one of the women whispered loudly to her companions. “The poor girl.”
“Look,” I said. “It’s no big deal. I appreciate your support, but—”
I stopped, realizing they weren’t looking at me. I turned to see Savannah in the doorway.
“It’s okay, sweetie,” one man called. “We won’t hurt you. We’re here to help.”
“Help?” she said, between cookie bites. “Help with what?”
“Saving your immortal soul.”
“Huh?”
“You needn’t be afraid,” the second woman said. “It’s not too late. God knows you’re innocent, that you’ve been led into sin against your will.”
Savannah rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. Get a life.”
I shoved Savannah back into the house, slammed the door, and held it shut.
“Look,” I said. “Not to deny you folks your right to free speech, but you can’t—”
“We heard about the Black Mass,” the boy without the camera said. “Can we see it?”
“There’s nothing to see. It’s gone. It was a very sick prank, that’s all.”
“Did you really kill a couple of cats? Skinned them and cut them all up?”
“
Someone
killed three cats,” I said. “And I hope they find the person responsible.”
“What about the baby?” his camera-wielding friend asked.
“B—baby?”
“Yeah, I heard they found some parts they couldn’t identify and they think it’s this baby missing from Boston—”
“No!” I said, my voice sharp against the silence of the street. “They found cats. Nothing else. If you want more information, I’d suggest you contact the East Falls or state police, because I have nothing further to add. Better yet, how about I call them myself? Charge you with trespassing? That’s what this is, you know.”
“We must do as conscience dictates,” the second man said in a deep orator’s voice. “We represent the Church of Christ’s Blessed Salvation and we have committed ourselves to fighting evil in every form.”
“Really?” I said. “Then you must have the wrong address. There’s no evil here. Try down the street. I’m sure you can find something worth denouncing.”
“We’ve found it,” one of the women said. “The Black Mass. A perversion of the most sacred rite of Christianity. We know what this means. Others will know. They will come. They will join us.”
“Oh? Gee, and I’m fresh out of coffee and doughnuts. I hate to be a bad hostess. If they don’t mind tea, I’ll put on the kettle. I make a really wicked brew.”
The boy dropped the camcorder. For a second, I thought it was the tea comment. Then, as he stumbled forward, I glanced up to see Savannah peering through the front curtains. She grinned at me, then lifted her hand and the boy jerked backward, falling to the grass.
“That’s not funny,” I said, glaring at the teen as he struggled to get up. “I won’t stand here and be mocked with pratfalls. If you have something to say to me, contact my lawyer.”
I stormed into the house and slammed the door.
Savannah lay collapsed on the sofa, giggling. “That was great, Paige.”
I strode across the room and yanked the curtains shut. “What the hell did you think you were doing?”
“Oh, they wouldn’t know it was me. Geez. Lighten up.” She peeked under the curtain. “He’s checking his shoelaces. Like maybe he tripped or something. Duh. Humans are so stupid.”
“Stop saying that. And get away from that window. Let’s just ignore them and make dinner, okay?”
“Can we eat out?”
“No!”
We ended up eating out.
Savannah didn’t railroad me into it. As I was defrosting chicken for dinner, I kept thinking of the people on my lawn, and the more I thought about them, the angrier I got. The angrier I got, the more determined I was to not let them upset me … or, at least, not to let them know they’d upset me. If I wanted to go out to dinner, damned if they’d stop me. Actually, I didn’t really want to go out to dinner, but after I made up my mind, I decided to
“Look,” I said. “It’s no big deal. I appreciate your support, but—”
I stopped, realizing they weren’t looking at me. I turned to see Savannah in the doorway.
“It’s okay, sweetie,” one man called. “We won’t hurt you. We’re here to help.”
“Help?” she said, between cookie bites. “Help with what?”
“Saving your immortal soul.”
“Huh?”
“You needn’t be afraid,” the second woman said. “It’s not too late. God knows you’re innocent, that you’ve been led into sin against your will.”
Savannah rolled her eyes. “Oh, please. Get a life.”
I shoved Savannah back into the house, slammed the door, and held it shut.
“Look,” I said. “Not to deny you folks your right to free speech, but you can’t—”
“We heard about the Black Mass,” the boy without the camera said. “Can we see it?”
“There’s nothing to see. It’s gone. It was a very sick prank, that’s all.”
“Did you really kill a couple of cats? Skinned them and cut them all up?”
“
Someone
killed three cats,” I said. “And I hope they find the person responsible.”
“What about the baby?” his camera-wielding friend asked.
“B—baby?”
“Yeah, I heard they found some parts they couldn’t identify and they think it’s this baby missing from Boston—”
“No!” I said, my voice sharp against the silence of the street. “They found cats. Nothing else. If you want more information, I’d suggest you contact the East Falls or state police, because I have nothing further to add. Better yet, how about I call them myself? Charge you with trespassing? That’s what this is, you know.”
“We must do as conscience dictates,” the second man said in a deep orator’s voice. “We represent the Church of Christ’s Blessed Salvation and we have committed ourselves to fighting evil in every form.”
“Really?” I said. “Then you must have the wrong address. There’s no evil here. Try down the street. I’m sure you can find something worth denouncing.”
“We’ve found it,” one of the women said. “The Black Mass. A perversion of the most sacred rite of Christianity. We know what this means. Others will know. They will come. They will join us.”
“Oh? Gee, and I’m fresh out of coffee and doughnuts. I hate to be a bad hostess. If they don’t mind tea, I’ll put on the kettle. I make a really wicked brew.”
The boy dropped the camcorder. For a second, I thought it was the tea comment. Then, as he stumbled forward, I glanced up to see Savannah peering through the front curtains. She grinned at me, then lifted her hand and the boy jerked backward, falling to the grass.
“That’s not funny,” I said, glaring at the teen as he struggled to get up. “I won’t stand here and be mocked with pratfalls. If you have something to say to me, contact my lawyer.”
I stormed into the house and slammed the door.
Savannah lay collapsed on the sofa, giggling. “That was great, Paige.”
I strode across the room and yanked the curtains shut. “What the hell did you think you were doing?”
“Oh, they wouldn’t know it was me. Geez. Lighten up.” She peeked under the curtain. “He’s checking his shoelaces. Like maybe he tripped or something. Duh. Humans are so stupid.”
“Stop saying that. And get away from that window. Let’s just ignore them and make dinner, okay?”
“Can we eat out?”
“No!”
We ended up eating out.
Savannah didn’t railroad me into it. As I was defrosting chicken for dinner, I kept thinking of the people on my lawn, and the more I thought about them, the angrier I got. The angrier I got, the more determined I was to not let them upset me … or, at least, not to let them know they’d upset me. If I wanted to go out to dinner, damned if they’d stop me. Actually, I didn’t really want to go out to dinner, but after I made up my mind, I decided to
Similar Books
