Read Online The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Christopher Moore
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to the lanky constable, noting that he had a badge clipped to his belt but no gun.
"You ever shoot anybody?"
"Sure," Theo said.
Josh was impressed. He'd seen Theo around town, and his mom always said hi to him, but he never thought he actually did anything. Not anything cool, anyway. "None of these guys ever shot anyone." Josh gestured to the two deputies and the two EMTs stationed around the small kitchen, giving them a look that said the wussies! with the full disdain his soft seven-year-old features could muster.
"You kill the guy?" he asked Theo.
"Yep."
Josh didn't really know where to go now. If he stopped asking questions, he knew that Theo would start asking questions, just like the sheriffs had, and he didn't want to answer any more questions. The blond man had told him not to tell anyone. The sheriff said that the blond man couldn't hurt him, but the sheriff didn't know what Josh knew.
"Your mom is on the way, Josh," Theo said. "She'll be here in a few minutes."
"I know. I talked to her."
To the EMTs and deputies, Theo said, "Guys, can I talk to Josh alone a minute?"
"We're done here," the lead medic said, leaving immediately.
Both the deputies were young and eager to be asked to do something, even if it was to leave the room. "We'll be outside writing this up," said the last one out. "Sergeant Metz told us to stay until the mother got home."
"Thanks, guys," Theo said, surprised at their congeniality. They must not have been on the department long enough to learn to look down on him for being a town constable, an archaic and redundant job, if you asked most area cops.
Once they were gone he turned to Josh. "So tell me about the man who was here."
"I told those other police."
"I know. But you need to tell me. What happened. Even the weird stuff you didn't tell them."
Josh didn't like the way Theo seemed to be ready to believe anything. He wasn't being too nice, or talking baby talk like the others.
"There wasn't any weird stuff. I told them." Josh nodded as he spoke, hoping he'd look more convincing. "None of that bad touch stuff. I know about that. None of that."
"I don't mean that kind of stuff, Josh. I mean weird stuff you didn't tell them because it's unbelievable."
Josh really didn't know what to say now. He considered crying, did a test sniffle just to see if he could get things flowing. Theo reached out and took his chin, lifted it so Josh had to look him in the eye. Why did adults do that? Now he'd ask something that would be really hard to lie about.
"What was he doing here, Josh?"
Josh shook his head, mostly to get out of Theo's grip, to get away from that adult lie-detector look. "I don't know. He just came in and grabbed me and then he left."
"Why did he leave?"
"I don't know, I don't know. I'm just a kid. Because he's crazy or something. Or maybe he's retarded. That's how he talks."
"I know," Theo said.
"You do?" He did?
Theo leaned in close. "I saw him, Josh. I talked to him. I know he wasn't like a normal guy."
Josh felt like he'd just taken his first deep breath since he left Sam's house. He didn't like keeping secrets— sneaking home and lying about it would have been enough, but witnessing the murder of Santa, and then that strange blond guy showing up. But if Theo already knew about the blond guy . . . "So, so, you saw him glow?"
"Glow? Shit!" Theo stood up and spun around as if he'd been hit in the forehead with a paintball. "He glowed, too? Shit!" The tall man was moving like a grasshopper locked in a running microwave. Not that Josh would know what that was like, because that would be a cruel thing to do and he would never do something like that, but, you know, someone told him about it once.
"So he glowed?" Theo asked, like he was trying to get this straight.
"No, I didn't mean that." Josh needed to back out of this. Theo was trippin'. He'd had enough of adults trip-pin' for one night. Soon his mom would come home to find a bunch of cops in her house and the trip to
"You ever shoot anybody?"
"Sure," Theo said.
Josh was impressed. He'd seen Theo around town, and his mom always said hi to him, but he never thought he actually did anything. Not anything cool, anyway. "None of these guys ever shot anyone." Josh gestured to the two deputies and the two EMTs stationed around the small kitchen, giving them a look that said the wussies! with the full disdain his soft seven-year-old features could muster.
"You kill the guy?" he asked Theo.
"Yep."
Josh didn't really know where to go now. If he stopped asking questions, he knew that Theo would start asking questions, just like the sheriffs had, and he didn't want to answer any more questions. The blond man had told him not to tell anyone. The sheriff said that the blond man couldn't hurt him, but the sheriff didn't know what Josh knew.
"Your mom is on the way, Josh," Theo said. "She'll be here in a few minutes."
"I know. I talked to her."
To the EMTs and deputies, Theo said, "Guys, can I talk to Josh alone a minute?"
"We're done here," the lead medic said, leaving immediately.
Both the deputies were young and eager to be asked to do something, even if it was to leave the room. "We'll be outside writing this up," said the last one out. "Sergeant Metz told us to stay until the mother got home."
"Thanks, guys," Theo said, surprised at their congeniality. They must not have been on the department long enough to learn to look down on him for being a town constable, an archaic and redundant job, if you asked most area cops.
Once they were gone he turned to Josh. "So tell me about the man who was here."
"I told those other police."
"I know. But you need to tell me. What happened. Even the weird stuff you didn't tell them."
Josh didn't like the way Theo seemed to be ready to believe anything. He wasn't being too nice, or talking baby talk like the others.
"There wasn't any weird stuff. I told them." Josh nodded as he spoke, hoping he'd look more convincing. "None of that bad touch stuff. I know about that. None of that."
"I don't mean that kind of stuff, Josh. I mean weird stuff you didn't tell them because it's unbelievable."
Josh really didn't know what to say now. He considered crying, did a test sniffle just to see if he could get things flowing. Theo reached out and took his chin, lifted it so Josh had to look him in the eye. Why did adults do that? Now he'd ask something that would be really hard to lie about.
"What was he doing here, Josh?"
Josh shook his head, mostly to get out of Theo's grip, to get away from that adult lie-detector look. "I don't know. He just came in and grabbed me and then he left."
"Why did he leave?"
"I don't know, I don't know. I'm just a kid. Because he's crazy or something. Or maybe he's retarded. That's how he talks."
"I know," Theo said.
"You do?" He did?
Theo leaned in close. "I saw him, Josh. I talked to him. I know he wasn't like a normal guy."
Josh felt like he'd just taken his first deep breath since he left Sam's house. He didn't like keeping secrets— sneaking home and lying about it would have been enough, but witnessing the murder of Santa, and then that strange blond guy showing up. But if Theo already knew about the blond guy . . . "So, so, you saw him glow?"
"Glow? Shit!" Theo stood up and spun around as if he'd been hit in the forehead with a paintball. "He glowed, too? Shit!" The tall man was moving like a grasshopper locked in a running microwave. Not that Josh would know what that was like, because that would be a cruel thing to do and he would never do something like that, but, you know, someone told him about it once.
"So he glowed?" Theo asked, like he was trying to get this straight.
"No, I didn't mean that." Josh needed to back out of this. Theo was trippin'. He'd had enough of adults trip-pin' for one night. Soon his mom would come home to find a bunch of cops in her house and the trip to
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