in there.”
“You don't know about the upstairs!”
The intruder blinked his eyes nervously “I didn't need to know about the upstairs. Ain't nobody up there either.”
“Yes there is!” Maria insisted.
“Then, I'll take their money too.” The man gestured with his gun toward the house. “Go on in or I'll kill all of you out here.”
“Listen!” Maria shook her finger in his face. “I'm not afraid of you. You're trying to scare us. Well, get this straight.
I'm not giving you a dime.”
“You want to die?” He cocked the pistol.
“Watch out!” George warned his grandmother. “He's crazy.”
“You give me that gun.” Maria took a step forward. “I'm not going to put up with this nonsense any longer.” She abruptly thrust
her hand straight toward him.
The bum's eyes widened and suddenly he fired. The booming explosion echoed through garage with a deafening roar. The large
pistol jerked straight up and the burglar stepped backward and fired again.
Maria felt pain rip through her abdomen. For an instant it felt like a knife had struck her stomach and gone on through her
back. In the next second, she knew her abdomen was filling with blood. Never in her life had she felt such sensations, but
she knew life was running out of her. In a matter of seconds Maria felt horrible lightheadedness. The garage filled with a
blinding whiteness that quickly turned into blackness like someone had turned off all of the lights in the world. Maria felt
her knees buckle. Her reeling fall was the last thing she experienced. The crunch of her knees smashing against the cement
floor never registered in her mind and neither did any pain when she fell face forward into the cement.
George couldn't move. Every muscle in his body froze and his feet melted into the cement floor. The intruder took a couple
of steps backward. He didn't say anything, but turned and ran out the back door. George could hear him rushing across the
backyard and hitting the back fence. A crashing, crunching noise erupted off in the distance and then silence.
“Grammy?” George reached out, but was afraid to touch her. Two crimson stains spread across the back of her blouse. He reached
out again to touch her, but drew his hand back.
“Grammy?” George said louder. She didn't move.
George opened his mouth but nothing would come out. The last thing he remembered clearly was his feet breaking loose from
the floor and running out of the garage toward a house, any house. Somewhere halfway out in the street his voice returned
and he couldn't stop screaming. He didn't remember anything else until long after the police arrived. Mary was holding him
then. They both kept crying, but that's all he could remember except that strange men in blue uniforms kept going in and out
of their house.
CHAPTER 10
W HEN GRAHAM and Jackie peck pulled up in front of their house on Crown Point Street, police cars were everywhere. The front lawn around
the entry to the house was sealed off, but the garage door was still open and parked police cars blocked the driveway. From
his car he could see a crumpled form lying on the garage floor under a sheet. Graham opened the car door slowly and walked
halfway up the driveway. He stared at the figure under the shroud.
A policeman stepped in front of him and grabbed his arms. “Please, sir. You can't go in there.”
Graham nodded, but didn't move. He muttered, “She's my mother.”
“Of course,” the policeman said. “We've identified the body. This is a sight you certainly don't want to see. She's been shot
a couple of times and the situation is difficult. Please come inside and talk to your children.”
“We understand.” Jackie clutched Graham's arm. “We're deeply concerned about our kids.”
For a moment Graham's head spun and a flash of blinding light obscured everything around him. Slowly the whiteness dissipated
and his breath returned. “Yes,” he resolutely
“You don't know about the upstairs!”
The intruder blinked his eyes nervously “I didn't need to know about the upstairs. Ain't nobody up there either.”
“Yes there is!” Maria insisted.
“Then, I'll take their money too.” The man gestured with his gun toward the house. “Go on in or I'll kill all of you out here.”
“Listen!” Maria shook her finger in his face. “I'm not afraid of you. You're trying to scare us. Well, get this straight.
I'm not giving you a dime.”
“You want to die?” He cocked the pistol.
“Watch out!” George warned his grandmother. “He's crazy.”
“You give me that gun.” Maria took a step forward. “I'm not going to put up with this nonsense any longer.” She abruptly thrust
her hand straight toward him.
The bum's eyes widened and suddenly he fired. The booming explosion echoed through garage with a deafening roar. The large
pistol jerked straight up and the burglar stepped backward and fired again.
Maria felt pain rip through her abdomen. For an instant it felt like a knife had struck her stomach and gone on through her
back. In the next second, she knew her abdomen was filling with blood. Never in her life had she felt such sensations, but
she knew life was running out of her. In a matter of seconds Maria felt horrible lightheadedness. The garage filled with a
blinding whiteness that quickly turned into blackness like someone had turned off all of the lights in the world. Maria felt
her knees buckle. Her reeling fall was the last thing she experienced. The crunch of her knees smashing against the cement
floor never registered in her mind and neither did any pain when she fell face forward into the cement.
George couldn't move. Every muscle in his body froze and his feet melted into the cement floor. The intruder took a couple
of steps backward. He didn't say anything, but turned and ran out the back door. George could hear him rushing across the
backyard and hitting the back fence. A crashing, crunching noise erupted off in the distance and then silence.
“Grammy?” George reached out, but was afraid to touch her. Two crimson stains spread across the back of her blouse. He reached
out again to touch her, but drew his hand back.
“Grammy?” George said louder. She didn't move.
George opened his mouth but nothing would come out. The last thing he remembered clearly was his feet breaking loose from
the floor and running out of the garage toward a house, any house. Somewhere halfway out in the street his voice returned
and he couldn't stop screaming. He didn't remember anything else until long after the police arrived. Mary was holding him
then. They both kept crying, but that's all he could remember except that strange men in blue uniforms kept going in and out
of their house.
CHAPTER 10
W HEN GRAHAM and Jackie peck pulled up in front of their house on Crown Point Street, police cars were everywhere. The front lawn around
the entry to the house was sealed off, but the garage door was still open and parked police cars blocked the driveway. From
his car he could see a crumpled form lying on the garage floor under a sheet. Graham opened the car door slowly and walked
halfway up the driveway. He stared at the figure under the shroud.
A policeman stepped in front of him and grabbed his arms. “Please, sir. You can't go in there.”
Graham nodded, but didn't move. He muttered, “She's my mother.”
“Of course,” the policeman said. “We've identified the body. This is a sight you certainly don't want to see. She's been shot
a couple of times and the situation is difficult. Please come inside and talk to your children.”
“We understand.” Jackie clutched Graham's arm. “We're deeply concerned about our kids.”
For a moment Graham's head spun and a flash of blinding light obscured everything around him. Slowly the whiteness dissipated
and his breath returned. “Yes,” he resolutely
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