Read Online Turtle Moon by Alice Hoffman - Free Book Online

direction of the wind from the sound of one leaf falling.
    He's made mistakes in his life, ruinous ones, but there's one thing he knows for sure. Nothing gets past him.
    Not anymore.
    Even people who are afraid of the dark know that the worst nightmares usually happen at noon. It may be because of the gravitational pull of the sun in the center of the sky, or simply because this is the hour when everyone's defenses are down, and they expect nothing more than bread and fruit. Lucy is at the mall when she knows something is about to go wrong. She can feel a sharp edge at the back of her throat, as if she'd been forced to swallow a knife. The fifth-graders from the elementary school have built a model of Charles Verity's house entirely out of toothpicks, which has been set up on a large felt-covered table in front of the Sun Bank. This unveiling is considered a cultural event in Verity, and Lucy will actually have to write about it, but that's not what makes her feel like crying. It's those fifth-graders, with their sweet, proud faces and gluey hands. Just once, she would like to believe that her son was capable of happiness.
    What she wouldn't give to be able to leave for work in the morning and be certain he'll get out of bed and arrive at school on time, instead of finding his way to Laddy's place and the liquor cabinet. What she wouldn't give for just one kind word.
    Instead, what she gets when she returns to the Sun Herald is a message on her desk asking her to phone Martha Reed at the guidance office so she can set up an appointment for Keith's reinstatement. He either doesn't know or doesn't care that a parent has to come in to school before a student can return to class after the third suspension. If he keeps up this way, Keith may break the Verity Junior High record for administrative action. Lucy tosses the note into the trash and immediately calls home.
    Each time the phone rings unanswered her fury multiplies, until she is ready to wring Keith's neck.
    Of course he told her school was okay yesterday, just not for him, he failed to mention that. He probably didn't even get out of bed today until noon, and Lucy guesses he's already hanging out at the Burger King or finding fresh trouble with Laddy Stern. Lucy wrestles with herself, then finally phones Laddy. When he answers and swears that he's alone, home with the flu, his voice actually sounds raspy and thick. Lucy can tell Laddy's not lying, but she also understands that he wouldn't tell her where Keith was if he knew. She heads for the soda machine in the hallway and gets herself a cold Diet Dr Pepper, then goes to Kitty's office and perches on the air-conditioning unit.
    "You heard?" Kitty says.
    Everyone knows that if Kitty had been more ambitious, or if things had been fairer, she'd be the managing editor of the Sun Herald. As it is, she's privy to everyone's secrets and well aware of everyone's deficiencies, and she'll cover for you only if she likes you.
    "I'm at my wits' end," Lucy says.
    "I'll bet," Kitty says.
    "Am I supposed to hire a bodyguard to walk him to school and make certain he stays there?"
    "You're talking about Keith?" Kitty says, confused.
    "No," Lucy says, pausing to gulp down some Dr Pepper. "I'm talking about the preteen monster."
    Kitty gets up and closes her door, something she almost never does, since her air conditioner is on the fritz.
    "What is it?" Lucy asks. She feels that odd, stabbing sensation in her throat again, as if she could down a six-pack of Dr Pepper and still be dying of thirst.
    "I don't know if you want to know," Kitty says.
    "And once you do know, you can't tell anyone, since I'm not supposed to know, and I wouldn't if I hadn't overheard Paul when he called in to talk to Ronny. That happened completely by accident.
    You know Paul, he wants an exclusive when a pelican drops dead on West Main Street. It's not like I intended to pick up on his line."
    "Tell me," Lucy says.
    Kitty sits down at her desk and leans