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Erica moved past her. The woman s voice followed. You know, I haven t decided. Either you re into witchcraft, or you re thinking about it. You into witchcraft, cher? Erica whirled around, nearly losing a can to the hardwood floor. What? Just somethin I noticed. Erica thought of the deck of tarot cards on her dresser and the valerian root, a relaxant that she used when she was messing around 49 JENNIFER JAYNES with simple spells that her mother used to cast. You ve been in my room? I wasn t prowlin or anything. I was lookin to borrow some cold cream is all, and noticed some things. Your incense. The book of invo- cations. Don t ever go into my room again! You hear me? Pamela s face fell. I just wanted to talk to you about maybe castin me a little spell. Don t worry, I won t go tellin your daddy or nothin . It s a girl thing anyway. Business that should be left between us women. Erica shot her a dirty look. Us women? She and this woman were nothing alike. Tell him what you want. But you d better stay out of my room, she said, or I ll make sure my father puts a leash on you. 50 CHAPTER 14 HE SHIFTED HIS gaze from the television to the wall. The phone was ringing. It hardly rang, but when it did, it was always a sales call. Hello? Hi, sir. My name is Andrea, and I m calling from Total Decks, a squeaky, hopeful voice began. How are you today? He didn t answer. Great, I hope, she continued cheerfully. May I ask if you currently own a deck? No. No, you don t? Fantastic. Then we would like to send someone out to your home to give you a free estimate. When would be a good time? Not interested, he replied, glancing at his watch. Nine p.m. It seemed too late to be getting a sales call. Weren t small children in bed by now? You sure, sir? It s complimentary. That means it s free. Yes, he said, not concealing his annoyance. The screen door opened, and his sister, Allie, appeared. She glanced at him and shook her head disapprovingly. Her long hair JENNIFER JAYNES was down again, and she smelled strongly of liquor and lotion. She stumbled past him, then slammed her bedroom door. Are you sure? the voice on the phone continued. We can just come out and give you that estimate. I promise it s free. And Grady s Custom Decks are rated the . . . Music erupted from inside Allie s room. He could feel the vibration in his hands, his skull. He hung up the phone and sat back down. Grabbing his beer, he picked up the remote. Alarm- ing images of female flesh flashed across the screen as he flipped through the channels. When Allie was home, he couldn t relax. Since their mother had passed, she had become even more frightening. Ian, the mangy cat, mewed outside. Allie s door flew open. She tottered to the kitchen and flipped on the fluorescent light, bathing the room blue-white. Staying in again? she asked. His eyes went back to the television. A Seinfeld rerun filled the screen. His eyes moved blindly over the characters. He d never got- ten into television. It was impossible for him to concentrate on one thing for even half an hour while he was inside the house. There was too much going on inside his head. Plus, it disturbed him. Aside from the black-and-white sitcoms and dramas that were taped in the fifties through the early seventies, the rest of the pro- gramming was nothing but filth. Out the corner of his eye, he watched her at the refrigerator. She opened it and looked inside, her hands on her hips. Don t you have two jobs? You know, if I had two jobs, I d buy groceries every once in a while. What do you need? Uh, let s see, she answered. Two, or even one of the four food groups? Something besides a can of tobacco and cheap beer? 52 NEVER SMILE AT STRANGERS You re supposed to be the adult, you know. You should really start acting like one. She slammed the refrigerator door and twisted the cap off a beer bottle. He hadn t asked for this job, and he knew he wasn t any good at it. Five, he said. What? she asked, tugging at her gauzy top. Five. There are five food groups. Whatever. I leave you money. I spend the money. And not on food. On other stuff. Like condoms and blow. He stole a quick glance at her and saw that she was smirking. He loathed her attitude and her outfit. All the girls her age dressed like tramps. Didn t they realize how unsafe that was? What it did to certain men? Men like him. His eyes settled on the beer. You re too young for that. She snorted. Too young? What, now you think you re my father? Oh, please, you re not even an adult. You never will be. He turned back to the television screen. It had grown fuzzy. He cracked his neck and looked at the coffee table, where a cereal bowl sat, half-filled with congealed milk. A cockroach scuttled across the floor behind the television, then slipped through a crack in the wall. He shuddered. He d always been afraid of roaches, even as a kid when Allie would chase them and laugh as she crushed them between her small palms. But she was older now, on to more dangerous things. She tossed the bottle into the trash can with the rest of the empty bottles and Styrofoam take-out containers and picked up her purse. Don t you wish you had a life? Her eyes took in the room. 53 JENNIFER JAYNES He watched them flit from the stained carpeting to the large, gold- framed St. Bart s print that hung lopsided on the wall. He watched her, knowing this wasn t where Allie wanted to be. But he didn t want to be here, either. As soon as she turned eigh- teen, he d be gone. He d drive to Nevada and finally get a place of his own. He d move far, far away from this place and the constant reminders of his late mother, of the torment. He d be a different [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |