Roody's truck outside Clyde's Tavern, and the azaleas in front of the library. But, Jesus, Alice, you've got a video store now, and the pizza parlor delivers. And Bud Hewitt. I swear I saw Bud Hewitt drive by in the sheriff's car.”
Tickled, Alice laughed. “Maybe a couple things have changed. Bud's a deputy now. Mitzi Hines-you remember, she was a year ahead of us in school? She married one of the Hawbaker boys, and they opened that video place. Doing real well, too. Got them a brick house off of Sider's Alley, a new car, and two babies.”
“How about you? How's your family?”
“Okay. Drive me crazy half the time. Lynette got married and moved up to Williamsport. Pop talks about retiring, but he won't.”
“How could he? It wouldn't be Emmitsboro without Doc Crampton.”
“Every winter Mom nags him to move south. But he won't budge.”
She picked up one of Clare's fries and slopped it around in the catsup. They had sat like this, they both remembered, countless times in their girlhood, sharing secrets and sorrows and joys. And, of course, doing what girls do best. Talking about boys.
“I guess you know Cam Rafferty's sheriff now.”
Clare shook her head. “I can't figure out how he pulled it off.”
“My mom liked to had a fit-so did some of the others who remembered him as hell on wheels. But he had all these commendations, and we were in a fix when Sheriff Parker took off like he did. ′Course now that it's worked out so well, everybody's patting themselves on the back.” She gave Clare a knowing grin. “He's even better-looking than he used to be.”
“I noticed.” Clare frowned a bit as she sucked on her straw. “What about his stepfather?”
“Still gives me the creeps.” Alice gave a little shiver and helped herself to more fries. “Doesn't come into town much, and when he does, everybody pretty much leaves him alone. Rumor is he drinks up whatever profit the farm makes and whores around down in Frederick.”
“Cam's mother still lives with him?”
“She either loves him or is scared shitless.” Alice shrugged. “Cam doesn't talk about it. He had himself a house built up on Quarry Road, back in the woods. I heard it's got skylights and a sunken tub.”
“Well, well. What'd he do, rob a bank?”
Alice leaned closer. “Inheritance,” she whispered. “Hisreal daddy's mother left the works to him. Pissed off his stepfather real good.”
“I'll bet it did.” Though Clare understood that gossip was served up in Martha's as regularly as the burgers, she preferred to have hers in a more private setting. “Listen, Alice, what time do you get off?”
“I have the eight to four-thirty shift today.”
“Got a hot date?”
“I haven't had a hot date since 1989.”
With a chuckle, Clare dug some bills out of her pocket and laid them on the counter. “Why don't you come by the house later, for pizza and catch-up?”
Alice grinned, noting without embarrassment that Clare had left her a generous tip. “That's the best offer I've had in six months.”
In a corner booth two men sat, drinking coffee, smoking, and watching. One of them cut his eyes over toward Clare and nodded.
“People are talking a lot about Jack Kimball now that his girl's back in town.”
“People're always talking about the dead.” But he looked as well, shifting so he could stare without being noticed. “Don't figure there's anything to worry about. She was just a kid. She doesn't remember anything.”
“Then why's she back?” Gesturing with his smoldering Marlboro, the man leaned forward. He kept his voice low so that k.d. lang crooned over his words. “How come some rich, fancy artist type comes back to a place like this? She's already talked to Rafferty. Twice, I hear.”
He didn't want to think about problems. Didn't want to believe there could be any. Maybe some members of the coven were pulling away from the purity of the rites, gettinga little careless, more than a little bloodthirsty. But it
Tickled, Alice laughed. “Maybe a couple things have changed. Bud's a deputy now. Mitzi Hines-you remember, she was a year ahead of us in school? She married one of the Hawbaker boys, and they opened that video place. Doing real well, too. Got them a brick house off of Sider's Alley, a new car, and two babies.”
“How about you? How's your family?”
“Okay. Drive me crazy half the time. Lynette got married and moved up to Williamsport. Pop talks about retiring, but he won't.”
“How could he? It wouldn't be Emmitsboro without Doc Crampton.”
“Every winter Mom nags him to move south. But he won't budge.”
She picked up one of Clare's fries and slopped it around in the catsup. They had sat like this, they both remembered, countless times in their girlhood, sharing secrets and sorrows and joys. And, of course, doing what girls do best. Talking about boys.
“I guess you know Cam Rafferty's sheriff now.”
Clare shook her head. “I can't figure out how he pulled it off.”
“My mom liked to had a fit-so did some of the others who remembered him as hell on wheels. But he had all these commendations, and we were in a fix when Sheriff Parker took off like he did. ′Course now that it's worked out so well, everybody's patting themselves on the back.” She gave Clare a knowing grin. “He's even better-looking than he used to be.”
“I noticed.” Clare frowned a bit as she sucked on her straw. “What about his stepfather?”
“Still gives me the creeps.” Alice gave a little shiver and helped herself to more fries. “Doesn't come into town much, and when he does, everybody pretty much leaves him alone. Rumor is he drinks up whatever profit the farm makes and whores around down in Frederick.”
“Cam's mother still lives with him?”
“She either loves him or is scared shitless.” Alice shrugged. “Cam doesn't talk about it. He had himself a house built up on Quarry Road, back in the woods. I heard it's got skylights and a sunken tub.”
“Well, well. What'd he do, rob a bank?”
Alice leaned closer. “Inheritance,” she whispered. “Hisreal daddy's mother left the works to him. Pissed off his stepfather real good.”
“I'll bet it did.” Though Clare understood that gossip was served up in Martha's as regularly as the burgers, she preferred to have hers in a more private setting. “Listen, Alice, what time do you get off?”
“I have the eight to four-thirty shift today.”
“Got a hot date?”
“I haven't had a hot date since 1989.”
With a chuckle, Clare dug some bills out of her pocket and laid them on the counter. “Why don't you come by the house later, for pizza and catch-up?”
Alice grinned, noting without embarrassment that Clare had left her a generous tip. “That's the best offer I've had in six months.”
In a corner booth two men sat, drinking coffee, smoking, and watching. One of them cut his eyes over toward Clare and nodded.
“People are talking a lot about Jack Kimball now that his girl's back in town.”
“People're always talking about the dead.” But he looked as well, shifting so he could stare without being noticed. “Don't figure there's anything to worry about. She was just a kid. She doesn't remember anything.”
“Then why's she back?” Gesturing with his smoldering Marlboro, the man leaned forward. He kept his voice low so that k.d. lang crooned over his words. “How come some rich, fancy artist type comes back to a place like this? She's already talked to Rafferty. Twice, I hear.”
He didn't want to think about problems. Didn't want to believe there could be any. Maybe some members of the coven were pulling away from the purity of the rites, gettinga little careless, more than a little bloodthirsty. But it
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