Betty, seeing her chance to eavesdrop disappearing, jumped in front of him. “Walk? Why Frank, it’s almost a hundred degrees out there. Why don’t you all have a seat on the front porch in the shade and I’ll fix a pitcher of lemonade?”
“That’s kind of you Betty, but an old man needs his exercise. Perhaps we’ll take you up on your offer when we get back.”
The three left Betty huffing in the kitchen and made their way outside. They buckled Mossy’s backpack to Denny’s handlebars. Billy’s backpack was at his house loaded with flashlights and spare batteries. They knew Mossy’s held the poison canisters that they hoped would put an end to the killing in Haven. They pushed their bikes down Chandler’s walkway and onto the sidewalk, not having to turn around to know Betty was watching. When they got around the corner, Mossy stopped them. “I feel like we’re running out of time. Walking won’t cut it. Can you boys ride double?”
The few Haven residents who noticed could only wonder why the old man was riding a kid’s bike through town.
(83)
Julie peered out nervously from behind a display of stuffed animals in the gift shop of Haven Memorial Hospital. She had ducked in the gift shop when she spotted Dale and his stupid gang getting off the elevator. Not that they were hard to spot; she could tell from their raucous behavior that they were probably drunk. Once they went past and burst out the lobby doors, Julie headed for the elevator. Then she stopped, her knees feeling like rubber. What if they were here to finish off Dad? She suddenly gulped a hitching breath, not realizing she had forgotten to breathe when the thought hit her. She ran for the elevator and began pounding on the button, ignoring the annoyed stare of an elderly woman holding a ridiculous stuffed giraffe.
After an eternity, the doors slid open and Julie ran straight into the chest of Chuck (Charlie to Cheryl) Brantley. Her heart skipped; she thought she’d avoided Crawford’s gang and ended up literally running into one of them. I have to get to Dad, she thought, and began pushing Chuck. The old woman harrumphed in disgust and stepped past them.
“Julie, calm down. What’s wrong?”
“Let me go! What have you done to my dad?” Now she was crying and Chuck was staring at her with a look of horror.
“Julie, I was here to see Cheryl. Please, calm down.”
Then it hit her: Chuck had fallen from grace with Crawford. He had “pussied out” of some foolishness that Crawford wanted him to take part in and was persona non grata in the elite circle of Dale Crawford.
“Chuck. I just saw Dale and his gang leave, I think they were here to hurt my dad.”
Chuck nodded slowly, putting the pieces together. “I don’t think that’s what they came for, but I’ll go up with you so you can check, then I’ll tell you what they wanted.” He glanced at the older woman, still waiting impatiently for them to move so the elevator doors could close. Her impatience had turned to curiosity; she was clearly waiting for this little drama to play out. When she noticed Chuck staring she tightened her grip on the silly giraffe and turned to face the row of buttons. Julie pushed the button for Joe’s floor and she moved to the back of the car with Chuck. Neither spoke until the woman exited one floor up.
“How is Cheryl? I wanted to see her… but… I’ve heard weird stories…”
Chuck made a noise that could have been a laugh or a grunt. “I’m not sure how she is, she’s talking crazy. Anything you’ve heard will pale in comparison to her stories.”
Julie actually had to suppress a grin despite the situation. She’d forgotten what a smart kid Chuck was and how he spoke like a forty-year old man before he’d been indoctrinated into the punk-speak Crawford used. Before she could ask another question, the elevator dinged and came to a stop on Joe’s floor. Julie slid through the doors the second they had opened wide enough and started running down the hall. A nurse was just coming out and she greeted Julie with a smile.
“Your dad is sleeping, dear, but you can go in and sit with him if you like.”
Julie nodded as Chuck joined her. “Are you sure he’s alright? Did anyone try to get in his room today?” Julie had driven up from Malden with her mom but had been dropped off downtown to meet a friend and have lunch.
The nurse frowned and Julie realized how odd the question sounded. “He’s absolutely fine, dear. We had a nice visit this morning while I was taking his blood pressure. He said he hadn’t slept well, mentioned some bad dreams, and said he was going to take a nap. And that’s what he’s doing. Your mom was in earlier but said she was going back to your aunt’s house to pack. Your dad will be going home today.” Her smile was beaming; she had been Joe’s primary nurse during his stay and, like most people, liked him a lot. Julie could see the woman was truly happy that Dad was okay. “Go ahead in, but please let him rest.”
Julie felt a hand on her shoulder. “No, I just needed to make sure, I’ll let him sleep. I was just worried about him. I’ll come back later.” The nurse nodded and headed to the next room. When she was out of earshot Julie turned to Chuck. “What’s going on with Cheryl? And why was Dale here?”
As they made their way back to the elevator, Chuck began telling her Cheryl’s story. Julie listened, not saying a word. They were in the lobby now but Julie felt trapped, claustrophobic. She took Chuck’s hand and stepped out into the welcomed openness and blazing heat. Finally, she spoke. “Chuck, what do you think? I mean, it sounds so crazy, but I know Paul Greymore is not a child-killer.”
Chuck looked torn. “I don’t know, Julie. I want to believe her… but part of me is afraid that she did kill the baby and this is her mind’s way of coping.” Suddenly his look turned to fear. “Oh my God… Julie, Crawford is planning on doing something to Greymore. That’s why they were here, they wanted me to help. Whatever did happen at the lake, Cheryl is positive it wasn’t Greymore.”
Julie felt the dizziness of déjà vu overtake her. She had been in time the night of the carnival, but could she get to Greymore fast enough to warn him again? “Ch… Charlie, we need to warn Paul!”
“I can take you. I… uh… borrowed my mom’s car.” He grabbed Julie’s hand and pulled her toward the parking lot.
(84)
Denny and Billy pushed their bikes up Hillview Street while Mossy walked the edge of the woods bordering the road. The ride through town had been uneventful, though Denny and Billy had a few laughs watching Mossy getting the hang of Denny’s bike. They weren’t laughing now as the enormity of what they were about to do settled on them. Denny flashed back to a blurry memory of a dream about being pressed with rocks. The heat and fear were combining to sap not only Denny’s strength, but his will to make the trek to the caves. He would give anything to sit in front of his fan reading a book. It hit him how much he took things like that for granted.
Both boys had glanced involuntarily at Billy’s house as they went by. Neither spoke but they both knew what they were about to do was in part for Joe Cummings. When they reached Paul’s house, they stuck closer to Mossy on the far side of the road. As much as Denny knew they couldn’t let Greymore see them and risk him wanting to go in with them, it was exactly what he wanted to happen. Somehow he knew Paul would make the odds a lot better. He’s battled it once before and won. Did he really win? the Bad Voice countered. As they passed the house it looked as empty as Billy’s.
They crossed the road after Paul’s house was behind them and didn’t offer a glance at Lovell’s, although they couldn’t help but notice a couple of cats wandering around. When they were passing the woods that separated Denny’s house from Cat-woman’s, they stopped and looked nervously at each other.