Once there was an outbreak of nits at school, and the nit nurse came around. I didn’t get them, but my best friend Siobhan did, and she told me what it was like.”
“I know what you mean,” said Banks. The nit nurse had visited his school on more than one occasion, too, and he hadn’t always been as lucky as Chelsea. “Go on.”
“Well, that’s what I felt at first, then I thought I heard a noise.”
“What sort of noise?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Behind me. Just like there was somebody there. A jacket brushing against the wall, perhaps. Something like that.”
“Did you hear any music?”
“No.”
“What about footsteps?”
“No, more of a swishing sound like your jeans or your tights make sometimes when you walk.”
“All right,” said Banks. “What did you do next?”
“I wanted to run, but something told me to slow down and turn around, so that’s what I was doing when . . . when . . .” She put her fist to her mouth.
“It’s all right, Chelsea,” said Banks. “Take a few deep breaths.
That’s right. No hurry. Take your time.”
“That was when I saw him.”
“How close was he?”
“I don’t know. A few feet, maybe five or six. But I know I felt that if I turned and ran right then I’d be able to get away from him.”
“Why didn’t you run?”
“I had to get my shoes off first, and by then . . . He wasn’t the only one there. And we were sort of frozen. I couldn’t move. It’s hard to explain. He stopped when he knew I’d seen him, and he looked . . . I F R I E N D O F T H E D E V I L
2 7 7
don’t know . . . I mean, he wasn’t wearing a mask or anything. It was dark but my eyes had adjusted. I know this sounds, well, stupid and all, but he was really good-looking, and his face, you know, his expression, it was
“Did he say anything?”
“No. He . . . he was just going to open his mouth to say something when . . .”
“Go on,” said Banks. “What happened?”
She hugged her knees tighter. “It was all so fast and like slow motion at the same time. All such a blur. I saw a movement behind him, another figure.”
“Did you see a face?”
“No.”
“Was it wearing a mask?”
“No. Maybe a scarf or something, covering the mouth, like when you come back from the dentist’s in the cold. I got the impression that most of the face was covered anyway. It’s funny, I remember thinking even then, you know, it was like some avenging figure, like some su-perhero out of a comic book.”
“Was this figure taller or shorter than the man?”
“Shorter.”
“How much?”
“Maybe five or six inches.”
Templeton was five feet ten, which made his attacker around five-four or five-five, Banks calculated. “And what happened?”
“Like I said, it was all just a blur. This second figure reached in front, like you’d put your arm around someone’s neck if you were playing or messing about, and just sort of brushed its hand across the other’s neck, like . . .” She demonstrated on her own neck. “Really gently, like it was tickling.”
“Did you see a blade of any kind?”
“Something f lashed, but I didn’t really see what it was.”
“You’re doing really well, Chelsea,” said Banks. “Almost there.”
“Can I go home soon?”
“Yes,” said Banks. “Your parents are waiting for you down the hall.”
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R O B I N S O N
Chelsea pulled a face.
“Is that a problem?”
