back in the…” He paused after glancing at the house.
"Now who in the hell was that?"
Cal
looked. "Who?"
"At
the kitchen window. She was there just a second ago. Long brown hair."
"Probably
one of the girls, "Cal said.
"They're
not that tall. Unless Christa was standing on a chair or something." He
lifted one broad shoulder and continued on toward the barn. "You might as
well start over again and tell me everything. And be on your toes, Boy Wonder,
because I'm going to look for inconsistencies in your story."
"Ass,"
Cal muttered. But he felt better. He had the feeling this guy could handle
whatever came his way.
He also
had the feeling they would need him.
CHAPTER 5
Christa
finished tidying Andy's drawers and turned to examine further the room they had
been given. The wallpaper had roses on it that she thought must have been a
bright pink at one time. It was peeling in several places and was completely
ripped away in one spot beside the bed. The bed itself was bigger than any she
had ever slept in, but of course she would be sharing this one with Andy. She
didn't mind. They had a whole house to play in, with stairs and everything. All
the rooms smelled kind of musty, and most of the furniture looked really old,
but Daddy said it was their house now. All of it.
"Come
on, Andy," she said. "Let's go exploring."
Andy
looked up from her sack of toys. "I can't find Georgie. Is he in your
sack?"
"I've
already put my stuff up. Georgie wasn't there. You should've looked for him
before you picked that sack."
Andy's lower
lip stuck out. "I did look."
"Don't
start crying," Christa warned. "It's your own fault. Do you wanna
come exploring with me or not?"
Andy
didn't. She wanted to sit there and cry about her silly stuffed turtle.
"Well
I'm going," Christa said. At the door she paused and put her hand on the
white porcelain knob. She didn't really want to go by herself. Not when the
house felt so strange to her.
"Andy…”
Still
sniffing, Andy turned away from her sack and walked to the door. "Maybe
Uncle Nolan will find Georgie when he goes back home."
"This
is home now," Christa told her. She led the way into the hall and paused
in the doorway to the bedroom across from theirs. It was bigger, but the bed
was the same size and the furniture was the same heavy dark brown as the
furniture in their room. Grown-up furniture. Christa had to give Andy the
bottom drawers in the chest across the hall; she could barely reach the top
ones herself. The one piece of furniture that differed from their room was a
big heavy-looking cabinet with a glass door. She pointed to it. "That's
for Daddy's guns. This is his room."
"I
know," Andy said. "That's his suitcase."
"It
used to be Grandpa's room," Christa added.
"Does
it smell funny to you?" Andy asked.
"A
little. I think maybe Grandpa died in here."
Christa
backed out of the room and Andy followed close behind.
There
were two other doors in the hall; one hid a big closet with lots of towels,
sheets, and blankets inside, and the other opened into the bathroom. After
inspecting the height of the rust-stained sink and deciding that Andy would
need a stool to brush her teeth, Christa turned to the ancient-looking bathtub.
"Weird,"
she said. "Its feet look like lion's paws. I guess the thing sticking out
of the wall is the shower."
"Guess
so," Andy said seriously, though she wasn't big enough to take showers
yet.
Christa
turned to leave then she paused as the skin on her arms prickled. "Did you
feel that?" she murmured.
"What?"
said Andy.
Christa
stood poised, waiting for the sensation again. "It got real cold for a
second. By the bathtub."
Andy
looked at her sister. "Your arms are goosey."
"Weird,"
Christa repeated. "Come on. Let's go find Uncle Nolan's room. He'll
probably sleep upstairs."
"All
by himself?" Andy said. "Won't he be scared?"
“He
doesn't get scared, Andy. He's a grownup."
They
left the hall and stood at the foot of the
"Now who in the hell was that?"
Cal
looked. "Who?"
"At
the kitchen window. She was there just a second ago. Long brown hair."
"Probably
one of the girls, "Cal said.
"They're
not that tall. Unless Christa was standing on a chair or something." He
lifted one broad shoulder and continued on toward the barn. "You might as
well start over again and tell me everything. And be on your toes, Boy Wonder,
because I'm going to look for inconsistencies in your story."
"Ass,"
Cal muttered. But he felt better. He had the feeling this guy could handle
whatever came his way.
He also
had the feeling they would need him.
CHAPTER 5
Christa
finished tidying Andy's drawers and turned to examine further the room they had
been given. The wallpaper had roses on it that she thought must have been a
bright pink at one time. It was peeling in several places and was completely
ripped away in one spot beside the bed. The bed itself was bigger than any she
had ever slept in, but of course she would be sharing this one with Andy. She
didn't mind. They had a whole house to play in, with stairs and everything. All
the rooms smelled kind of musty, and most of the furniture looked really old,
but Daddy said it was their house now. All of it.
"Come
on, Andy," she said. "Let's go exploring."
Andy
looked up from her sack of toys. "I can't find Georgie. Is he in your
sack?"
"I've
already put my stuff up. Georgie wasn't there. You should've looked for him
before you picked that sack."
Andy's lower
lip stuck out. "I did look."
"Don't
start crying," Christa warned. "It's your own fault. Do you wanna
come exploring with me or not?"
Andy
didn't. She wanted to sit there and cry about her silly stuffed turtle.
"Well
I'm going," Christa said. At the door she paused and put her hand on the
white porcelain knob. She didn't really want to go by herself. Not when the
house felt so strange to her.
"Andy…”
Still
sniffing, Andy turned away from her sack and walked to the door. "Maybe
Uncle Nolan will find Georgie when he goes back home."
"This
is home now," Christa told her. She led the way into the hall and paused
in the doorway to the bedroom across from theirs. It was bigger, but the bed
was the same size and the furniture was the same heavy dark brown as the
furniture in their room. Grown-up furniture. Christa had to give Andy the
bottom drawers in the chest across the hall; she could barely reach the top
ones herself. The one piece of furniture that differed from their room was a
big heavy-looking cabinet with a glass door. She pointed to it. "That's
for Daddy's guns. This is his room."
"I
know," Andy said. "That's his suitcase."
"It
used to be Grandpa's room," Christa added.
"Does
it smell funny to you?" Andy asked.
"A
little. I think maybe Grandpa died in here."
Christa
backed out of the room and Andy followed close behind.
There
were two other doors in the hall; one hid a big closet with lots of towels,
sheets, and blankets inside, and the other opened into the bathroom. After
inspecting the height of the rust-stained sink and deciding that Andy would
need a stool to brush her teeth, Christa turned to the ancient-looking bathtub.
"Weird,"
she said. "Its feet look like lion's paws. I guess the thing sticking out
of the wall is the shower."
"Guess
so," Andy said seriously, though she wasn't big enough to take showers
yet.
Christa
turned to leave then she paused as the skin on her arms prickled. "Did you
feel that?" she murmured.
"What?"
said Andy.
Christa
stood poised, waiting for the sensation again. "It got real cold for a
second. By the bathtub."
Andy
looked at her sister. "Your arms are goosey."
"Weird,"
Christa repeated. "Come on. Let's go find Uncle Nolan's room. He'll
probably sleep upstairs."
"All
by himself?" Andy said. "Won't he be scared?"
“He
doesn't get scared, Andy. He's a grownup."
They
left the hall and stood at the foot of the
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