side of the truck, looking at the wrapped body in the bed, neither of them moving or talking.
He started playing Johnny Cash?s ?Sunday Morning Sidewalk.? The mandolin sounded sweet and sad and nostalgic.
The Indians finally climbed into the truck?s cab, cranked it, and drove slowly away from the ruin and ash.
* * *
Lizzy and Nikki had argued off and on about it all night. Lizzy stuck to her guns. They couldn?t leave Middle Sister twisting in the wind.
It pleased Lizzy to catch Big Sister in the web of her own argument. All that stuff about families sticking together. If Nikki didn?t let Lizzy go after Middle Sister, then Nikki?s words would be exposed as empty rhetoric and manipulation. If there was anything Nikki hated, it was being shown up. Throwing Nikki?s own words back in her face was the perfect way to get under Big Sister?s skin. Lizzy knew it was stupid, knew on some level that she was still so young and immature and silly to delight in the petty victory over her sister.
Nevertheless, she felt smug and pleased as her Southwest Airlines flight touched down in Tulsa. She had only carry-on so bypassed baggage claim and picked up her rental car keys at the Avis counter. Nikki, in her annoyingly efficient way, had produced a false driver?s license and Visa card saying Nikki was twenty-five, so she could rent a car and handle expenses.
When Lizzy walked out of the airport, the heat hit her like a punch in the face.
She found her rental and followed the rental agent?s directions to Highway 75 going north. She recalled Big Sister?s instructions. Go find Meredith. Nothing else. She hadn?t come all the way to Oklahoma to pick a fight. She didn?t have any weapons anyway. Nikki knew how to contact people, pick up weapons in a hurry without the bother of a background check or a waiting period. Lizzy didn?t have that kind of experience. She?d have to make do with her natural viciousness.
So she drove out to the wilds of Oklahoma. She would find her sister if possible. Nikki had sent her to find their sister. Sure. She?d do her best. What Nikki didn?t know was that Lizzy had absolutely no intention of returning home.
* * *
Jack Sprat picked up his twittering cell phone and hit the TALK button. ?Yeah, love??
?The sister went to the airport,? Mavis said. They didn?t want to move in on the woman until he knew who else was in the house, so they?d been watching, waiting for the right circumstances.
?Okay,? Jack said. ?Go back to the house and keep watch.?
?I?m hungry.?
?Now, darling, you know you?re in training.?
?I need protein. Bring me a Lucky Dog.? The French Quarter was lousy with bums pushing hot dog carts. Mavis had unfortunately fallen in love with the bloated tubes of rancid meat.
?Darling, it?s not healthy to??
?LUCKY DOG!?
?Okay, okay,? Jack said. ?Give me thirty minutes, love.?
?Jack.?
?Yes, love.?
?I want to go to Hollywood.?
Jack sighed, but tried not to let her hear. ?We?ve talked about this, darling love. We?re not movie people. We need a live audience. We need to hear the applause.?
?I want to be in films, damn you.?
