Page 5 (1/2)

"Came up as soon as I heard" Grandad’s voice is unmistakable He lives in a little town called Carney, in the Pine Barrens, and he’s picked up the trace of an accent there--or he’s let soraveyard where everyone already owns their plots and has built houses on top of them Practically no one in town isn’t a worker, and very few of the workers there are younger than sixty; it’s where they go to die

"We’re taking good care of hiure out if I’ure why he didn’t tell s because I was the youngest, but I kneas because they orkers and I wasn’t Even Grandad wasn’t coht be ato be an outsider

Murdering soh, froht have At least it proved I was capable of being a criminal

"Kid needs so to keep his hands busy"

"He needs a rest," Barron says "Besides, we don’t even knohat happened What if someone was after him? What if Zacharov found out what happened to Lila? He’s still looking for his daughter"

The thought ure it is Philip, but then Grandad says, "And he’s supposed to be safe with you two clowns?"

"Yeah," Philip says "We’ve kept hi"

I draw near to the stairs, squatting down on the balcony over the living room They must be in the kitchen, since I can hear theo down there and tell the to force them to involve me

"Maybe you don’t have ti howabout that wife of yours Think I can’t tell? And you shouldn’t be working her"

That stopsher?

"Leave Maura out of this," Philip says "You never liked her"

"Fine," Grandad says "None of h I just think you’ve got your hands full"

"He doesn’t want to go with you," Philip says I’ him what to do or Barron convinced him to let me stay after all

"What if Cassel was up on that roof ’cause he wanted to juh," Grandad says

"He’s not like that," says Barron "He’s kept his nose clean at that school Kid needs a rest, is all"

The door of the master bedrooown rides up on one hip I can see the corner of her underwear

She blinks but doesn’t seeht I heard voices Is so hard It takes"I heard voices too"

She looks too thin Her collarbones seeh her skin "The ht I’m afraid I won’t be able to hear the baby"

"Don’t worry," I say softly "He h I know the joke’s laer in the dark

She sits down besideher legs between the balusters of the stairs I can count the knobs of her spine "I’ to leave him, you know Philip"

I wonder what he’s done to her I’m pretty sure she doesn’t know she’s been worked, but if it’s a love curse, h it can take six or even eight months I wonder if I can ask her if she’s visited loves, but she could easily have picked out a few threads to let skin brush skin while saying good-bye "I didn’t know," I say

"Soon It’s a secret You’ll keep ht?"

I nod quickly

"How co "Kid brothers always get left out, right?" They’re still talking downstairs I can’t quite hear the words, but I’ht hear what they’re saying about her

"You’re not a good liar Philip’s good, but not you"

"Hey," I say, honestly offended "I am an excellent liar I am the finest liar in the history of liars"

"Liar," she says, a slow s across her face "Why did your parents call you Cassel?"

I’ant names Dad insisted that his first son be naot to na she wanted If she’d had her way, Philip would have been Jasper"