'They're afraid we might try to jump them, steal the parts.'
'Sure,' Eric said, standing up. 'And maybe they're right. Hell, maybe they are just trying to protect themselves. But chances are it's a setup. And it's just not worth the risk. I won't ask anybody to go out into the Dead Zone on something as lame as this. We're better off continuing to send out scouting patrols on our own, trying to find the parts we need.'
'But you've scoured the nearby area and haven't found anything yet,' Durham said.
'Lots of people want that kind of stuff. We'll just have to go farther away.'
'What about that risk?'
'There's such a thing as acceptable risk, Durham. And at least then we'll know what we're walking into. Good evening.'
Eric walked out of the room, snagging his bow and quiver on the way out.
Philip Marcus was sitting on a counter near the cash register, looking out the front door, when he saw Eric winding around the piles of books and displays of Bic pens. 'How'd it go in there?' he asked.
Eric smiled at him as he sailed by. 'Fine. Just fine.'
But Philip had seen that smile. He hopped off the counter and picked up his bow. Something was wrong. Terribly wrong.
13.
'Close your eyes.'
Eric hesitated. 'What?'
'Close your eyes. We have a surprise for you.' Annie pressed her fingertips against Eric's eyes to make sure they were closed. 'Timmy, bring it over.'
Eric heard movement, something being set on the desk in front of him, Timmy's familiar giggling. He smiled. Annie's cool fingers felt so good he was in no hurry for the surprise.
'Okay, give us your finger,' Annie said. 'And keep your eyes closed. Or else.'
Eric felt her lifting his right hand. Timmy's tiny hands were tugging at Eric's index finger. 'If you're planning on sticking my finger in an electrical socket, forget it. We won't have electricity for a couple more weeks.'
'Have faith, Dad,' Timmy said. 'Did I ever trick you once in my whole life?'
'You were the one who wanted me to do the high dive that day I lost my trunks.'
'I didn't know they'd come off. I was just a kid then.'
Eric laughed. 'Then?'
'Yeah. In a couple months I'll be thirteen. A teenager.'
'Enough, enough,' Annie said. 'Let's continue with the surprise. It's getting late and I don't want to use up all our candles.'
Eric's finger was guided through the air. He had to take a step forward to keep up with it. Finally it was lowered toward the desk and placed on a flat, plastic ridge. 'Okay, v can I open my eyes now?'
'Nope,' Annie said. 'First you have to press down with your finger. Hard.'
'Now?'
'Yes, now.'
Eric pressed the plastic ridge and it clicked down. A switch of some kind. A slight hiss and whirl. 'Now what? Is it supposed to-'
'It was twenty years ago today/Sgt. Pepper taught the band to play/They been going in and out of style…'
Eric opened his eyes and stared at the battered Panasonic tape recorder. 'Christ, it's the Beatles. Where did you get this?' He turned the volume up slightly. The sound was scratchy but strong.
Annie cupped her hands around her mouth and pretended to shout. 'A bit hard to explain over the noise, guv.'
Eric laughed, turned the volume down.
'These kids and their rock 'n' roll,' Annie winked at Timmy, shaking her head.
Timmy nodded sternly, imitating an adult, wagging a warning finger. 'Next it'll be sex and drugs. Kids today have no respect for traditional values.'
Eric mussed Timmy's hair. 'How'd you get to be such a smartass at twelve? Not from my side of the family. I was a sweet shy kid at your age.'
'Ha! That's not what Grandma said.' Timmy stopped abruptly, looking up at his father. He knew mentioning Grandma Maggie still made both his parents sad, and now he might have ruined all the fun they were having.
But Eric grinned and hugged Timmy to his hip. 'Well, there were one or two times that Grandma had to teach me some respect.'
'Hmmm,' Annie said, 'probably involving young girls in the neighborhood.'
'We did play a lot of doctor when I was a kid. I was Ben Casey, brash but brilliant young surgeon. Little Debbie Morganslicht always wanted me to take her appendix out.'
'And of course she had to disrobe.'
Eric shrugged. 'After all, it was major surgery. I must have removed that sucker a hundred times that summer. Until Mom caught me giving a post-op exam in the garage.'
'That must've put a dent in your medical career.'
'Well, I never did figure out why she looked so different than I did. It wasn't until a couple years later that Debbie and I finally discovered the answers.'
'Hey, you guys,' Timmy jumped in. 'You shouldn't be talking that way in front of a kid like me.'
'A kid like you? If I'd been as smart as you when I was your age, I'd have run for president instead of the garage.' Eric hugged Timmy again, tickling him in the ribs. Timmy laughed and squirmed. Eric leaned over and kissed Annie on the lips. 'Thanks, guys.'
Annie held up her hands. 'As much as I'd like to take credit here, I'm afraid I had nothing to do with this. It was all Timmy and Jennifer. They did everything.'
'Mostly Jenny,' Timmy said, knowing his dad would be pleased with his modesty. 'She found the tape recorder in the library under one of the study tables. It had headphones attached but they were busted.' Eric laughed. 'Another student studying hard.'
'It wasn't working right, so she got Rydell Grimme to fix it. I think she's got a crush on him. But don't worry, she's still very naive about relationships.'
Eric and Annie exchanged glances. 'Thanks for the reassurance,' Eric said.
'That's okay. Anyway, Rydell fixed it. In the meantime I traded my last pack of Carefree peppermint gum for a couple Duracell batteries from Troy's bike light. Well, the details don't count, but Rydell managed to use the library taping equipment and the batteries to record the only Beatles album that the library still had.'
'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.'
'Right. And there was still enough juice in the batteries to run the recorder, but probably not for long, so better save it for when you really need a shot of Beatles.'
Eric stared at the recorder, watching the tape in the cassette spin. The words drifted in from a distance. 'Follow her down to a bridge by a fountain/'Where rocking horse people eat marshmallow pies.' He felt Annie's arm sliding around his waist. She was smiling, the way she always did when something Family was going on. The thing was, Eric knew he was smiling the same way. He looked down at Timmy. 'Thanks, kid. Best present I ever got.'
'Ever?'
'Ever.'
Timmy grinned a wide, cheek-bursting grin.
'In fact,' Eric announced. 'I think we should go over to see Jennifer right now and tell her so.'
Annie hesitated. 'It's a bit late, Eric. They might not let us in at the hospital.'
'Nonsense. Nothing like a little music to cheer up the sick. Besides, we'll only stay a couple minutes. Long enough for me to kiss her thanks, anyway.' He leaned over her ear. 'And maybe find a babysitter for Timmy.'
'I heard that,' Timmy said. 'Aren't you guys a little old to still be thinking about sex?'
