but caught herself. She whirled around.
It was Teddy in his pajamas, hair still wet from his bath. She glared at him.
“What’s going on?” he whispered.
Penny held a finger up to her silent lips.
“A sprained shoulder. A couple of stitches. He probably passed out because his mother was carrying on like he was going to die. He’ll be okay. But it gave me a scare for a minute, the way he just suddenly keeled over. Reminded me of my residency nights in the ER.”
“There was blood all over this kitchen,” Penny’s mother said.
“You should see the inside of the minivan,” her father added ruefully.
Her mother sighed, a sigh that seemed to say that kids bleeding on kitchen floors and on the seats in your minivan were part of the deal when you were married to a doctor.
“Poor kid. Did he say who did it?”
A pause, and then her father said, in a low voice, “When Bernadette asked him if it was Caleb, he started crying.”
“But he didn’t actually say it was Caleb?” her mother countered.
Her father hedged. “Not in so many words. But he looked like he’d been worked over pretty good by someone.”
“Not you, too, Phil,” her mother said, her voice thick with disapproval.
Penny looked at Teddy and could see that he was thinking the same thing.
“Phil, don’t say it. Don’t buy into this small-town hick nonsense,” her mother said angrily. Penny and Teddy could hear the sound of dishes being thrown into the sink, water running.
This was so like her mother, Penny thought. Always sticking up for the underdog. As if Caleb could even be remotely considered an underdog!
“I’m sorry,” her father said in measured tones. “Youhave to see my point, Bethany. Being open-minded doesn’t mean we have to be blind to the facts. It
could
have been Caleb.”
Penny gasped, startling her brother, who was crouched close behind her. Teddy lost his balance and fell back against the dresser at the top of the stairs, rattling the photos on it. Penny leaped up to steady them.
“Did you hear something upstairs?” her mother asked suspiciously.
“No,” her father said, and then murmured something else, something they couldn’t hear.
Teddy looked at Penny and gulped fearfully.
Maybe,
Penny thought,
it would be a good idea to learn how to shoot that BB gun after all.
CHAPTER 5
T he swimming hole shimmered with the same blue intensity as the sky after a hard rain.
It was a perfect day for a swim. The boys had been silly not to come with her. But she didn’t care. She was hot, burning up, her skin prickly with heat rash, and the only thing she wanted to do was float in all that cool water.
Penny perched on the edge, curled her thin body, and then, in one smooth motion, dove into the water, dove deep, deeper than she knew she should have. She opened her eves, but it was too murky to see; everything was thick and brown as an old shoe. She struck out hard, moved her arms strongly, and broke the surface, gasping for breath. With her eyes still closed, she felt her way to the mossy bank on the other side, hoisted herself up, and crouched there,rubbing furiously at her eyes.
She opened her eyes to a squint and the world wavered in front of her for a moment and then miraculously cleared. That was when she saw the hard black boot in front of her. A cigarette stub fell to the ground, and the boot ground it out. Only then did she look up.
Caleb towered over her, darkly attractive, all hard boy. Her eyes traced the length of his body, noticed the way his legs seemed like whipcords, saw the dirt under his fingernails, the skull tattoo on the back of his hand. He was holding a beer bottle. He took a swig, his head tilting back casually, his thick hair falling in dark waves, like the hair of the Black Knight in her book about King Arthur.
The Black Knight,
she thought.
The atmosphere changed abruptly, the sky darkening, the air filling with menace.
Caleb reached out a hand and ran his fingers lightly down her
It was Teddy in his pajamas, hair still wet from his bath. She glared at him.
“What’s going on?” he whispered.
Penny held a finger up to her silent lips.
“A sprained shoulder. A couple of stitches. He probably passed out because his mother was carrying on like he was going to die. He’ll be okay. But it gave me a scare for a minute, the way he just suddenly keeled over. Reminded me of my residency nights in the ER.”
“There was blood all over this kitchen,” Penny’s mother said.
“You should see the inside of the minivan,” her father added ruefully.
Her mother sighed, a sigh that seemed to say that kids bleeding on kitchen floors and on the seats in your minivan were part of the deal when you were married to a doctor.
“Poor kid. Did he say who did it?”
A pause, and then her father said, in a low voice, “When Bernadette asked him if it was Caleb, he started crying.”
“But he didn’t actually say it was Caleb?” her mother countered.
Her father hedged. “Not in so many words. But he looked like he’d been worked over pretty good by someone.”
“Not you, too, Phil,” her mother said, her voice thick with disapproval.
Penny looked at Teddy and could see that he was thinking the same thing.
“Phil, don’t say it. Don’t buy into this small-town hick nonsense,” her mother said angrily. Penny and Teddy could hear the sound of dishes being thrown into the sink, water running.
This was so like her mother, Penny thought. Always sticking up for the underdog. As if Caleb could even be remotely considered an underdog!
“I’m sorry,” her father said in measured tones. “Youhave to see my point, Bethany. Being open-minded doesn’t mean we have to be blind to the facts. It
could
have been Caleb.”
Penny gasped, startling her brother, who was crouched close behind her. Teddy lost his balance and fell back against the dresser at the top of the stairs, rattling the photos on it. Penny leaped up to steady them.
“Did you hear something upstairs?” her mother asked suspiciously.
“No,” her father said, and then murmured something else, something they couldn’t hear.
Teddy looked at Penny and gulped fearfully.
Maybe,
Penny thought,
it would be a good idea to learn how to shoot that BB gun after all.
CHAPTER 5
T he swimming hole shimmered with the same blue intensity as the sky after a hard rain.
It was a perfect day for a swim. The boys had been silly not to come with her. But she didn’t care. She was hot, burning up, her skin prickly with heat rash, and the only thing she wanted to do was float in all that cool water.
Penny perched on the edge, curled her thin body, and then, in one smooth motion, dove into the water, dove deep, deeper than she knew she should have. She opened her eves, but it was too murky to see; everything was thick and brown as an old shoe. She struck out hard, moved her arms strongly, and broke the surface, gasping for breath. With her eyes still closed, she felt her way to the mossy bank on the other side, hoisted herself up, and crouched there,rubbing furiously at her eyes.
She opened her eyes to a squint and the world wavered in front of her for a moment and then miraculously cleared. That was when she saw the hard black boot in front of her. A cigarette stub fell to the ground, and the boot ground it out. Only then did she look up.
Caleb towered over her, darkly attractive, all hard boy. Her eyes traced the length of his body, noticed the way his legs seemed like whipcords, saw the dirt under his fingernails, the skull tattoo on the back of his hand. He was holding a beer bottle. He took a swig, his head tilting back casually, his thick hair falling in dark waves, like the hair of the Black Knight in her book about King Arthur.
The Black Knight,
she thought.
The atmosphere changed abruptly, the sky darkening, the air filling with menace.
Caleb reached out a hand and ran his fingers lightly down her
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