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Philip drugged hie and I know Philip must have done it

"You should just stay," Barron says for theto drop hi

Philip puts out his cigarette on the alu and slips his shoulder under Grandad’s ar him back into the house," Barron says, and a look passes between theet hietting him into the car?"

"He’ll have sobered up some by then," I say

"What if he doesn’t?" Barron calls, but Philip walks toward the car door

For ato block my way, and I have no idea what I’ll do if he does He opens the door, though, and holds it while I heave Grandad inside and belt him in

As I pull out of the driveway, I look back at Philip, Barron, and Maura Relief floodsh it’s loud; the sound is turned all the way up I watch for the rise and fall of his chest to

"Hello?" I say, not even bothering to check who’s calling I wonder how far the hospital is and whether I should go

Philip and Barron wouldn’t kill Grandad And if they were planning on killing him, Philip wouldn’t poison him in his own kitchen And if he did, he sure as hell wouldn’t try and get uest rooht to myself over and over

"Can you hear"And Sa

I look at the clock on the dashboard "What’s wrong? It’s, like, three in theto her answer My ive so pills are the reat with booze too

I realize the other end of the line is expectantly silent "What?" I ask "Can you say that again?"

"I said your cat’s disgusting," she says slowly, clearly annoyed

"Is she okay? Is the cat okay?"

Sa "The cat’s fine, but there’s a little brown mouse on Daneca’s floor with its head ripped off Your cat killed our ," Daneca says

"The end? The one everyone’s been betting on for six months?"

"What happens if everybody loses a bet?" Saht Who the hell do we pay?"

"Who cares about that? What do I do?" Daneca says "The cat is just staring at me, and I think there’s blood on her mouth I look at her and see the deaths of hundreds ofup to ue like in an old cartoon I think she wants to eat ht you a present She wants you to tell her how badass she is"

"You are a tiny, tiny killing !" says Daneca She sounds delighted "Good kitty Who’s an aht! You are! You are a brutal, brutal tiny lion! Yes, you are"

Sa with you? Seriously"

"She likes it," Daneca says

"I hate to be the one to have to point this out to you," he says, "but she doesn’t understand what you’re saying"

"Maybe she does," I say "Who can tell, right? She’s purring"

"Whatever, dude So, do we keep the money?"

"It’s either that or release another ht, then," Sam says "We keep the money"

I drive the rest of the way home, unbuckle Grandad, and shake hih that he grunts and opens his eyes a little

"Mary?" he says, which freaks one a long tis are rubbery and he’s not ht into the bathroom and let hien peroxide and water

When he starts puking, I figure thatI wonder if this would be a good argu me back in

CHAPTER TWELVE

"HEY, GET UP," SOMEONE is saying I blink in confusion I a over me "You sleep like the dead"

"If the dead snored," says Barron "Hey, good job in here The living rooreat Cleaner than I’ve ever seen it"

Dread coils aroundme

I look over at Grandad He’s still passed out in the reclining chair with a bucket next to him Grandad was sick for hours, but he seemed fine by the tiht all the noise would have woken hi out frohan

"He’s fine," says Philip "I pro"

I am reassured by the rise and fall of Grandad’s chest As I watch him sleep for a moment I think I see his eyelids flicker

"You alorry," Barron mumbles "And ays tell you he’s fine They’re always fine Why do you worry so much?"