all inside, sweetheart. Everything's still in there.”
”Not Miss Squiggly?” Britney said. She'd been dragging Miss Squiggly around since she was two. The doll was a mess. No hair. One eye. One leg.
”Even Miss Squiggly. We're going to have to start from scratch.”
”I don't want to start from scratch,” Allyson said defiantly.
”I need Miss Squiggly.” Britney burst into tears.
When I hugged them both again, Allyson started crying, too. ”Look, you guys. We're all together and n.o.body got hurt. Right now that's the important thing. n.o.body got hurt.”
Even as I said it, in my mind's eye I saw the corpse in the backyard. If it wasn't Morgan, who was it? Could it have been one of my old girlfriends, someone who'd come carrying a grudge and a can of gasoline? Maybe one of the Suzannes?
Or Lorie? For the corpse to have been Lorie's, she would have had to lose some weight, but then, I hadn't seen her in three years. She could have lost plenty of weight in that time. I wanted to go around the building and look at the corpse again, but I wasn't about to let go of my daughters.
”What about my new sandals?” Allyson asked.
”We'll get you some more.”
”I was going to wear those tomorrow.”
”I want my Miss Squiggly,” said Britney, slipping her thumb into her mouth. She hadn't sucked her thumb since just after her mother left.
”Allyson,” I said. ”Did you guys have anybody over at the house?”
Measuring the question, Allyson stopped crying and arched a look up at me. ”No.”
”You sure?”
”n.o.body.”
”Morgan, you didn't have any friends visit?”
Morgan said, ”No. We got pizza and headed out for the movie. Then Brit threw up. We came back and took my mom's car, and then on the way home we got that flat and waited for the patrol.”
”State Patrol,” corrected Britney. Patrol,” corrected Britney.
A shadow fell across us as Stephanie approached, eyes moist. She hugged the girls. I said, ”Stephanie, I'm so sorry for what I said. Can you forgive me?”
”Forgive what?”
Clasping her to me, I said, ”I'd give anything to erase what I said.”
”Forget it.”
”At least let me plead temporary insanity?”
”Stop apologizing. Your daughters are safe. That's what counts.”
”Okay, okay, okay,” Stevenson said, stepping forward. ”This is all peachy keen. Hi, girls. Glad you could make it.” He fixed his dark eyes on me. ”Mind if we ask some questions without this circus breathing down our necks?”
I stepped off a few paces into the field with Shad, Stevenson, and Holgate. It was so dark, I could barely see their eyes. Holgate said, ”I'm glad your daughters showed up.”
”Thanks.”
”The question now is, who's the prizefighter in the backyard? You originally thought it was that young lady over there, right?”
”My baby-sitter, yes.”
”I can see they're about the same size. Easy mistake to make. But who's in your backyard, really?”
”I don't know.”
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