to go in the other room and watch TV.
"I wanna stay with you, Daddy,"
Lara Ann objected, clinging onto his hand.
"No, pumpkin,"
he said, giving her a little shove.
"I'll see you after I've had my dinner."
"C'mon, scaredy cat,"
Andy said, pulling her arm.
Ellen wagged a warning finger at her handsome son.
"Don't forget - Charlie's Angels/
Lara Ann sat quietly in front of the television staring at Farrah Fawcett and her glorious mane of golden curls. Andy picked up a toy car and began zooming it around the living room floor making loud car noises.
"Be quiet, Andy,"
she said.
"No!"
he said, sticking out his tongue again.
"You're a stupid girl. Girls gotta shut up."
"No they don't."
"Yes they do."
83 "No they don't."
They were so busy arguing that at first they didn't hear the reused voices coming from the kitchen.
Then Andy said,
"They're fighting again -shush!"
"Bitch!"
they heard Dan shout.
"Cheating bitch!"
Then Ellen's voice.
"How dare you accuse me."
Til accuse you of what I want. Everybody in town's talking about you and that dentist! It's not just your teeth he's filling, Ellen ... it's not just your fucking teeth."
"Elliott Dunn is nothing more than a friend."
"Teah, a friend who screws your ass off."
The raised voices frightened Lara Ann.
"What are they talking about'?"
she whispered.
"Dunno,"
Andy said.
"I refuse to be the laughing stock of this town,"
Dan yelled.
"Oh, no - not me. Not Dan Leonard."
"People like to gossip, there's nothing going on."
"Says you."
"It's the truth."
A moment of silence - then
"Dan ... Oh my ... what are you doing? What are you doing?"
"Defending my fucking manhood. Something I should've done a long time ago."
"Don't be silly, Dan."
Ellen's voice rose in panic.
"This ... isn't .. . sane. PLEASE DON'T.. . DON'T.. . NOOO!"
There was a terrifically loud explosion. Lara Ann jumped, and covered her ears. She knew something bad had happened.
Andy leaped up.
"Don't go,"
Lara Ann whimpered, clinging to his arm.
"I'm frightened, Andy. Stay here with me."
"I gotta go see,"
he said, fulling away and running into the kitchen.
Lara Ann cowered on the couch. She heard her father bellow something, then the sound of a short struggle, and after that another loud explosion.
She stayed exactly where she was, still covering her ears.
Suddenly her father ran into the room with a wild look in his eyes.
"C'mon, pumpkin,"
he said, pulling her up.
84
His eyes were all bloodshot and scary, but she loved her father more than anything in the world, so she didn't argue.
"Where are we going, Daddy'?"
she asked meekly.
"Away from here,"
he muttered, scooping her into his arms and carrying her through the kitchen.
Sprawled on the kitchen floor was her mother, a thin spiral of smoke snaking out of a gaping hole in her chest.
Slumped by the door was her brother, his head blown half away. There was blood everywhere.
"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"
Lara Ann began to scream.
"Mommy's been hurt. Mommy's bleeding. So's Andy."
He wasn't listening. He carried her out the door and almost threw her in the back of his car. Then he jumped in the driving seat and roared away from the house.
"Daddy, Daddy,"
she whimpered, so frightened she could scarcely breathe.
"What happened? Why's my mommy on the floor? Why's Andy all bloody?"
"Nothing,"
he muttered, picking up a bottle of Scotch from the seat next to him and taking a swig.
"They'll be fine."
She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, bringing her knees up to her chest.
"Daddy, something bad happened! Who did that to Mommy and Andy? Who did it?"
"Tour mother got what she deserved,"
he muttered.
"Cheating bitch!"
Lara Ann began to cry, big gulping sobs that shook her entire body.
Dan drove to a motel, stopped at the desk and got a key. Next he parked
"I wanna stay with you, Daddy,"
Lara Ann objected, clinging onto his hand.
"No, pumpkin,"
he said, giving her a little shove.
"I'll see you after I've had my dinner."
"C'mon, scaredy cat,"
Andy said, pulling her arm.
Ellen wagged a warning finger at her handsome son.
"Don't forget - Charlie's Angels/
Lara Ann sat quietly in front of the television staring at Farrah Fawcett and her glorious mane of golden curls. Andy picked up a toy car and began zooming it around the living room floor making loud car noises.
"Be quiet, Andy,"
she said.
"No!"
he said, sticking out his tongue again.
"You're a stupid girl. Girls gotta shut up."
"No they don't."
"Yes they do."
83 "No they don't."
They were so busy arguing that at first they didn't hear the reused voices coming from the kitchen.
Then Andy said,
"They're fighting again -shush!"
"Bitch!"
they heard Dan shout.
"Cheating bitch!"
Then Ellen's voice.
"How dare you accuse me."
Til accuse you of what I want. Everybody in town's talking about you and that dentist! It's not just your teeth he's filling, Ellen ... it's not just your fucking teeth."
"Elliott Dunn is nothing more than a friend."
"Teah, a friend who screws your ass off."
The raised voices frightened Lara Ann.
"What are they talking about'?"
she whispered.
"Dunno,"
Andy said.
"I refuse to be the laughing stock of this town,"
Dan yelled.
"Oh, no - not me. Not Dan Leonard."
"People like to gossip, there's nothing going on."
"Says you."
"It's the truth."
A moment of silence - then
"Dan ... Oh my ... what are you doing? What are you doing?"
"Defending my fucking manhood. Something I should've done a long time ago."
"Don't be silly, Dan."
Ellen's voice rose in panic.
"This ... isn't .. . sane. PLEASE DON'T.. . DON'T.. . NOOO!"
There was a terrifically loud explosion. Lara Ann jumped, and covered her ears. She knew something bad had happened.
Andy leaped up.
"Don't go,"
Lara Ann whimpered, clinging to his arm.
"I'm frightened, Andy. Stay here with me."
"I gotta go see,"
he said, fulling away and running into the kitchen.
Lara Ann cowered on the couch. She heard her father bellow something, then the sound of a short struggle, and after that another loud explosion.
She stayed exactly where she was, still covering her ears.
Suddenly her father ran into the room with a wild look in his eyes.
"C'mon, pumpkin,"
he said, pulling her up.
84
His eyes were all bloodshot and scary, but she loved her father more than anything in the world, so she didn't argue.
"Where are we going, Daddy'?"
she asked meekly.
"Away from here,"
he muttered, scooping her into his arms and carrying her through the kitchen.
Sprawled on the kitchen floor was her mother, a thin spiral of smoke snaking out of a gaping hole in her chest.
Slumped by the door was her brother, his head blown half away. There was blood everywhere.
"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"
Lara Ann began to scream.
"Mommy's been hurt. Mommy's bleeding. So's Andy."
He wasn't listening. He carried her out the door and almost threw her in the back of his car. Then he jumped in the driving seat and roared away from the house.
"Daddy, Daddy,"
she whimpered, so frightened she could scarcely breathe.
"What happened? Why's my mommy on the floor? Why's Andy all bloody?"
"Nothing,"
he muttered, picking up a bottle of Scotch from the seat next to him and taking a swig.
"They'll be fine."
She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, bringing her knees up to her chest.
"Daddy, something bad happened! Who did that to Mommy and Andy? Who did it?"
"Tour mother got what she deserved,"
he muttered.
"Cheating bitch!"
Lara Ann began to cry, big gulping sobs that shook her entire body.
Dan drove to a motel, stopped at the desk and got a key. Next he parked
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