Emily.
“Don’t pay any attention to the kids. Come on in.” Sarah moved away from the doorway.
“Is Mr. Watts here?”
Sarah grunted and turned back to the kitchen, where the twins were scuffling on the floor. “Get up, both of you. Behave yourselves.” And to Emily, “My husband’s gone fishing. At least I think that’s where he is.”
“I wanted to return a couple of DVDs to him.”
More squabbling from the twins.
“Boys, eat your breakfast and go out and play.”
“We haven’t done our homework yet.”
“You were supposed to finish your homework on Friday. This is Sunday.”
Both boys stood up, both looked down at their feet.
“Get upstairs and do it, then. I don’t want to hear another peep out of either of you.”
The boys shambled off, and Sarah turned to Emily. “Sorry about that. Anything to avoid homework. Sit down, Emily. What are the DVDs?”
“I don’t know what they are. My boyfriend, Jerry, left them at my place a couple of weeks ago.” Emily took two thin plastic cases out of the Stop & Shop bag. They were labeled in black marker pen: “WATTS 1” and “WATTS 2.”
Sarah took the cases and examined them. “That’s not my husband’s writing. Did your boyfriend tell you they belonged to LeRoy?”
Emily looked confused. “No. I was straightening up my place and came across them again. I just assumed . . .”
“My husband hasn’t mentioned any missing DVDs,” said Sarah. “Did your boyfriend tell you to give them to LeRoy?”
Emily pushed her glasses back into place. Her magnified eyes looked red, as though she’d been crying. “We broke up, I guess.”
“I’m so sorry. That’s too bad.” At the moment, Sarah was thinking breaking up wasn’t so bad at all. She poured a mug of coffee and handed it to Emily. “Here. You need this. There’s the cream and sugar, and a spoon.”
Emily brushed bangs out of her eyes. “He promised to go to the movies with me Thursday, and he never showed up. I haven’t seen him since.” A tear trickled down her cheek. Sarah handed her a box of tissues and Emily took one.
“There are lots of other nice boys on the Island,” said Sarah. “Since your boyfriend—Jerry?”
Emily nodded.
“Since Jerry didn’t tell you to return the DVDs to LeRoy, they might be his, training films LeRoy copied for him. Let’s see what’s on them, okay?” She looked at Emily’s tear-streaked face. “I’m sure he’ll be back, Emily.”
Emily shook her head miserably.
“The TV is in the living room. Bring your coffee with you and we’ll see what we’ve got.”
Sarah removed “WATTS 1” from its plastic case. A slip of paper fell out and she picked it up. Penciled on it in barely legible writing was “Copied from LeRoy Watts laptop by Jerry Sparks,” and the date, two months ago.
“Jerry Sparks,” said Sarah thoughtfully, turning the paper over to see if anything was written on the other side. “I didn’t realize your boyfriend was that Jerry.”
Emily nodded.
“Well, I guess we’re about to be lectured on how to deal with electricity without electrocuting ourselves,” Sarah said with a smile. She slipped the disc into the DVD player and turned it on.
A blurry pinkish image came into focus on the screen. There was the sound of running water in the background and a warbling voice singing slightly off-key. Sarah sat forward and stared at the fifty-inch high-resolution plasma screen, which showed every drop of water, every hair, every mole, every eyelash, every freckle on the skin of a young woman taking a shower. The screen proceeded with intimate details of her washing herself.
“Oh my God!” Sarah sprang out of her chair and flipped off the television, ejected the DVD, tossed it onto the coffee table next to the sofa, and dropped into her chair.
There were a long few minutes of silence.
“I don’t know what to think,” Sarah said at last.
Emily’s face was a dismal red. “Me neither.”
“Just what did
“Don’t pay any attention to the kids. Come on in.” Sarah moved away from the doorway.
“Is Mr. Watts here?”
Sarah grunted and turned back to the kitchen, where the twins were scuffling on the floor. “Get up, both of you. Behave yourselves.” And to Emily, “My husband’s gone fishing. At least I think that’s where he is.”
“I wanted to return a couple of DVDs to him.”
More squabbling from the twins.
“Boys, eat your breakfast and go out and play.”
“We haven’t done our homework yet.”
“You were supposed to finish your homework on Friday. This is Sunday.”
Both boys stood up, both looked down at their feet.
“Get upstairs and do it, then. I don’t want to hear another peep out of either of you.”
The boys shambled off, and Sarah turned to Emily. “Sorry about that. Anything to avoid homework. Sit down, Emily. What are the DVDs?”
“I don’t know what they are. My boyfriend, Jerry, left them at my place a couple of weeks ago.” Emily took two thin plastic cases out of the Stop & Shop bag. They were labeled in black marker pen: “WATTS 1” and “WATTS 2.”
Sarah took the cases and examined them. “That’s not my husband’s writing. Did your boyfriend tell you they belonged to LeRoy?”
Emily looked confused. “No. I was straightening up my place and came across them again. I just assumed . . .”
“My husband hasn’t mentioned any missing DVDs,” said Sarah. “Did your boyfriend tell you to give them to LeRoy?”
Emily pushed her glasses back into place. Her magnified eyes looked red, as though she’d been crying. “We broke up, I guess.”
“I’m so sorry. That’s too bad.” At the moment, Sarah was thinking breaking up wasn’t so bad at all. She poured a mug of coffee and handed it to Emily. “Here. You need this. There’s the cream and sugar, and a spoon.”
Emily brushed bangs out of her eyes. “He promised to go to the movies with me Thursday, and he never showed up. I haven’t seen him since.” A tear trickled down her cheek. Sarah handed her a box of tissues and Emily took one.
“There are lots of other nice boys on the Island,” said Sarah. “Since your boyfriend—Jerry?”
Emily nodded.
“Since Jerry didn’t tell you to return the DVDs to LeRoy, they might be his, training films LeRoy copied for him. Let’s see what’s on them, okay?” She looked at Emily’s tear-streaked face. “I’m sure he’ll be back, Emily.”
Emily shook her head miserably.
“The TV is in the living room. Bring your coffee with you and we’ll see what we’ve got.”
Sarah removed “WATTS 1” from its plastic case. A slip of paper fell out and she picked it up. Penciled on it in barely legible writing was “Copied from LeRoy Watts laptop by Jerry Sparks,” and the date, two months ago.
“Jerry Sparks,” said Sarah thoughtfully, turning the paper over to see if anything was written on the other side. “I didn’t realize your boyfriend was that Jerry.”
Emily nodded.
“Well, I guess we’re about to be lectured on how to deal with electricity without electrocuting ourselves,” Sarah said with a smile. She slipped the disc into the DVD player and turned it on.
A blurry pinkish image came into focus on the screen. There was the sound of running water in the background and a warbling voice singing slightly off-key. Sarah sat forward and stared at the fifty-inch high-resolution plasma screen, which showed every drop of water, every hair, every mole, every eyelash, every freckle on the skin of a young woman taking a shower. The screen proceeded with intimate details of her washing herself.
“Oh my God!” Sarah sprang out of her chair and flipped off the television, ejected the DVD, tossed it onto the coffee table next to the sofa, and dropped into her chair.
There were a long few minutes of silence.
“I don’t know what to think,” Sarah said at last.
Emily’s face was a dismal red. “Me neither.”
“Just what did
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