'Good. It's all bullshit, you know. It's all the official pious crap.'
'That's my memory of it,' I said.
'So I don't know why they did it. But everyone's walking around, barely able to stand it, and'- she shrugged-'these guys went kaboom, I guess.'
'Anything set them off?'
'I don't know,' White Top said.
'You, Janey.'
'No clue,' Pink Top said.
'Anyone in here knew them well?'
'Guys at that table played football with Dell,' White Shirt said.
'Grant,' I said.
'Yeah.'
Pink Top swung her stool all the way around, which, given the shortness of her skirt, was pretty daring, and said, 'Hey, Carly.'
She was too young to interest me, but she got Carly's attention.
'This is the guy old man Garner warned us about.'
'No shit,' Carly said.
She was not too young for him. He admired her legs visibly as he walked over.
'This is Carly Simon,' Pink Top said. 'This here is ... I forgot your name.'
'Spenser,' I said.
I took some cards from my top pocket and gave one to each of them.
'Name's Carl Simone,' he said. 'Everybody calls me Carly.'
Carly was a prototype prep-school football player. He might even play small college ball, but would never beyond that. He was short and muscular with a thick neck. He probably weighed 160 pounds.
'Carly's the football captain,' Pink Top said.
'Running back?' I said.
'Yeah. Deep back out of a pro set. We went seven and two last year.'
'And Wendell Grant was an offensive lineman,' I said.
'Left tackle.'
'Know him well?'
'On the field,' Carly said.
'And off?'
'Off,' Carly said, 'he was a creepy fucker.'
He said fucker sort of aggressively, to see if I would react. I maintained my composure.
'How so,' I said.
'He hung with all townies,' Carly said.
'Dowling's a day school, isn't it?' I said. 'Aren't you all townies?'
'We're all from around here. But there's the kids go to Dowling. And the kids go to the Regional.'
'Which is?' I said.
'High Meadow Regional,' White Top said. 'It's in Mclwood.'
'And you don't mix?' I said.
'Not much,' Carly said.
'How about Jared Clark?' I said.
'Nobody knew him,' Carly said. 'That I know.'
'He wasn't an asshole,' Pink Top said. 'He was just, like, not there, you know?'
'He didn't seem interested in anything the rest of us were interested in,' White Top said.
'Anyone know him better?'
'Nobody I know,' Carly said.
He looked at the two girls. They shook their heads.
'So where do the townies hang out?' I said.
'Place called the Rocks,' Carly said. 'Down back of the park, by the lake. They go over there, smoke some
