though, for he leaned forward, grinned, and tried, “Accidentally killed someone, then buried the body together, where nobody could find it?”
What a lunatic. “Yeah, that was it. And now that you know, we’ll have to kill you too. Have you filled out your will yet?”
“Nah, I don’t have anything to leave.”
“You have your thriving app business,” I said. “Sure, you only sell four apps a day right now, but I bet they’ll take off once you’re dead.”
Simon shook his head. “You’re thinking of art. Apps don’t work that way. The world forgets about you thirty-seven seconds after you stop promoting your work.”
“Ah. So, are you going to log in and play, or what?” I waved to his computer, hoping to distract him from his original inquiry. “Drizzt and Strider are asking where you are. Or shall I tell them you’re in the shower?”
Simon prodded at his crusty hair. He claimed to have used three canteens of water to wash up, but it wasn’t all that evident. At least we’d both be flame-retardant if someone’s campfire got out of hand tonight.
“We’re going to see her again tomorrow,” he said. “I guess I can ask
her
why she stopped communicating with you.”
I winced. So much for distracting him. “Don’t do that,” I said, turning the “don’t” into a drawn out whine.
“If you’d enlighten me, I wouldn’t have to.”
I glowered into my keyboard. “Look… I kissed her, all right?”
In the stunned silence that followed, I had ample time to admire the crickets chirping outside and the distant hoots of an owl. A Great Horned or a Spotted? My grandfather would know. I should probably get up and close that window. The temperature had dropped since sunset.
“You
kissed
her?” Simon finally asked. “On the lips?”
“No, on her elbow.” Funny how sarcastic I became when I was uncomfortable.
“But you like guys. I’ve seen you date lots of guys. Well, okay I’ve only seen you date two, but you mooned after at least five others while we were in school.”
Seriously? He’d been counting? I needed to clean him up and find him a girl. Not Temi though. Even with her checkered past and her uncertain future, she was out of his league. “Yes, yes, I moon after guys now.”
“Now? Does that mean you used to…” His eyebrows quirked. How had I known he’d be intrigued by this sort of thing?
“No. Yes. I don’t know. I was fourteen. I was trying to find myself. That’s all.”
His forehead scrunched up like the skin on a Shar Pei.
“Could we drop it?” I asked.
Simon lifted a hand. “Sh.”
It was only then that I realized the scrunched forehead wasn’t turned toward me but toward the window I hadn’t gotten up to close. “Do you hear that?”
A set of ghostly fingertips played the piano on my spine. “What? And you better not be screwing with me. I won’t find it very funny after the day we’ve had.”
When Simon looked at me, his usual mischievousness was absent from his eyes. “It got quiet, really quiet.”
The crickets had stopped chirping, and the owl had disappeared. A faint crack came from a campfire across the way, but nobody was talking. I leaned toward the window, but didn’t see anyone about. “Maybe people have gone to bed,” I said, though that didn’t explain the silent crickets. “Or maybe there’s a coyote or javelina out there. We
are
in the forest.”
Prescott had a population of forty thousand, with another sixty in the nearby towns, but it also backed up to national forest on multiple sides. Three miles out of downtown to the south or west, and you were in woods filled with all sorts of critters. Granted, we hadn’t seen anything fiercer than deer yet at the White Spar, but we hadn’t been roaming around at night either.
The image of that mauled body had popped into my head again when the first shriek came from the other side of the campground.
CHAPTER 7
S imon and I stared out the window, trying to pinpoint the source
What a lunatic. “Yeah, that was it. And now that you know, we’ll have to kill you too. Have you filled out your will yet?”
“Nah, I don’t have anything to leave.”
“You have your thriving app business,” I said. “Sure, you only sell four apps a day right now, but I bet they’ll take off once you’re dead.”
Simon shook his head. “You’re thinking of art. Apps don’t work that way. The world forgets about you thirty-seven seconds after you stop promoting your work.”
“Ah. So, are you going to log in and play, or what?” I waved to his computer, hoping to distract him from his original inquiry. “Drizzt and Strider are asking where you are. Or shall I tell them you’re in the shower?”
Simon prodded at his crusty hair. He claimed to have used three canteens of water to wash up, but it wasn’t all that evident. At least we’d both be flame-retardant if someone’s campfire got out of hand tonight.
“We’re going to see her again tomorrow,” he said. “I guess I can ask
her
why she stopped communicating with you.”
I winced. So much for distracting him. “Don’t do that,” I said, turning the “don’t” into a drawn out whine.
“If you’d enlighten me, I wouldn’t have to.”
I glowered into my keyboard. “Look… I kissed her, all right?”
In the stunned silence that followed, I had ample time to admire the crickets chirping outside and the distant hoots of an owl. A Great Horned or a Spotted? My grandfather would know. I should probably get up and close that window. The temperature had dropped since sunset.
“You
kissed
her?” Simon finally asked. “On the lips?”
“No, on her elbow.” Funny how sarcastic I became when I was uncomfortable.
“But you like guys. I’ve seen you date lots of guys. Well, okay I’ve only seen you date two, but you mooned after at least five others while we were in school.”
Seriously? He’d been counting? I needed to clean him up and find him a girl. Not Temi though. Even with her checkered past and her uncertain future, she was out of his league. “Yes, yes, I moon after guys now.”
“Now? Does that mean you used to…” His eyebrows quirked. How had I known he’d be intrigued by this sort of thing?
“No. Yes. I don’t know. I was fourteen. I was trying to find myself. That’s all.”
His forehead scrunched up like the skin on a Shar Pei.
“Could we drop it?” I asked.
Simon lifted a hand. “Sh.”
It was only then that I realized the scrunched forehead wasn’t turned toward me but toward the window I hadn’t gotten up to close. “Do you hear that?”
A set of ghostly fingertips played the piano on my spine. “What? And you better not be screwing with me. I won’t find it very funny after the day we’ve had.”
When Simon looked at me, his usual mischievousness was absent from his eyes. “It got quiet, really quiet.”
The crickets had stopped chirping, and the owl had disappeared. A faint crack came from a campfire across the way, but nobody was talking. I leaned toward the window, but didn’t see anyone about. “Maybe people have gone to bed,” I said, though that didn’t explain the silent crickets. “Or maybe there’s a coyote or javelina out there. We
are
in the forest.”
Prescott had a population of forty thousand, with another sixty in the nearby towns, but it also backed up to national forest on multiple sides. Three miles out of downtown to the south or west, and you were in woods filled with all sorts of critters. Granted, we hadn’t seen anything fiercer than deer yet at the White Spar, but we hadn’t been roaming around at night either.
The image of that mauled body had popped into my head again when the first shriek came from the other side of the campground.
CHAPTER 7
S imon and I stared out the window, trying to pinpoint the source
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