She took a step toward it, and the deer bolted deep into the woods. ?I?ve never seen one. Out in the wild, I mean.? She started walking after it.
Andrew followed. ?They?re all over the place. Other animals too.?
?I want to see.?
?What about??? She didn?t seem too broken up about her sister. She?d claimed not to like her. Still
?I want to see animals. I want to see everything I?ve never seen before.?
They climbed the ridge, Lizzy stopping to ask the names of birds and Andrew admitting he had no idea at all.
31
By the time Enrique Mars reached the house, he was nearly ready to collapse. The sun baked him. His feet screamed pain. His throat was so dry, he was unable to utter a single word. He wanted water, food, and sleep, in that order.
He twisted the knob on the front door. It was open, and he went inside. He tossed caution over his shoulder and found the kitchen. He didn?t care who might be home. It wasn?t important. Nothing mattered but water. He turned on the faucet, stuck his head underneath, and gulped. The water splashed cool in his mouth, down his throat. He splashed some on his face and the back of his neck and sighed.
He opened cabinets until he found a large plastic cup. He filled it, and drank more water. He opened the refrigerator, grabbed a large chunk of chedder cheese wrapped in wax paper. He unwrapped it and took a huge bite, swallowed. He took out bread and a jar of pickles. So many choices. A leftover slab of lasagna covered in aluminum foil. He found a fork and dug in.
More water.
Enrique Mars felt almost human again.
Time to take in his surroundings. The sound of water shutting off grabbed his attention. Someone had either just run a bath or just gotten out of the shower upstairs.
He wasn?t alone in the house.
* * *
Jack looked around the dingy motel room. Mavis deserved better than this. When they finished the job and got the money, they?d pack up and go to California. It was what she wanted, even if the thought of Hollywood made him a bit ill.
He sat on the bed, doing his stretching exercises. He brought one leg up and behind his head, then the other. He was forty-one years old. How long would he be able to do this? Soon his joints would give in to age.
Mavis sat by the table near the window. She was working on her sixth Lucky Dog. So greasy. It was enough to make Jack go vegetarian. Time to worry about their health later.
?How did the security look, love??
Mavis smacked her lips, wiped her mouth with a towel. ?It?s an older system. No problem.?
?Right.?
The old girl was a whiz with wires and electronics and whatnot. Occasionally, when the money got tight, they?d case a house in a fancy neighborhood. She?d handle the alarm system, and he?d squeeze in through an upstairs window, grabbing whatever jewelry or other valuables might be lying about.
But they wouldn?t be grabbing loot this go-around. Mavis might break the Sheila?s neck or maybe Jack would slip a knife between her ribs. Go in quiet and get out the same way. Get paid and head to Hollywood.
Mavis burped, and the room smelled like Lucky Dog.
* * *
Mike Foley crossed the state line into Louisiana, and the first fat splats of rain pelted the Caddy?s windshield. He pulled into an Amoco station and put up the car?s roof. He resumed driving, jaw set, eyes hard, hands on the wheel at ten and two.
