The Traveling Vampire Show(40)

 

“Your father will hear about this.”

 

I blushed. Again.

 

She noticed and seemed pleased. “He’ll hear alllll about how you and your pal Russell came barging in here half-naked and got smart with me.”

 

“Let’s get out of here,” Rusty said.

 

“Speaking of pals,” Dolly said, “where’s Frances? Why isn’t she here? She’s always with you two.” Dolly leaned further over the desk top and stretched her long neck forward like a curious turtle. “Has something happened to her?”

 

Mouth hanging open, I shook my head.

 

“She hasn’t lost her shirt, has she?”

 

“No.”

 

“Why isn’t she with you?”

 

While I tried to think of a good lie, Rusty kept silent.

 

“What’ve you two done to her?” Dolly demanded.

 

“Nothing! She’s fine. Are you out of your mind?”

 

“Out of my mind?” she screeched.

 

Oh shit, I thought. Now I’ve done it. “Frances is fine!” I blurted.

 

“OUT OF MY MIND???”

 

“I didn’t mean it!”

 

“He didn’t mean it!” Rusty echoed.

 

“WHERE’S MY GUN???”

 

I yelled, “FUCK!!!”

 

Dolly cried out, “WHAT DID YOU SAY?”

 

By then, we were racing for the door, Rusty in the lead.

 

“WHAT DID YOU SAY, DWIGHT THOMPSON? WAS THAT THE F WORD YOU SAID? YOUR FATHER IS GOING TO...”

 

The door shut behind me, cutting off the rest of her words.

 

We ran around the comer before we slowed down. Rusty was out of breath and laughing at the same time.

 

“It’s not funny,” I said.

 

“The hell...”

 

“If she tells Dad what I said ...”

 

“You’re fucked.”

 

“It’s not funny,” I repeated, and looked around to make sure nobody was within earshot. We were walking along Central, the main street through Grandville’s business district. Though a few cars were going by and I could see a couple of people in the distance, the area was pretty much dead. Just by the deadness, I knew without looking at a clock that the time must be about two o‘clock. That’s how the town is between two and three o’clock on just about every weekday afternoon.

 

It was a strange time of day. You could go into the hardware store, the restuarants, the Woolworths, the barber shop, the pharmacy, or just about any other business establishment in the downtown area and you’d be lucky to find another living soul—except for those who worked there.

 

Since nobody was around, we didn’t need to worry about being overheard.

 

I didn’t care much for the quiet, though. It gave me an uneasy feeling. If you’re in a forest and nobody’s around, all the better. A forest is supposed to be quiet and peaceful. Not a town, though. A town is meant to be bustling with people. When it’s almost deserted, it feels wrong. At least to me.

 

It made matters worse, the day being so gray and hot.

 

It especially made matters worse that Slim was missing.

 

Just in case I might happen to forget for one minute to worry about her, I couldn’t turn my eyes. anywhere without seeing posters for the Traveling Vampire Show. They were tacked to utility poles, taped to store windows and doors, and several littered the sidewalk and street. I even saw one in a curbside trash basket.

 

“Somebody was sure busy putting up posters,” I muttered.

 

“You should’ve been here this morning. They were everywhere.”

 

“They’re almost everywhere now.”

 

Rusty shook his head. “Half of ’em aren’t even here anymore.” He patted his seat pocket. “I got mine. And we’ve got tickets! I can’t believe it.”

 

I gave him a look.

 

“Cheer up, buddy.”

 

“I’ll cheer up when we find Slim. If my dad hasn’t killed me by then for saying fuck to Dolly.”

 

“You know what?” Rusty said. “I bet Dolly won’t even tell on you. She can’t. She threatened us with a gun.”

 

“She didn’t really....”

 

“She went, ‘Where’s my gun?’ After that’s when you yelled fuck.”

 

We were walking past the recessed entryway of a toy store just then. The doors stood wide open, but I glanced in and didn’t see anyone.

 

“Stop saying that, okay?”

 

“What, fuck?”

 

“Come on, Rusty, quit it. We’re in enough trouble already.”

 

“Dolly won’t tell.”