[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
He shot a quick glance at her and saw that she was grinning
again. For a quick moment, he remembered her as a little kid, dirty-
faced and tomboyish in her pigtails and little striped bikini, snorkel-
ing in the ditch in the front yard, catching crawfish and tadpoles.
She used to follow him out to the pond and into the woods.
She used to be his little admirer. That was so long ago.
That Allie was dead and gone.
Look, this is for you. All of it. The towel fell before he could
look away, and he took in her naked body: her bare breasts, full and
taut; her tiny waist; and flat, smooth stomach. You can have this,
you know, she said. It ll be the best you ll ever have.
The beer quickly soured in his stomach. Christ! he yelled, hurl-
ing his beer across the room. The bottle smashed into the living-room
window and glass shattered.
She screwed up her face. I know you want me! she shouted.
Everyone wants me! They all say I m beautiful! Don t you know
that?
Fighting the urge to shake her until she could no longer breathe,
he shot out the front door. He had to get away . . . far, far away from
everything.
8
205
JENNIFER JAYNES
Branches snapped as he snaked through the dank woods. Owls
screeched above him. He cursed the owls and the voices from the
pond.
How can I hear you way out here? he screamed into the night.
Leave me alone!
His mother was angrier than ever. She wanted to be found. She
wanted to get her revenge. Tiffany was frightened. She kept scream-
ing, asking where she was. She cried that she needed to go home.
Sometimes, rare times, he was able to smile at their pain. Pain
was something they d never known until now. But he wasn t smiling
now. He picked up a pinecone and hurled it into the air in a vain
attempt to quiet the owls screeching.
Something rustled behind him. He turned and crouched, pre-
pared to twist Ian s neck if he had followed him. He d left without
his flashlight, and the brush was so dense, the night too dark for
him to even see his own hands.
He waited for a long while and heard nothing, so he moved
forward again, his jaw clenched. If only Allie knew what he could
do, how close he was to doing something unspeakable to her.
Fifteen minutes later, he was at the opening in the woods. His
heart fluttered beneath all the noise in his head. The Andersons
house was lit, and someone was in the living room, just as he d
hoped. It was frustrating when they went to bed early and when
they were away from the house. He needed them. Didn t they know
that?
He crouched and moved past the swing set. The father was in
the living room, talking to someone. A woman who didn t look
much older than Allie. They were standing, facing each other.
He lowered himself to the ground, the night earth cool against
his T-shirt. He watched as they embraced and then began to kiss.
His body tensed.
206
NEVER SMILE AT STRANGERS
Rage ripped through his skull. Tom was cheating on
Rachel . . . hurting her yet again.
He sprung up. No! he shouted, his wail bouncing off the
trees. He stood in the darkness, trying to gather air into his lungs.
Two faces now peered out the tall, rectangular window: Tom
and the teenager.
The yard flooded with light. Tom stepped out the back door.
Hello? he said. Someone out here? Tom stepped forward
tentatively. One step, two steps. I know you re standing there, he
said, his arms by his sides. Do I know you?
He tried to breathe. Air trickled into his lungs as if it were being
tunneled through a straw. He knew he should run before the man
got a good look at him, but his muscles wouldn t cooperate.
I m going to go in and call the sheriff now. You can t be doing
this, you know. Standing in people s yards. Looking through their
windows. That s what you were doing, right?
Do you even know what you re doing? he screamed.
Pardon me? Tom said.
How could you do this to her? he bellowed.
The man went silent. When he spoke next, his voice had lost
its accusatory tone. Who are you? he asked soberly. Do we know
you? Do you know Rachel?
207
CHAPTER 52
HALEY WAS SURPRISED to see a blond-headed woman sit-
ting in Erica s living room on Thursday evening when they walked
into the house.
The room was sparsely furnished. Aside from a butter-colored
leather couch and a coffee table, the only other fixtures were a stuffed
buck s head in the corner and an empty fish tank on a wooden stand.
Why, there, the woman exclaimed, looking up from a paper-
back. Her face broke into a warm smile. You brought home a
friend!
Erica ignored her and led Haley down a hallway. Haley smiled
uncomfortably at the woman and followed.
Who was that woman? Haley asked once they were in Erica s
room.
No one important, Erica mumbled, setting her backpack on
the floor. She unzipped it and pulled out two wine bottles and a
Styrofoam box that contained a fried oyster po boy and a heap of
crinkly fries they d taken after their shift at Luke s.
Haley looked around the small bedroom. It was about the size of
Becky s, and there was a small window covered by a bisque-colored
NEVER SMILE AT STRANGERS
shade. Brown shag carpet covered the floor, and an ancient com-
puter sat atop a walnut desk.
You have a lot of books, Haley said, staring at a wall-long
bookshelf.
Yeah, Erica said. I read everything I can get my hands on.
My mom did, too. Most of those are actually hers.
The other wall was covered with newspaper clippings. What
are those?
New York Times bestseller lists, Erica said.
Wow. That must be a year s worth.
Five. Five years.
Haley sniffed and made a face. The house smells like . . .
Paint?
Haley nodded. Yeah, paint fumes.
The bimbo can t quit painting. I think she s getting bored of my
father.
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]