Slim met my eyes.
My eyes must’ve looked astonished, because I could hardly believe that Rusty had come up with an explanation that was so close to the truth.
Especially since I hadn’t realized it, myself, until the words came out of him.
“I just think we oughta stick together,” I said. “It’s been a weird day, you know? We didn’t know where you were, and ... I don’t want you to get lost again.”
“I was never lost.”
“But we didn’t know where you were. We were afraid maybe they’d gotten their hands on you....”
“And shoved a spear up your ass.”
Just when I was starting to appreciate Rusty again, he had to say that.
Slim smirked down at him. “You didn’t know about the spears then, moron.”
“We assumed them.”
Slim and I laughed. But then we looked at each other and I said, “Anyway, I’ve spent most of the day worrying about you, and we finally found you and now you want to go off by yourself.”
“Just for a few minutes....”
“What if they are after you?” I asked. “Somebody might’ve seen you run away....”
“Even if they did, they don’t know where I live.”
“They might.”
“They have ways,” Rusty said from the ground.
“Bull.”
“Magic ways.”
“Yeah, right.”
Rusty sniffed a couple of times, then took his hand away from his face. All around his mouth, he was smeared with blood. He looked as if he’d been eating someone raw. Smiling, he said, “Maybe they put the dog on your scent.”
“It’s dead.”
“They put its ghost on you.”
Slim looked uneasy for a moment. Then she smiled and said, “Good one.”
“Maybe you should be the writer,” I told him.
“Slim can write ’em. I’ll be the idea man.”
“Anyway,” Slim said, “they can’t possibly know where I live.”
“What if they’re watching us right now,” I asked, “and they follow you home?”
She almost smirked, but not quite. Instead, she turned her head and looked over her shoulder.
“Maybe they’re already at your house,” Rusty added, kidding around.
“Yeah, right.”
“Anything’s possible,” he said.
“Anything is not possible.”
“What if they’re waiting for you?”
I looked down at Rusty, impressed and a little annoyed. He’d just given a whole new meaning to the mess Slim would find in her mother’s room. Now, instead of wondering about the mystery of it, she might figure the gang from Janks Field had paid a visit to her house.
“I’ll take my chances,” she told Rusty. “See you guys later.” Again, she turned away.
Again, I said, “No, wait.” Then I looked down at Rusty. “Get up. If she’s going, we’re going with her.” To Slim, I said, “Is that okay?”
“Okay by me.”
“How’s the nose?” I asked Rusty.
“Hurts.”
“Is it still bleeding?”
He sniffed a couple of times. “I donno. Maybe not.”
“Come on. We’re going with Slim.”
Chapter Twenty-four
As we climbed the porch stairs, my stomach started to feel funny. Not indigestion funny, scared funny. I was nervous about Slim finding the spilled perfume and broken glass in her mother’s room, but it wasn’t just that. Dumb as it may seem, I half believed that Julian or some of his gang might be hiding in the house.
Because of Rusty’s remarks.
Sometimes people say stuff that doesn’t make any sense, but it gets to you anyway. This was one of those times.
I knew Slim’s house was empty, but the fear wouldn’t go away.
It didn’t help matters, watching her open the screen door and front door without unlocking either of them.
Anybody might be in her house.
When I started to follow Slim through the doors, Rusty grabbed my arm. I frowned back at him.
“Maybe we should wait out here,” he said.
“Huh?”
“Her mother’s not home.”
In the foyer, Slim turned around. “You’re coming over tonight, aren’t you? So what’s the difference?”
“I thought tonight we’d sneak in the back way,” Rusty explained. “We don’t want your neighbors seeing us, do we?”