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“Oh my God,” she said as A
Wendy trotted into her mother’s arms as Sara Morgan dropped down on one knee.
“Are you all right, baby?” She sca
“We were ru
“Oh my God!”
“And De
Sara Morgan looked up at A
“I don’t know,” A
“And there was this dog,” Wendy went on. “Like a wild dog. And he growled at us, and De
“A dog?” her mother said. “What kind of a dog? Was it foaming at the mouth? Did you touch it?”
“No! It ran away.”
“It could have had rabies! Are you sure you didn’t touch it?”
“I didn’t touch it!” Wendy insisted.
Sara Morgan raked a handful of blonde mane back from her face and looked at A
“I don’t know,” A
“This is just awful. We moved here to get away from crime. And smog and traffic. I never think twice about letting Wendy walk home from school. Do you think the dog could have killed the woman?”
“That doesn’t seem very likely,” A
Sara Morgan turned to her daughter again. “If you touched that dog-”
“I didn’t touch the dog!” Wendy insisted, irritated.
“Should I take her to see someone?” she asked A
“Whatever you think is best.”
“I don’t know what to think,” she admitted. “There’s no chapter for this in the parenting manual.”
“No,” A
“No. God, I’ve never seen a dead person myself. When I have to go to funerals, I won’t look in the casket. The whole idea creeps me out.”
“I should get Tommy home,” A
“I can call Peter at his office,” Sara offered. “He’s our dentist. He and my husband golf together.”
“If you don’t mind.”
“Not at all. And thank you for bringing Wendy home.”
A
“Do you think your mom will be home by now, Tommy?”
He consulted his wristwatch. “Yes.”
“She’ll be worried about you.”
“I’m supposed to have a piano lesson,” he said looking worried. “Maybe we should go there instead.”
“I think your piano teacher will forgive your absence when he hears what you’ve been through.”
The boy said nothing.
“Do you want to talk about what happened?” A
“No, thank you.”
Why would he share his feelings with her? She had been his teacher all of two months. From what she had observed of Tommy, he was by nature reserved. He was very bright but did nothing to call attention to himself. If anything he seemed to do his best to be invisible.
A
They lived four blocks from the Morgans in a beautiful two-story Spanish-style stucco house with lush landscaping and a big spreading oak tree in the side yard. As daylight faded, lights glowed invitingly in the front windows and along the sidewalk.
Through one window A
Tommy got out of the car and lingered by the door. A
The door flew open before they made it to the front steps. Janet Crane’s eyes were a little too wide, the white showing all around the pupils.
“Where have you been?” she demanded, her fierce look on Tommy. “I have been out of my mind trying to find you! You knew you had a piano lesson-”
“Mrs. Crane-,” A
“Don’t you have any consideration for Mr. England’s time? For my time?”
“Mrs. Crane,” A
Janet Crane looked at her as if she had only just appeared. “Message? What message? I haven’t listened to the messages. I’ve been trying to find my son.”
“Could we step inside, please?” A
Tommy’s mother took a deliberate breath and calmed herself. “Of course. I’m so sorry. Please come in, Miss Navarre.”
Tommy still clung to A
A
He went across the hall and disappeared into a powder room with wildly colored parrots splashed across the yellow wallpaper.
“I’m sorry,” Janet Crane said. “I’ve been out of my mind with worry. It isn’t like Tommy to miss a piano lesson. He’s always very punctual.”
As A
A
Janet Crane’s eyes showed a lot of white again. “Oh my God!”
She turned abruptly and walked into a Better Homes and Gardens living room, the heels of her pink pumps click-clacking on the tile. She perched herself on the edge of a sofa cushion. Her eyes darted around the room as if looking for help.
“I think Tommy is a little in shock,” A
“I-I-I don’t know what to do,” his mother a
“He doesn’t seem to be physically injured, but you may want to get him some counseling.”
“Why didn’t someone call me?” she asked, trying to work up some indignation. She seemed more comfortable with anger than with concern. “Why didn’t Principal Garnett call? Why isn’t he here?”
“Mr. Garnett was out today.”
Tommy came to the doorway. His face and arms were clean, showing off the scrapes and scratches that had resulted from his tumble. He had wet and combed his brown hair as neatly as he could considering a couple of cowlicks. But his clothes were still dirty, and there was a tear in the knee of his jeans. A
“Tommy!” his mother said, going to him. “I’m so sorry. I had no idea what happened.”
A
Through the front window A
He was a handsome man, medium height, lean, well-dressed in dark slacks, a shirt and tie. He called out cheerfully as he came in the front door.