Phoebe stepped up to the driver's side door, putting her hand on the window and ducking down to look in. “Yes deputy?"
"What the hell you think you're doin’ out here on this road?” The level of belligerence in his voice was matched only by the angry, beet red flush of his sweat streaked face.
"I'm just walking, officer.” The innocence in Phoebe's voice was sickly, especially in how she cooed, “Deputy."
"You been tresspassin’ in the damn train yard, ain't ya? Throwin’ rocks?"
She maintained the sweet innocent act. “Why, what train yard?"
He gagged and spluttered so loudly, Lee thought for a moment Fat Larry might had gagged on his own tongue. From his vantage point just behind the car and off to the side he could see the back of Fat Larry's head clearly through the back window.
Jerking his head to the left, Fat Larry spat a big, brown glob of tobacco juice out of his window, then worked at swallowing and coughing until finally he turned back to face Phoebe and growled, “Don't you give me any of yer shit. I saw you, goddamit!"
"You saw me?” She touched herself on the chest with one finger, her act of surprise as real on her face as the innocence dripping in her Tennessee backwoods accent.
"Fuckin’ A, I did!” he spat. “You're one of ‘em that hit me in the face with a goddamned rock. You know that's assault with a deadly weapon?"
Lee could see Fat Larry's left hand go up, but unfortunately, from where he hid, he couldn't see that side of his face.
"Ooh, Officer,” Phoebe registered genuine surprise. “That's a nasty bruise. You should get that looked at. Did you fall down?” For the last, she used the exact same childish tone he'd heard her employ when talking down to Evie, melting her syllables into soft baby talk, "Did jew Fawdown."
Squinting, his pig-like eyes gone red, Fat Larry leaned in closer and suddenly blurted out. “You're a goddamned girl!"
Lee almost laughed out loud. This was too much. No one would ever believe this when he told them. It was a new low for Fat Larry. "I mean, come on idiot," he directed his thoughts toward the moron in the car, "She's wearing pig tails for Christ's sake!"
"Of course, I'm a girl.” Phoebe stood back. “What'd you think, silly?"
"You get yer ass on ‘round over here.” He whirled his finger around indicating she should come around the front and over to his side of the car. “I wanna take a look at you."
Obviously, just to be aggravating Phoebe started to go around front, then switched direction and went around back.
"Where the hell you goin'?” he bellowed.
As she came around, he tried unsuccessfully to twist his bulk far enough to keep her in sight, but had to let it go and could only wait for Phoebe to come around, all the while huffing and puffing and sweating as if he'd just run a mile.
When coming around the back, Phoebe glanced over to Lee behind the washer and gave him a huge grin then stuck out her tongue and made a strangling face.
Lee tried to keep from laughing. "Who is this girl?" he thought to himself.
When she rounded the back bumper, her face recomposed to nothing but sweetness and innocence.
Moving around for a better view, Lee noticed a discarded wire coat hanger over in the grass, and one of his better ideas immediately formed.
Phoebe had come around to the driver's side and was standing by the door, her hands folded behind her back. Swinging gently to and fro she looked as though she hadn't a care in the world.
Fat Larry was pissed. “How come you didn't get yer ass ‘round the front?” he roared.
Phoebe didn't blink. “My momma told me never to walk in front of a car with its engine running. It's not safe."
Fat Larry obviously couldn't think of anything to say to this. He had to think for a moment, his lips moving with the effort.
Lee, working quickly, had gotten the coat hanger straightened out. Keeping low, while Phoebe kept Fat Larry's attention, he duck walked along through the high grass, his attention fixed on Fat Larry's head just in case he looked back.
"So who the hell are you?” he finally blurted out. “I ain't never seen you ‘round here ‘fore."
Up this close, Phoebe could see for herself how truly awful he was. The man had to weigh close to four hundred pounds, with two huge rolls of fat bulging out of his sweat soaked shirt below his massive breasts. The pimply skin along the jowls of his red face and neck was lined just under the surface with an unhealthy smattering of red and blue veins. His small head atop such an enormous body actually was pointed and covered with sparse sprigs of blondish stubble, revealing an awful skin problem which was the source of the terrible dandruff problem blanketing his shirt. His lips were probably his worse feature, the top one thin and twisted, almost like a cleft lip, and the lower one curling out and hanging down as though swollen or diseased. Phoebe could now see the reason for his spitting earlier when he'd first accosted her. He was chewing an enormous brown cud of tobacco, and his teeth were stained yellow and flecked with bits of green and brown chewed leaves.
She offered out her hand, keeping her wrist limp and palm down, as if she were royalty and expecting a kiss. “My name's Phoebe, Phoebe Carlisle."
He just sat there and glared at the offered hand, sweat rolling down his head and neck. He couldn't have possibly shown more disdain if the hand Phoebe had offered had been covered in shit.
Lee was under the back of the car now. The engine was throbbing, and the car vibrating causing something up front to tic and rattle. It was hot, incredibly hot between the dual exhaust pipes, which wrapped over the axle from behind the mufflers, pointing straight out the back. He could see Phoebe's tennis shoes and ankles by the door. Keep him here, he prayed. Please, don't let him pull out with me under the car.
"What the hell you doin’ out here?” Fat Larry repeated himself.
"I told you, deputy; I'm just out for a walk. I'm staying with the Riley's this summer. Our house is just over yonder.” She pointed up the road.
"You're lying',” he came back. “You been over to the train yard, ain't ya?"
"I don't know anything about any train yard. Where's that?"
Lee hooked the end of the coat hanger into the universal joint between the front yolk of the differential and the driveshaft. With another wrap, he secured it so tightly that after a few twists of the drive shaft, wire cutters would be necessary to remove it. As a last thought, before scooting out the back, he pulled the hanger wire out flat, and then coiled it along the drive shaft so that the centrifugal force wouldn't spin it out until Fat Larry got up some speed.
The enormous man didn't answer her question. “Did you see anybody ‘round here? Any boys?"
"Sorry, hon.” She was keeping up the sweet innocent act, actually pouring it on. “I haven't seen a soul. I'm just takin’ a little break and stretching my legs. I've been helpin’ my aunt out with her new babies. You know she had twins—"
"I don't give a good goddamn ‘bout any fuckin’ tit suckin’ brats,” he roared back, not letting her finish her sentence. “Some assholes just assaulted me."
By now, Lee had safely crawled back to his place behind the stove and could see them both through the back window.
Phoebe reached out gingerly as though to touch his bruise.
Violently, he slapped her hand away. The whole car rocked and the springs creaked dangerously. “Git your goddamned hands away from me!"
"Sorry, officer,” she sounded only concerned. “But that's quite a nasty lump you got there. You at least ought to put some ice on it."
"Does it look like I got any goddamned fuckin’ ice? It's probably a thousand goddamned degrees out here. Ice!"
He coughed, gagged, then spat another brown steam, and Phoebe only just got out of the way.
"Shit!” he hollered out. “Goddamn ice she says!"
True to form, Fat Larry found a way to insert goddamn or some other profanity into just about every sentence he spoke. There were a couple of boys Lee knew whom he'd once cau
ght breaking non-returnable beer bottles against the back wall of the Shiner's Lucky 7 grocery store. They claimed they'd counted thirty-one goddamns before they had gotten away. No telling how many he'd screamed after they had lit out. You'd think the idiot would have learned by now that if he were actually going to catch boys, he'd at some point have to get out of the car. Just cussing at them and telling them to get in for the ride to the station didn't work all too well, at least not with Lee's friends.
"Is there anything else, hon?” Phoebe still had that sickly sweet voice thing really working. Obviously sticking him with every word.
"You just see you keep away from that goddamned train yard.” He leaned his head out of the car. “Stupid ass girls like you have gotten themselves raped back in there before. You wanna get raped? Huh? Do ya?"
"Oh, deputy. That's terrible. Of course, not!” She stole a glance over toward Lee's hiding place. “Thanks so much for warning me. I'll get home right away.” She put her hand on the back door handle. “Do you think you could give me a ride? It's just up the road."
"Does this look like a goddamned taxi cab to you?” His belligerence had reached a new high. “Git yer damn sissy hand off my door!"
With that, Fat Larry roared off, hopefully to protect and serve somewhere else.
As soon as the dust had swirled to its highest, Lee ran over, giving Phoebe a sweaty hug, spinning her around.
"That was great! That was so great!” His admiration was entirely genuine.
"I do believe that has to be one of the ugliest and most awful men I think I've ever seen in all my born days,” she laughed. “And you were right, God, he stinks something powerful. I think I'd have about died if he'd have let me in the car."
"I sure wish I could have seen his bruise.” Lee hadn't let Phoebe go; he still had Phoebe in his arms. “I bet we knocked the hell out of him."
"Excuse me, Mr. Tour Guide.” She pushed back at his chest extricating herself from his grasp. “I think it's a little too hot and dusty to be this close."
"Sorry,” Lee apologized. At first he hadn't thought about it, he'd been so excited. And actually, the thought of going for another kiss had just entered his mind, but she'd foiled his plans.
She took two long, giant steps as she set back off down the road towards home talking to the air as if he wasn't there. “What'd you do to his car?"
He hurriedly caught up. “I put a coat hanger on the drive shaft."
"What'll that do?"
Lee became quite animated, he was so excited. His hands worked trying to help him describe what was going to happen. “When he hits the highway and gets going the wire will spin around and around flying out and hitting the underbody, and sparks'll come flying out from under that car like the Fourth of July."
"Oh I wish we could see it.” She beamed. “That'd be keen-o."
"Yeah, it's a good trick. It doesn't really hurt anything, but it does make one hell of a noise. It sounds like the whole rear axle's going to bust loose. Fat Larry'll probably wet his pants he'll be so scared."
Phoebe had a sincere look of admiration in her eyes. “I bet you just put on airs like you're such a nice boy. But I bet you know lots of tricks, don't you?"
"I've been known to come up with a thing or two now and then,” he grinned. “Of course, I'm no door painter."
"So where'd you learn the coat hanger trick?"
"From my dad.” Lee's pride was showing through. “This was something he told me about, that they did to guys they didn't like when he was in high school."
They could see the Riley house, as they'd just come around the last curve.
She still wasn't looking at him, just keeping her gaze fixed down the road. “Sounds like your dad is pretty cool."
"Yeah, he is,” Lee responded. “We get along real well."
"Mine's a monster,” Phoebe said. “He hates everybody I know and everything I do."
"That's too bad,” Lee replied.
"Yeah, well,” Phoebe sighed, “what's a girl to do?"
By the time they walked up together to the little overgrown driveway in front of her house they were both pretty well wiped out, drenched with sweat, and streaked with grime and road dust.
Phoebe stopped and stood straight up, stretching her back and hitching her thumbs in her pockets. “So this is what you call a tour?"
Lee smiled, wiping his forehead. “I had fun."
"Me too.” Phoebe pulled at her blouse, pinching it with her fingers and wafting it in and out.
Lee couldn't help watching her. “Really?"
"Really.” She ceased tugging on her blouse. “I don't think I'll ever forget today. Raelene won't never believe me, even if I swore on a whole stack of bibles. We saw a really weird old lady, and a bunch of crazy statues, I got to gross you out with a pig's foot, we heard a ghost, got shot at, played a trick on a sheriff's deputy.” She rubbed the toe of her sneaker into the gravel, looked down and then back up. “I got kissed."
"By a duck too,” Lee grinned.
She beamed back. “Now that's a first."
They stood there for a moment, then she said, “I've got to go in. I'm a mess. You, too.” She reached out lightly and ran her finger down Lee's shoulder. “Maybe we can do some of it again some other time?"
Lee nodded eagerly. “How ‘bout tomorrow?"
Phoebe laughed, “That soon, huh?” She stepped away, but kept her eyes on him. “Can't. Tomorrow's Father's Day. We're all going over to Boyd's dad's house in Manseville. They're coming to pick us up early. Uncle Boyd doesn't have a car, you know."
"Father's Day!"
"Yeah, Father's Day. The nineteenth.” She gave him a sly eye. “Didn't you get your dad something? I mean even though my dad's an ogre, I at least sent him a card."
"Yeah, I guess I better get going,” Lee said, scuffing his PF Flyers in the gravel. “Thanks for reminding me.” He turned back towards his house as she walked up to her door. He hollered and waved, “Thanks for everything!"
She stopped in the doorway and blew him a kiss, then went inside.
The Fairlane was in its spot in the drive. He passed it running his finger along the top of the fin all the way from the back to the driver's door. He looked back to see if Phoebe might still be there, and when he saw she wasn't; he jumped up and kicked his heels together.
In one leap he was on the porch. Flinging open the screen, he went in. Maggie and his dad were sitting together on the couch, and Patty was, as usual, right in front of the T.V. A nature program was on. Zebras were walking around under some funny looking, scraggly trees.
"Where'd y'all go?” Lee asked.
Maggie looked up. “We went downtown to do some shopping. Tomorrow's Father's Day, don't you know?"
"Yeah, I know."
"Hey, I got something I need to ask you.” His dad took his arm from around Maggie and leaned forward. “Did you come home earlier, while we were gone?"
Lee stopped at the entrance to the hall. “Yeah, but only for a second, though. I wanted to show Flapjack to Phoebe. Hey, did y'all leave-?"
"Well, you left the doors open,” his dad broke in.
"What?” Lee was startled. “No I didn't.” Lee had been on the verge of saying the same thing to his dad.
His dad scooted forward, locking his palms on his knees and sticking out his elbows like he does when he's about to be angry. “When we got home all the doors were hanging open, even the side door out to the garage, and that's always been locked."
"That's weird,” Lee said, looking so honestly surprised, his dad couldn't help but see something was amiss. “When I stopped home, around three, I found all the doors wide open."
Patty had quit staring at the T.V. and had turned to look over at her brother.
"I swear, dad!” Lee quickly crossed his heart. “I was gonna ask you, why ya'll left ‘em open. Honest!"
Ted looked to Maggie. It was plain Lee was telling the truth. “Do you think someone has another key?"
Maggie looked worr
ied. Her mouth always drew into a straight line when she was upset about something, and she had a tendency to wring her fingers, just as she was doing now. “Nothing's missing,” she replied. “You know though, we did hear some gunshots a little while back."
Ted shook his head. “No, that's just someone shooting at the signs down by the rail yard. We saw the patrol car go by."
"But that was before we heard the shots.” Maggie's mouth was tight now. “Maybe we should we call the police?"
"You said yourself that nothing's missing that we know of,” Ted said. He looked back to Lee. “Did you close the doors before you left?"
Lee nodded and held out his scout's hand sign. “Honest dad. I wouldn't go off and leave the doors opened. I was wondering why you left them open. Honest."
"What's the matter?” Patty asked.
"Nothing honey,” Maggie said. “We're just talking to Lee."
"Well I tell you what, Maggie,” Ted sat back and crossed his legs. “We'll have to watch this. Something's fishy. I don't even have a key to that side door's lock."
"Hey Mom,” Lee came back softly.
"Yes?"
"I was wondering if maybe you could drive me into downtown."
"Lee! The Miles’ will be over at seven-thirty, and I just got back from—You forgot Father's Day didn't you?"
Lee nodded.
"I can't right now. I've got dinner going and look at you. You're a mess. What on God's green earth have you been up to?"
"It's all right, Maggie,” Ted uncrossed his legs. “I'll take him. After all, I think I've got a pretty good reason, since it's me he wants to buy a present for. I know just where we can go, too."
Lee perked up. “Thanks, Dad."
"Go get cleaned up. You're not riding in my car like that. But make it quick."
Lee leaned down to pull a sneaker off, bracing himself against the framing between the hallway and the room. In the next instant, two light bulbs in different parts of the room sounded metallic “tinks” and immediately went dark. Maggie, startled, looked to both lamps and then to Lee. He gave her his best, “It wasn't me” look and then leaving the one shoe on and walking lopsidedly down the hall he headed towards his room.
Evil Heights, Book II: Monster in the House Page 18