hear a thing. You’re all broken up. The unit’s inspected. They find what? They find I did a careless soldering job. The set grounded out. He was trying to get you, but the unit wasn’t working. It’s my fault. I’m to blame. But did I actually kill him? Nobody’ll ever go so far as to say I did. It’s a human error.”
“Isn’t that taking an awful chance?”
“Sure. But you think of a better way, and tell me about it. Don’t you see? I’ll be sick about it, I’ll feel like hell. But what can I do? Resurrect him?”
“Jack—it’s really good.”
“Sure.” I motioned with my head. “We’d better get inside. It’s getting dark, and I’d better take off. It’ll look better if I come around in the morning, work in the daytime. We can iron out any snarls then. You try to think of flaws, all night, and I’ll do the same. Try to think of anything that could go wrong.”
“All right.”
We moved around the side of the house. “I wish you could stay,” she said.
“I can’t. We’ve got to take it real easy.”
We walked up the ramp onto the front porch. The front screen door opened, and a woman stepped out on the porch. She was very thin, with long blonde hair, and she was wearing a pair of dungarees and a loose white blouse. She looked the nervous type, and loud.
“Shirley,” she said. Her voice was raspy, like the edge of a tin can against slate, “Where’ve you been, honey? I’ve looked all over hell for you.”
This was great.
“Mayda,” Shirley said. “What is it?”
The woman looked at me and made with the sideward glance, waggling penciled eyebrows.
“I’d like to borrow handsome, here. For just a few minutes,” she said. She was maybe thirty-two or three. “I thought you were inside, so I just crashed the gate. You know me.”
Shirley gave me a quick helpless look and tried to tell me something with her eyes that I couldn’t get.
“Mr. Ruxton,” Shirley said. “This is my next door neighbor, Mayda Lamphier.”
“Free, white and twenty-one,” the woman said. She waggled her eyebrows again. “What I mean is, my husband’s in Alaska. He won’t be back for six months. You can imagine how that is, can’t you?”
“What’s up?” Shirley said.
“He’s a TV fixer-upper, isn’t he?”
I said, “Yes.”
“Well, daddy,” she said to me. “My set’s acting up. I saw your truck over here.” She regarded Shirley with a smile. “I figured maybe I could borrow him for a few minutes. It’s probably nothing more than some adjustment.” She gave with the eyebrows again. “The set, of course, honey.”
“I’m just leaving,” I said. “Be glad to take a look.” I turned to Shirley. “See you in the morning, Miss Angela. I’ll try to get everything installed as quickly as possible.”
“Thanks, Mr. Ruxton.”
This was something Shirley hadn’t warned me about. It troubled her. I felt bad about it.
We went across to Mayda’s house and tinkered with the set.
“You were right,” I said to Mayda Lamphier. “It was just the horizontal hold out of kilter. You could’ve fixed it yourself.”
“But it’s so much nicer having you do it. What do I owe you?”
“Nothing. Glad to help.”
“How’s for one for the road?”
“One what?”
“Oh, come, darling. Give me time to get my breath.” She gushed some laughter, eyeing me, and meaning damned well everything she said. “A drink is what I meant.”
“Thanks just the same. I’ve got to get back.”
“I’m all alone in this house,” she said. “I’ve been married for ten years. This is the first time my husband’s ever been away. Think of that.”
I thought of that.
“Know what I mean?” she said.
“You sure must miss him.”
“I don’t miss him worth a hang.” she said. “You know what I mean.”
I looked over at her TV set, in the dimly lighted room. “If you’ll just leave that the way it is, it’ll probably stay okay for a long while.”
“You won’t hang
“Isn’t that taking an awful chance?”
“Sure. But you think of a better way, and tell me about it. Don’t you see? I’ll be sick about it, I’ll feel like hell. But what can I do? Resurrect him?”
“Jack—it’s really good.”
“Sure.” I motioned with my head. “We’d better get inside. It’s getting dark, and I’d better take off. It’ll look better if I come around in the morning, work in the daytime. We can iron out any snarls then. You try to think of flaws, all night, and I’ll do the same. Try to think of anything that could go wrong.”
“All right.”
We moved around the side of the house. “I wish you could stay,” she said.
“I can’t. We’ve got to take it real easy.”
We walked up the ramp onto the front porch. The front screen door opened, and a woman stepped out on the porch. She was very thin, with long blonde hair, and she was wearing a pair of dungarees and a loose white blouse. She looked the nervous type, and loud.
“Shirley,” she said. Her voice was raspy, like the edge of a tin can against slate, “Where’ve you been, honey? I’ve looked all over hell for you.”
This was great.
“Mayda,” Shirley said. “What is it?”
The woman looked at me and made with the sideward glance, waggling penciled eyebrows.
“I’d like to borrow handsome, here. For just a few minutes,” she said. She was maybe thirty-two or three. “I thought you were inside, so I just crashed the gate. You know me.”
Shirley gave me a quick helpless look and tried to tell me something with her eyes that I couldn’t get.
“Mr. Ruxton,” Shirley said. “This is my next door neighbor, Mayda Lamphier.”
“Free, white and twenty-one,” the woman said. She waggled her eyebrows again. “What I mean is, my husband’s in Alaska. He won’t be back for six months. You can imagine how that is, can’t you?”
“What’s up?” Shirley said.
“He’s a TV fixer-upper, isn’t he?”
I said, “Yes.”
“Well, daddy,” she said to me. “My set’s acting up. I saw your truck over here.” She regarded Shirley with a smile. “I figured maybe I could borrow him for a few minutes. It’s probably nothing more than some adjustment.” She gave with the eyebrows again. “The set, of course, honey.”
“I’m just leaving,” I said. “Be glad to take a look.” I turned to Shirley. “See you in the morning, Miss Angela. I’ll try to get everything installed as quickly as possible.”
“Thanks, Mr. Ruxton.”
This was something Shirley hadn’t warned me about. It troubled her. I felt bad about it.
We went across to Mayda’s house and tinkered with the set.
“You were right,” I said to Mayda Lamphier. “It was just the horizontal hold out of kilter. You could’ve fixed it yourself.”
“But it’s so much nicer having you do it. What do I owe you?”
“Nothing. Glad to help.”
“How’s for one for the road?”
“One what?”
“Oh, come, darling. Give me time to get my breath.” She gushed some laughter, eyeing me, and meaning damned well everything she said. “A drink is what I meant.”
“Thanks just the same. I’ve got to get back.”
“I’m all alone in this house,” she said. “I’ve been married for ten years. This is the first time my husband’s ever been away. Think of that.”
I thought of that.
“Know what I mean?” she said.
“You sure must miss him.”
“I don’t miss him worth a hang.” she said. “You know what I mean.”
I looked over at her TV set, in the dimly lighted room. “If you’ll just leave that the way it is, it’ll probably stay okay for a long while.”
“You won’t hang
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