The Tommyknockers

She was back in her room at seven-thirty. She undressed, put on a robe, and sat looking out the fourth-story window. In spite of its name, Cityscape Hotel was actually far out on Bangor's outskirts. The view A

There were amphetamine capsules in her purse. A

A

A

She called again after her father died-this time at 1:04 on the morning of August 2nd. Some drunk had answered the telephone.

“I'd like Roberta Anderson, please,” A

“Bobbi?” the drunk voice at the other end said. “You want the old boss or the New and Improved Boss?”

“Spare me the bullshit, Gardener. Her father has

“Can't talk to Bobbi now,” the drunk-it was Gardener, all right, she recognized the voice now-broke in. A

“You tell her her sister A

Click!

Dry rage turned the sides of her throat to heated fla

The piece of phone-related bad ma

She had dialed back at once, but this time, after a long pause, the telephone began to make a weird sirening noise in her ear. She hung up and went over to her weeping mother and her harp relatives.

“Did you get her, Sissy?” her mother asked A

“Yes.”

“What did she say?” Her eyes begged A

“I couldn't get a commitment one way or another,” A

There was a moment of stu

A

That was good. Fine, in fact. But not enough. It was time-overtime-that Roberta came home. Not just for the funeral; for good.

She would see to it. Leave it to Sissy.

Sleep did not come easy to A

An hour after her lie about Bobbi to her mother and the harp aunts and uncles, she had tried the phone again, this time from the undertaker's (her mother had long since tottered home, where A

“I want you to check it, locate the trouble, and see that it's corrected,” A

“Yes, ma'am. If you'll give me the number you're calling from

“I'm calling from the undertaker's,” A

She hung up and turned to the undertaker.

“Pine box,” she said. “Cheapest one you've got.”

“But, Ms Anderson, I'm sure you'll want to think about

“I don't want to think about anything,” A

“But…” The undertaker was entirely flabbergasted now. “But won't you want to see…”

“I'll see it when he's wearing it,” A

The next morning Bobbi's telephone was working, but there was no answer. There continued to be no answer all day. A

“Well… there's no police department, exactly, but I have a listing for the Haven constable. Will that