the boys later, maybe the day after tomorrow. OK?” There was a beep as he hung up.
“Well, the day’s getting better,” Mom said. “I’m glad he’s not coming. But what do you imagine this is about a new lead?”
I managed to fill up the juice glass and set it down without spilling it.
“Oh!” Mom turned, the spatula in her hand. She raised her voice. “David? You don’t think that means that Otis has been found?” She clutched at her chest with her other hand as if she were hurting.
“I think they’d have let us know if it was that,” Dad said. “I’ll give Raoul a call in a minuteand see what’s going on.”
The machine beeped to announce another message. It was Pauline’s dad. I recognized his voice even though it shook and quivered. “Reverend?”
Mom and Alex and I stood in the kitchen, listening in silence.
“I’m sorry to call so late,” Mr. Genero said. “But Pauline’s mom and I, well, we’ve been discussing things and we’d like you to give us a call as soon as you can. We’re still at the hospital. There are matters …” He stopped and I thought I heard a sob. “Oh and thanks for visiting Janice today. The words you said really helped.”
“Poor man,” Mom whispered. “It’s so unbearable for them.”
Alex lined the silverware up carefully on the table.
When Dad came in, he said, “I imagine Paul Genero’s calling about the funeral.” He ran a hand over his face. “It always troubles me the practical things people have to think about when their hearts are breaking.”
The kitchen was warm with the comforting smell of waffles. This morning Mom had slicedbananas into them, and the waffles were gold colored and crispy and just as perfect as they could be.
I took a bite, tried to swallow, choked. “I can’t.”
“Well, just drink your juice, honey,” Mom said softly, and her hand came across the table and brushed mine.
Today was going to be awful…terrible. I didn’t think I could get through it. I wanted to put my head down on the table and bawl. I watched Alex take another waffle and fill each little square carefully with syrup…. “These are awesome,” he told Mom. “A million times better than the frozen ones.”
Mom smiled. “Thanks, Alex.”
Mrs. Doc came before we’d finished. Mom poured her a cup of coffee, and she said she wouldn’t turn down a banana waffle either. She examined the cut on my head. “I’ll take these stitches out in a couple more days. Have you heard that Mrs. Rand saw everything that happened to Pauline and Otis?” she asked.
Mrs. Rand. I knew who she was. Her son, Trey, used to go to our school. He was older thanJohn and me. He’d moved to Fresno last year to live with his grandmother and go to some trade school down there.
Mrs. Doc Watson put more sugar into her coffee. “I think those poor families need to talk to anyone who saw anything. It helps them to close the door and get on with their lives.”
“You haven’t heard what she saw?” Alex asked.
“No, but it will get out soon enough. There aren’t any secrets in a small town, Alex.”
There are secrets in this one, I thought.
But Mrs. Doc was right about one thing. We did find out soon enough what Mrs. Rand saw. In Rivertown news travels fast.
It seemed Mrs. Rand had seen Pauline and Otis on the Toadstool. Otis was messing around with the girl. Mrs. Rand said he was in front of her, holding her. Actually, Mrs. Rand thought he might have been trying to unhook the top of her bikini. Not to speak badly about someone who might be dead, but Otis McCandless did have a certain reputation as far as girls were concerned. Everybody knew that. And one of the reasons she and her husband sent Trey away was because ofthe bad influence Otis McCandless was having on him. Mrs. Rand said the girl sounded really upset and she was screaming at Otis to leave her alone, and she was struggling, and he slipped and fell backward into the river. He had his arms tight around her
“Well, the day’s getting better,” Mom said. “I’m glad he’s not coming. But what do you imagine this is about a new lead?”
I managed to fill up the juice glass and set it down without spilling it.
“Oh!” Mom turned, the spatula in her hand. She raised her voice. “David? You don’t think that means that Otis has been found?” She clutched at her chest with her other hand as if she were hurting.
“I think they’d have let us know if it was that,” Dad said. “I’ll give Raoul a call in a minuteand see what’s going on.”
The machine beeped to announce another message. It was Pauline’s dad. I recognized his voice even though it shook and quivered. “Reverend?”
Mom and Alex and I stood in the kitchen, listening in silence.
“I’m sorry to call so late,” Mr. Genero said. “But Pauline’s mom and I, well, we’ve been discussing things and we’d like you to give us a call as soon as you can. We’re still at the hospital. There are matters …” He stopped and I thought I heard a sob. “Oh and thanks for visiting Janice today. The words you said really helped.”
“Poor man,” Mom whispered. “It’s so unbearable for them.”
Alex lined the silverware up carefully on the table.
When Dad came in, he said, “I imagine Paul Genero’s calling about the funeral.” He ran a hand over his face. “It always troubles me the practical things people have to think about when their hearts are breaking.”
The kitchen was warm with the comforting smell of waffles. This morning Mom had slicedbananas into them, and the waffles were gold colored and crispy and just as perfect as they could be.
I took a bite, tried to swallow, choked. “I can’t.”
“Well, just drink your juice, honey,” Mom said softly, and her hand came across the table and brushed mine.
Today was going to be awful…terrible. I didn’t think I could get through it. I wanted to put my head down on the table and bawl. I watched Alex take another waffle and fill each little square carefully with syrup…. “These are awesome,” he told Mom. “A million times better than the frozen ones.”
Mom smiled. “Thanks, Alex.”
Mrs. Doc came before we’d finished. Mom poured her a cup of coffee, and she said she wouldn’t turn down a banana waffle either. She examined the cut on my head. “I’ll take these stitches out in a couple more days. Have you heard that Mrs. Rand saw everything that happened to Pauline and Otis?” she asked.
Mrs. Rand. I knew who she was. Her son, Trey, used to go to our school. He was older thanJohn and me. He’d moved to Fresno last year to live with his grandmother and go to some trade school down there.
Mrs. Doc Watson put more sugar into her coffee. “I think those poor families need to talk to anyone who saw anything. It helps them to close the door and get on with their lives.”
“You haven’t heard what she saw?” Alex asked.
“No, but it will get out soon enough. There aren’t any secrets in a small town, Alex.”
There are secrets in this one, I thought.
But Mrs. Doc was right about one thing. We did find out soon enough what Mrs. Rand saw. In Rivertown news travels fast.
It seemed Mrs. Rand had seen Pauline and Otis on the Toadstool. Otis was messing around with the girl. Mrs. Rand said he was in front of her, holding her. Actually, Mrs. Rand thought he might have been trying to unhook the top of her bikini. Not to speak badly about someone who might be dead, but Otis McCandless did have a certain reputation as far as girls were concerned. Everybody knew that. And one of the reasons she and her husband sent Trey away was because ofthe bad influence Otis McCandless was having on him. Mrs. Rand said the girl sounded really upset and she was screaming at Otis to leave her alone, and she was struggling, and he slipped and fell backward into the river. He had his arms tight around her
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