[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
time. "Can you put her on?"
Mindy didn't bother to answer, but I heard the clatter of the cordless phone
changing hands. "Mom! Mrs.
Dupont took us to an Adam Sandier movie! Isn't that cool? He is soooo funny."
"I didn't realize you guys were going to be gone that long," I said. "I
thought you were just getting ice cream."
I could practically hear her shrug. "We kinda begged. But, Mom, it was such a
slammin' movie."
I assumed that meant she liked it. "Any reason why you didn't call to let me
know where you'd be?"
"Huh? I was with Mrs. Dupont, remember?"
Okay, I wasn't being fair. "Sorry. I just got a little worried when I couldn't
find you."
Page 24
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"Then let me have a cell phone."
My daughter, the pragmatist.
"So," I said brightly, "why don't you and Mindy come over here tonight. I'm
wired from coffee. If you're still up for that Harry Potter marathon, I'm
game."
"Um& "
Not the enthusiastic response I'd wanted. "Come on, Al. It'll be fun. You two
can stay up as late as you want."
"Yeah?" A pause. "Why?" Suspicion laced her voice. Smart kid.
"Because you're my kid and I love you and I want to spend time with you."
And protect you
.
"Oh." I held my breath while she thought it over. "We don't have the movies."
"I'll send Stuart out to get them."
"And we can really stay up for all of them?"
"Absolutely." I could be magnanimous in victory.
"Cool." A pause, then. "And, Mom?"
"Hmmm?" I was distracted by the realization that I now had to convince Stuart
to schlep to Blockbuster.
"I think the guy at the concession stand likes me."
No more distraction. "Which one? That blond guy who looks like he plays
college football?" I'd wring his
neck if even looked at my baby girl that way.
"
Nooo
." I got the verbal eye roll. "He's probably about sixteen and he's got
glasses and curly dark hair.
He's cute."
"You don't need a boyfriend, Allie," I said. "Believe me. There's time enough
for that later."
"Oh, Mo-om
. Anyway, I wouldn't want him as a boyfriend." Which begged the question of
whether there was a particular boy she did want. "I said he liked me
. He's cute and all, but he's a little bit of a dweeb. And he's got really
gross breath."
My blood turned to ice. "Allie," I said, my voice as sharp as a knife. "I'm
going to drive over and get you both right now." I drew a breath, then tried
to cover. "Otherwise," I added, "we'll be watching movies until dawn."
Despite their enthusiasm for our impromptu marathon, Allie and Mindy only
lasted through the first half of
Chamber of Secrets
. I left them camped out on the floor of the den, then circled the house,
checking all the doors and windows, and making sure all the alarms were
activated, including the motion sensor on the first floor. We rarely use that
feature (inevitably the cat trips the alarm), but tonight I considered it
essential. If anyone (or anything) came through the window, I wanted to know
about it.
I considered moving the body, but feared I'd wake someone up. Better to send
husband and kids out tomorrow with a list of Saturday morning errands, and
leave me alone to do the dirty work. If I gave them the option of shopping or
cleaning the bathrooms, I could pretty much guarantee they'd depart the house
willingly.
I planned to go back to sleep on the couch beside the girls, but Stuart woke
up while I was checking
Timmy's room, and he tugged me back into bed with him. We spooned together,
the same way we had for years, but I couldn't sleep. Instead I lay there, my
mind in a muddle. I tried to reach out, to grasp some coherent thought and
Page 25
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
make some sense of the day's events, but I was too exhausted.
And, really, there was no sense to be had. I simply didn't have enough
information.
I glanced at the clock, the digits swimming through my bleary-eyed vision.
Just after four. I eased away from Stuart and sat up, swinging my bare feet to
the floor. Then I padded into the guest room and shut the door.
Time to make a phone call.
Even after fifteen years I could still dial the number from memory, and I
punched it in, then waited through the funky beep-ring that always made me
think that European phones were more of a toy than a telecommunications
device. After four rings the Vatican operator picked up.
"Sono Kate Andrews. Posso parlare con Padre Corletti, per favore? "
I said, giving my maiden name. Of course, Father also knew me by my first
married name Crowe but Father had been like a parent to me. I'd always be
Katherine Andrews around him.
The operator put me through, and after a few seconds, Father Corletti picked
up. "
Katherine
?" His voice, once so firm and commanding, seemed weak and feeble. "
Katherine? Sei tu
?"
" ." I closed my eyes, suddenly fearful that Father would be no help to me at
all. But he had to be. If I
Si couldn't turn to the
Forza Scura
, then there was nowhere else to go.
"I am so pleased," he said, his accent thick. "When I could not reach you
earlier, I feared the worst had come."
I licked my lips. "Tell me what's happening."
"It is you who are there, in San Diablo. Perhaps you should tell me."
I did. I started from the beginning, going into more detail than I'd left in
my earlier message, and ending with Larson's parting comment and Allie's
revelation about the stinky concessionaire. "They can't be after my little
girl," I whispered. "Please, Father, that isn't happening, is it?"
"They seek something," Father said. "Something in San Diablo."
"You didn't answer my question," I accused.
"I have no answer, my child." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl exclamation.htw.pl
time. "Can you put her on?"
Mindy didn't bother to answer, but I heard the clatter of the cordless phone
changing hands. "Mom! Mrs.
Dupont took us to an Adam Sandier movie! Isn't that cool? He is soooo funny."
"I didn't realize you guys were going to be gone that long," I said. "I
thought you were just getting ice cream."
I could practically hear her shrug. "We kinda begged. But, Mom, it was such a
slammin' movie."
I assumed that meant she liked it. "Any reason why you didn't call to let me
know where you'd be?"
"Huh? I was with Mrs. Dupont, remember?"
Okay, I wasn't being fair. "Sorry. I just got a little worried when I couldn't
find you."
Page 24
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
"Then let me have a cell phone."
My daughter, the pragmatist.
"So," I said brightly, "why don't you and Mindy come over here tonight. I'm
wired from coffee. If you're still up for that Harry Potter marathon, I'm
game."
"Um& "
Not the enthusiastic response I'd wanted. "Come on, Al. It'll be fun. You two
can stay up as late as you want."
"Yeah?" A pause. "Why?" Suspicion laced her voice. Smart kid.
"Because you're my kid and I love you and I want to spend time with you."
And protect you
.
"Oh." I held my breath while she thought it over. "We don't have the movies."
"I'll send Stuart out to get them."
"And we can really stay up for all of them?"
"Absolutely." I could be magnanimous in victory.
"Cool." A pause, then. "And, Mom?"
"Hmmm?" I was distracted by the realization that I now had to convince Stuart
to schlep to Blockbuster.
"I think the guy at the concession stand likes me."
No more distraction. "Which one? That blond guy who looks like he plays
college football?" I'd wring his
neck if even looked at my baby girl that way.
"
Nooo
." I got the verbal eye roll. "He's probably about sixteen and he's got
glasses and curly dark hair.
He's cute."
"You don't need a boyfriend, Allie," I said. "Believe me. There's time enough
for that later."
"Oh, Mo-om
. Anyway, I wouldn't want him as a boyfriend." Which begged the question of
whether there was a particular boy she did want. "I said he liked me
. He's cute and all, but he's a little bit of a dweeb. And he's got really
gross breath."
My blood turned to ice. "Allie," I said, my voice as sharp as a knife. "I'm
going to drive over and get you both right now." I drew a breath, then tried
to cover. "Otherwise," I added, "we'll be watching movies until dawn."
Despite their enthusiasm for our impromptu marathon, Allie and Mindy only
lasted through the first half of
Chamber of Secrets
. I left them camped out on the floor of the den, then circled the house,
checking all the doors and windows, and making sure all the alarms were
activated, including the motion sensor on the first floor. We rarely use that
feature (inevitably the cat trips the alarm), but tonight I considered it
essential. If anyone (or anything) came through the window, I wanted to know
about it.
I considered moving the body, but feared I'd wake someone up. Better to send
husband and kids out tomorrow with a list of Saturday morning errands, and
leave me alone to do the dirty work. If I gave them the option of shopping or
cleaning the bathrooms, I could pretty much guarantee they'd depart the house
willingly.
I planned to go back to sleep on the couch beside the girls, but Stuart woke
up while I was checking
Timmy's room, and he tugged me back into bed with him. We spooned together,
the same way we had for years, but I couldn't sleep. Instead I lay there, my
mind in a muddle. I tried to reach out, to grasp some coherent thought and
Page 25
ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.html
make some sense of the day's events, but I was too exhausted.
And, really, there was no sense to be had. I simply didn't have enough
information.
I glanced at the clock, the digits swimming through my bleary-eyed vision.
Just after four. I eased away from Stuart and sat up, swinging my bare feet to
the floor. Then I padded into the guest room and shut the door.
Time to make a phone call.
Even after fifteen years I could still dial the number from memory, and I
punched it in, then waited through the funky beep-ring that always made me
think that European phones were more of a toy than a telecommunications
device. After four rings the Vatican operator picked up.
"Sono Kate Andrews. Posso parlare con Padre Corletti, per favore? "
I said, giving my maiden name. Of course, Father also knew me by my first
married name Crowe but Father had been like a parent to me. I'd always be
Katherine Andrews around him.
The operator put me through, and after a few seconds, Father Corletti picked
up. "
Katherine
?" His voice, once so firm and commanding, seemed weak and feeble. "
Katherine? Sei tu
?"
" ." I closed my eyes, suddenly fearful that Father would be no help to me at
all. But he had to be. If I
Si couldn't turn to the
Forza Scura
, then there was nowhere else to go.
"I am so pleased," he said, his accent thick. "When I could not reach you
earlier, I feared the worst had come."
I licked my lips. "Tell me what's happening."
"It is you who are there, in San Diablo. Perhaps you should tell me."
I did. I started from the beginning, going into more detail than I'd left in
my earlier message, and ending with Larson's parting comment and Allie's
revelation about the stinky concessionaire. "They can't be after my little
girl," I whispered. "Please, Father, that isn't happening, is it?"
"They seek something," Father said. "Something in San Diablo."
"You didn't answer my question," I accused.
"I have no answer, my child." [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]