Read Online Deadly Violet - 04 by Tony Richards - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Tony Richards
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I pressed him.
Then an idea came to me. And I had been this route before.
“We can at least take a proper look at what’s been going on,” I pointed out.
And at first, Willets looked mystified. But then, he saw what I was proposing. His eyes took on a troubled gleam, and he started trying to back off.
“Oh no,” he gulped. “You must be kidding. If you seriously think I’m going to have dealings with that nut job again –“
But I’d already grabbed him by the upper arm, and was propelling him toward the street.
CHAPTER TEN
“Mom?”
Benjy Spalding – seven years old – stood with both his palms against his home’s living room window, his small face almost pressed against the glass. It misted up in front of him, the dampness refracting light. He rubbed it clean with his sleeve, then called out again.
“ Mom? Come look! ”
Jordan Spalding, who’d been in the back room writing out her final Christmas cards, came bustling through.
“Oh, Benjy. I only just cleaned that window, and you’re messing up the glass again. What is it?”
His face slackened, his mouth trembling slightly.
Then he managed to blurt out, “Mr. Partington!”
Who was their neighbor three doors down. And currently had his work cut out, because the whole rest of his family – his wife and four children – were down with the flu. Jordan had seen him bustling back and forth the past couple of days, running errands to the pharmacy and stores.
“What about Mr. Partington?”
“He’s gone!”
“What are you talking about? Gone where?”
She moved up beside her son, wondering what in heaven’s name he was getting so excited and upset about.
“He disappeared,” Benjy insisted. “He was driving home, I saw his car. And then a hole opened up in the road, a big purple one, and he fell into it.”
Which was the unlikeliest story she had ever heard. All small kids had inflated imaginations, but there were times when Benjy looked like he was going for first prize in the subject. She didn’t really mind that. It was good he had an active mind. But what he’d described was nonsense, and he had to know it.
“Why should any hole be purple?”
“It was .”
Jordan stared out in the same direction he kept looking at.
Lea Street – in the Northridge district – was like any other quiet suburban avenue at this time of the year. Snow lay heavily across the sidewalk and the pavement, and the roofs and the front yards. There were a few rows of footprints in it, some of them belonging to dogs. A few tire tracks where people had forced their way out earlier this morning. But a light breeze had sprung up recently. The upper layer of the white was shifting, and the tracks were being covered up.
This was a bay window, so she moved over to the side of it and peered at Jerry Partington’s front drive. There were deep imprints along it too, and Jerry’s silver-gray Volvo was gone.
Maybe he’d been heading home, but then remembered he’d forgotten something and had been forced to turn around. It happened to her all the time.
“No!” Benjy insisted. “That’s not what happened!”
“Don’t you raise your voice to me, young man.”
She was still of the opinion he was playing some kind of game, hoping to rope her in on some wild fantasy he had concocted. But when she looked back at him, she saw that her son was practically in tears. Surprise gripped her, but then gave way to sympathy. Jordan went down on her knees, wiping at his damp eyes and mussing his hair in an attempt to cheer him up.
“Benjy boy? What’s gotten into you?”
“I saw it! Mr. Partington fell down a hole !”
“And where is that hole now?” she asked him, trying to inject a bit of common sense into the situation.
“It disappeared.”
She was tempted to point out how convenient that was, but held herself in check and asked, “And it did that how long ago?”
“I don’t know. Less than a minute.”
“Things like that can’t
Then an idea came to me. And I had been this route before.
“We can at least take a proper look at what’s been going on,” I pointed out.
And at first, Willets looked mystified. But then, he saw what I was proposing. His eyes took on a troubled gleam, and he started trying to back off.
“Oh no,” he gulped. “You must be kidding. If you seriously think I’m going to have dealings with that nut job again –“
But I’d already grabbed him by the upper arm, and was propelling him toward the street.
CHAPTER TEN
“Mom?”
Benjy Spalding – seven years old – stood with both his palms against his home’s living room window, his small face almost pressed against the glass. It misted up in front of him, the dampness refracting light. He rubbed it clean with his sleeve, then called out again.
“ Mom? Come look! ”
Jordan Spalding, who’d been in the back room writing out her final Christmas cards, came bustling through.
“Oh, Benjy. I only just cleaned that window, and you’re messing up the glass again. What is it?”
His face slackened, his mouth trembling slightly.
Then he managed to blurt out, “Mr. Partington!”
Who was their neighbor three doors down. And currently had his work cut out, because the whole rest of his family – his wife and four children – were down with the flu. Jordan had seen him bustling back and forth the past couple of days, running errands to the pharmacy and stores.
“What about Mr. Partington?”
“He’s gone!”
“What are you talking about? Gone where?”
She moved up beside her son, wondering what in heaven’s name he was getting so excited and upset about.
“He disappeared,” Benjy insisted. “He was driving home, I saw his car. And then a hole opened up in the road, a big purple one, and he fell into it.”
Which was the unlikeliest story she had ever heard. All small kids had inflated imaginations, but there were times when Benjy looked like he was going for first prize in the subject. She didn’t really mind that. It was good he had an active mind. But what he’d described was nonsense, and he had to know it.
“Why should any hole be purple?”
“It was .”
Jordan stared out in the same direction he kept looking at.
Lea Street – in the Northridge district – was like any other quiet suburban avenue at this time of the year. Snow lay heavily across the sidewalk and the pavement, and the roofs and the front yards. There were a few rows of footprints in it, some of them belonging to dogs. A few tire tracks where people had forced their way out earlier this morning. But a light breeze had sprung up recently. The upper layer of the white was shifting, and the tracks were being covered up.
This was a bay window, so she moved over to the side of it and peered at Jerry Partington’s front drive. There were deep imprints along it too, and Jerry’s silver-gray Volvo was gone.
Maybe he’d been heading home, but then remembered he’d forgotten something and had been forced to turn around. It happened to her all the time.
“No!” Benjy insisted. “That’s not what happened!”
“Don’t you raise your voice to me, young man.”
She was still of the opinion he was playing some kind of game, hoping to rope her in on some wild fantasy he had concocted. But when she looked back at him, she saw that her son was practically in tears. Surprise gripped her, but then gave way to sympathy. Jordan went down on her knees, wiping at his damp eyes and mussing his hair in an attempt to cheer him up.
“Benjy boy? What’s gotten into you?”
“I saw it! Mr. Partington fell down a hole !”
“And where is that hole now?” she asked him, trying to inject a bit of common sense into the situation.
“It disappeared.”
She was tempted to point out how convenient that was, but held herself in check and asked, “And it did that how long ago?”
“I don’t know. Less than a minute.”
“Things like that can’t
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