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“How do you get to the ripe old age of seventeen without knowing how to get out of the house?” Howie demanded. “Hell, your bedroom is on the first floor! You don’t even have to climb down a trellis or sneak down squeaky stairs.”
“But once I’m out, I’m screwed—I don’t have a car.”
“Ah.” Howie chuckled. “You’ve come to the right place, ma’am.”
An hour later, Co
She darted to the cover of a cluster of firs at the end of the driveway and waited. Soon Howie’s old car drifted into view, its headlights and engine both off. Co
As the car passed, coasting down the hill, Co
“Close the door!” Howie said. “Close it!”
Co
“You want your parents to see or hear a car driving by this time of night?”
“My parents are asleep.”
“People wake up.”
Once they were out of sight of Co
“I think you have a couple of things reversed,” she told him drily. “And I’m not sure where we’re headed yet.”
In short, clipped sentences, she told him about the Ugly J discovery at the dump site, as well as the note in the Impressionist’s pocket, followed by the mystery texts. In the dim light of Lobo’s Nod’s ill-spaced lampposts, Howie’s face became more and more pale as she went on.
“Are you nuts?” he asked. “Is Jazz’s kind of crazy an STD or something? This isn’t something for you to mess with. It’s for the cops. This is G. William territory.”
According to Jazz, Howie always balked at first but invariably caved in the end. She hoped she could be as persuasive as Jazz.
“I’m just going to do some preliminary investigating.” She liked the way that sounded. Very official. Very safe. “Then I can point G. William in the right direction.”
“Some crazy person—probably a serial killer—is texting you and you want to get the cops started? Not sane, Co
“You broke into a morgue with him. I’m not asking you to do anything illegal.”
“Jazz is my bro.”
“I respect that. But maybe a little of his bro-hood rubbed off on me.” She regretted it as soon as she said it. Howie’s eyes widened and he started to speak, but she said, “Can we just stipulate that you made a killer double entendre with ‘rubbed off’ and then move on?”
“I guess.” Howie’s shoulders slumped in disappointment and Co
“This is for Jazz,” she reminded him. “It’s about him, at least.”
“ ‘I know something about your boyfriend,’ ” Howie quoted. “That could be anything. That could be someone who knows where he buys his underwear. Or it could be that jackhole Weathers trying to lure you into an interview. Cell number was blocked, so it could be coming from somewhere around here for all we know. Probably is.”
Co
“I love when you go all hard-ass.” Howie shot her a pleased smile.
She returned it. “So does that mean you’ll stick around and see this through?”
“Well… I mean, if you’re go
“Sam? Is that what she goes by?”
“It’s what I call her. If you give a girl a nickname, it’s endearing and forges a bond between the two of you.” He glanced over at her. “I read that on the Internet.”
Co
“I’m going to be gentle,” she assured him, and then stroked his shoulder so lightly that even his hemophiliac blood vessels didn’t rupture. “You’re a good guy, Howie.”
“Will you tell Sam that? I also read that women trust other women more than men.”
She sighed. “Help me out tonight and, yeah, I’ll put in a good word for you.” Not that it would help. She couldn’t imagine a woman Samantha’s age hooking up with Howie. Although stranger things had certainly happened in the world.
“Score!” Howie fist-pumped. “What did the text say again?”
“It said ‘go 2 where it all began.’ ”
Howie frowned. “Where is that? Where what began?”
“That’s what I’ve been wondering. But it first said that this was about Jazz. So I’ve been thinking about Jazz’s past. Where it all began for him.”
“Hospital where he was born?” Howie asked.
“Too literal. I think it’s his house.”
“I just came from—ah. Oh, right.” Howie nodded grimly. “Got it.”
He flipped a uey and gu
According to the dashboard clock in Howie’s car, it was three in the afternoon. Co
“Don’t go chasing…”
Billy Dent, Co
Denuded tree branches seemed to clutch at the car as they drove along, almost as though the spirit of William Cornelius Dent possessed them.
Stop thinking like that, Co
“How long do we have?” she asked Howie. Anything to break the silence.
Howie shrugged. “My parents think I’m spending the night at Jazz’s grandmother’s house.”
“Your parents? Your overprotective parents?”
“They know Jazz is out of town. They figure it’s safe.”
“Yeah, but… with his aunt?” Co
“Oh, that. They think she’s an ugly old crone.” He shrugged. “This might be because I told them she was an ugly old crone. I’m not entirely sure. Man, it’s been a while since I’ve been here….”
The spot where Jazz’s childhood home used to be was marked out by a series of stakes with caution tape strung between them. A sign read NO TRESPASSING! Another read PRIVATE PROPERTY.
Finally, one read: THIS PROPERTY IS CONDEMNED.
Condemned. Yeah, in so many ways, really…