seen one before.”
Bernard fidgeted uncomfortably. “I’m sorry, Weezy. You got one of those calls just now.”
“Oh, shit,” said Weezy. “And you picked up?”
“Yes.”
Maya stared at him. “But, sweetheart, you
never
answer the phone.”
“I thought you’d want me to. I know you can’t hear it in the studio.”
“What happened?” asked Snooky eagerly.
“I said hello. Whoever it was didn’t say anything. So I didn’t say anything either.”
“You hung up?” said Weezy.
“No.”
“You didn’t hang up?”
“No. I waited.”
“You waited. How very interesting and strange of you,” said Weezy. “What happened?”
“Nothing. Silence. Then, after a couple of minutes, the person hissed.”
“Hissed?” echoed Maya.
“Hissed. A low kind of hiss. I think whoever it was was frustrated,” Bernard said. “I think they were surprised.”
“Hissed,” said Snooky. “That’s creepy.”
“Was it a male or a female hiss?” asked Maya.
“I couldn’t tell. Then, when they hung up, I tried to call them back.”
“Pardon me?” said Weezy.
Bernard pointed to her phone. “I dialed star sixtynine. You know. It calls back the last person who called you.”
“How amazing. My phone will do that?”
“You’ve never done it?”
“Never done it? I’ve never even heard of it. Am I paying for it? Does it work?”
“Oh, it works all right. But the caller is outside our area code, so I got a recording. That’s reassuring, actually, we know it’s not someone next door. Are you sure that nobody’s ever said anything to you before? No sound at all?”
“No, no. Not even breathing.” She shook her head. “Of course, they never had the opportunity. I’ve never stayed on the line for more than a few seconds.”
“So it isn’t a glitch in your phone line,” Snooky said. “I don’t like this. I don’t like this at all.”
“Any idea who it could be?” asked Bernard.
“No. None. Probably just a prankster who got hold of my number somehow.”
Maya sat down on the sofa. She looked faintly green. “I feel funny again.”
“All this talk about phone calls and hissing is upsetting you,” Weezy said, throwing an accusing glance at the two men. “Hissing, indeed! It was probably just static. I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“Can I get you something?” Bernard asked his wife.
“I’d like … I’d like a carrot. Yes. A nice carrot, and a glass of seltzer. Do you have seltzer, Weezy?”
“Of course. Give me a second.” She vanished into the kitchen.
“I just want to go on record as saying that it’s not the phone call,” Maya said. “I mean, I’m upset about the phone call, but that’s not why I’m feeling this way. I ate too much at dinner, I suppose.”
“Punished for eating too much,” her brother said sympathetically. He sat down next to her and patted her hand.
Weezy came back into the room. “One very nice carrot. And a glass of seltzer with ice.”
“Thank you.”
“How many of these calls have you gotten, Weezy?” asked Bernard.
She wrinkled her forehead. “Snooky asked me that the other day. I don’t know. Four or five. Maybe five.”
“When did they start?”
“I’m not sure, really. Six months ago. About that. Yes, last fall sometime. After that article came out. A couple of months after I moved here.”
“You never got any when you lived in New York?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Any reason somebody might not have liked it when you moved away?”
Weezy stared at him in surprise. “No. None that I can think of. I mean, my students have to travel farther, but they don’t seem to care.”
“Are you sure?” asked Snooky.
She tapped one foot impatiently. “Yes, Snooky, I’m sure. My students are not the shy type—at least most of them aren’t. If something was bothering them, they wouldn’t be calling me up mysteriously on the phone. They’d tell me all about it infront of the whole class. That’s usually
Bernard fidgeted uncomfortably. “I’m sorry, Weezy. You got one of those calls just now.”
“Oh, shit,” said Weezy. “And you picked up?”
“Yes.”
Maya stared at him. “But, sweetheart, you
never
answer the phone.”
“I thought you’d want me to. I know you can’t hear it in the studio.”
“What happened?” asked Snooky eagerly.
“I said hello. Whoever it was didn’t say anything. So I didn’t say anything either.”
“You hung up?” said Weezy.
“No.”
“You didn’t hang up?”
“No. I waited.”
“You waited. How very interesting and strange of you,” said Weezy. “What happened?”
“Nothing. Silence. Then, after a couple of minutes, the person hissed.”
“Hissed?” echoed Maya.
“Hissed. A low kind of hiss. I think whoever it was was frustrated,” Bernard said. “I think they were surprised.”
“Hissed,” said Snooky. “That’s creepy.”
“Was it a male or a female hiss?” asked Maya.
“I couldn’t tell. Then, when they hung up, I tried to call them back.”
“Pardon me?” said Weezy.
Bernard pointed to her phone. “I dialed star sixtynine. You know. It calls back the last person who called you.”
“How amazing. My phone will do that?”
“You’ve never done it?”
“Never done it? I’ve never even heard of it. Am I paying for it? Does it work?”
“Oh, it works all right. But the caller is outside our area code, so I got a recording. That’s reassuring, actually, we know it’s not someone next door. Are you sure that nobody’s ever said anything to you before? No sound at all?”
“No, no. Not even breathing.” She shook her head. “Of course, they never had the opportunity. I’ve never stayed on the line for more than a few seconds.”
“So it isn’t a glitch in your phone line,” Snooky said. “I don’t like this. I don’t like this at all.”
“Any idea who it could be?” asked Bernard.
“No. None. Probably just a prankster who got hold of my number somehow.”
Maya sat down on the sofa. She looked faintly green. “I feel funny again.”
“All this talk about phone calls and hissing is upsetting you,” Weezy said, throwing an accusing glance at the two men. “Hissing, indeed! It was probably just static. I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“Can I get you something?” Bernard asked his wife.
“I’d like … I’d like a carrot. Yes. A nice carrot, and a glass of seltzer. Do you have seltzer, Weezy?”
“Of course. Give me a second.” She vanished into the kitchen.
“I just want to go on record as saying that it’s not the phone call,” Maya said. “I mean, I’m upset about the phone call, but that’s not why I’m feeling this way. I ate too much at dinner, I suppose.”
“Punished for eating too much,” her brother said sympathetically. He sat down next to her and patted her hand.
Weezy came back into the room. “One very nice carrot. And a glass of seltzer with ice.”
“Thank you.”
“How many of these calls have you gotten, Weezy?” asked Bernard.
She wrinkled her forehead. “Snooky asked me that the other day. I don’t know. Four or five. Maybe five.”
“When did they start?”
“I’m not sure, really. Six months ago. About that. Yes, last fall sometime. After that article came out. A couple of months after I moved here.”
“You never got any when you lived in New York?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Any reason somebody might not have liked it when you moved away?”
Weezy stared at him in surprise. “No. None that I can think of. I mean, my students have to travel farther, but they don’t seem to care.”
“Are you sure?” asked Snooky.
She tapped one foot impatiently. “Yes, Snooky, I’m sure. My students are not the shy type—at least most of them aren’t. If something was bothering them, they wouldn’t be calling me up mysteriously on the phone. They’d tell me all about it infront of the whole class. That’s usually
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