Endless Night Part 23

Dad waved Andy over to him. "Come and take a look. The car's just pulling into the driveway."

Andy stepped up beside him. As they both peered out the window, Dad put a hand on the boy's shoulder.

A car door thudded.

"It's him, all right," Andy said.

"Okay." They stepped away from the window. "Both of you stand back," he said. He watched them until they'd retreated a fair distance into the living room. Then he turned to the door and swung it open.

Stopping at the threshold, Andy's uncle smiled nervously and ducked his head forward. "Jack Fargo?"

"That's me." He took a huge step forward and swung out his right hand.

"I'm Wilson Spaulding, Andy's uncle." Wilson's head bobbed continuously as he spoke, and didn't stop bobbing when he finished. He had a nasal voice, droopy eyes and almost no chin at all. He was short and gangly. His chest was as sunken as his chin, and he seemed to be hunching his shoulders forward as if trying to conceal its absence. Perched on his head was a white cap with an emblem including crossed golf clubs. He wore a blue polo s.h.i.+rt; white shorts; knee socks that matched his s.h.i.+rt; and big, black leather lace-up shoes.

Man, Jody thought.

"Glad you made it here so fast," Dad said, towing him into the house.

Wilson grinned and bobbed. "I'm nothing if not prompt."

What a goofball, Jody thought.

"And there you are," Wilson said. He pointed a finger at Andy and shuffled toward him.

Andy stiffened a little as if determined to stand his ground. "Hi, Uncle w.i.l.l.y."

The skinny arms wrapped around him. Wilson started slapping his back. "What a terrible, terrible thing. You poor boy, you poor boy." Wilson turned toward Dad, still hugging Andy and maneuvering him like a dance partner. "We were devastated by the news, Jack. Devastated. Absolutely terrible."

"At least Andy made it through," Dad told him. "And my Jody here."

"So this is Jody."

He let go of Andy and scuttled toward her, arms out, a weird, sad grin on his face. "I know all about you, Jody. Yes I do."

She stood her ground.

Andy gave her a look. It seemed to say, Now let's see how you like it.

Wilson flung his arms around her and pulled her against him. He felt all crooked and bony. He patted her back and rubbed it. "Jody Jody Jody. You're the one. We might very well have lost our Andy if you hadn't been such a little hero." He pushed her away and clutched her shoulders and bobbed his head in front of her nose. "I thank you. My wife thanks you."

"And I thank you," Andy called out.

She wanted to pound him.

Wilson's eyes, already red and bulging, seemed to swell even farther out of their sockets. "And I understand it on good authority that you actually dispatched one of the murderers."

"Sort of," she murmured.

"What a charmer! What a little charmer! Oh, Jack, you're such a lucky man to have such a daughter."

"Yes, sir. I know it." He suddenly appeared beside Wilson, wrapped a hand around the man's skinny forearm, and led him aside.

Thank you, Father!

"Would you like to stick around for a while and have some hamburgers before you start back?"

"I'd be delighted, Jack."

"How about a drink?"

"Double delighted."

Dad walked him toward the kitchen. "Name your poison, Wilson."

"Call me w.i.l.l.y, Jack. But not Wee w.i.l.l.y-I hate that."

Jody and Andy looked at each other. Andy swung his eyes toward the ceiling. Jody shook her head. They followed the two men, keeping a distance.

"Wee w.i.l.l.y," Wilson said. "That's what they always called me. I bet you got a lot of that yourself."

"Wee w.i.l.l.y?" Dad sounded confused. "Me?"

"Ha! No! Wells Fargo. Didn't they always call you Wells Fargo? Or maybe Stagecoach? Or maybe Banker? Or Piggy-bank?"

Jody elbowed Andy. Andy looked as if he was pained by the notion of being related to such a man.

"They never called me anything like that," Dad said.

"Well, I can't understand why not, with a name like Fargo."

"Maybe they didn't figure it'd be safe."

"Safe! Ho! Very good."

Jody took hold of Andy's arm. She stopped walking, and halted him beside her. "Hey Dad, if you don't need us right now, would it be all right if we leave?"

"Fine," he called back. "Just remember what I said about windows."

"Okay," she called to him. Then she pulled Andy after her. "Let's get out of here."

Side by side, they limped to her bedroom. She led him in, then shut the door. She pressed her back to it. "I don't want to speak ill of your relatives, Andy, but that guy ..."

"You oughta be glad he didn't do this to you." Andy caught her cheek between his thumb and the side of his forefinger. Then he squeezed it and shook it.

"Hey." She knocked his hand away. "What is he again? Your mother's sister's husband."

"Right."

"Good. That's lucky for you. He's not a blood relation, so there's no chance your kids might turn out like him."

"No way."

"Thank G.o.d."

Andy leaned in toward her. "What's your big interest in how my kids'll turn out?"

"Oh, give me a break."

"Huh?" He pushed his hands against the door on both sides of her head, then leaned even closer. His head was tilted back so he could look her in the eyes. "Do you have any weird relatives?"

"No Wee w.i.l.l.y."

"Then we don't have to worry, do we?"

"Worry?"

He winked at her twice with his right eye. "About our kids being freako nerds."

"Our kids? You're twelve years old, hot shot."

"I won't always be."

"Don't count on it."

The wild silly gleam vanished suddenly from his eyes.

"Hey," Jody said. "I'm sorry. I was just kidding around. You won't always be twelve."

"I might be. They might kill me before my birthday."

"n.o.body's gonna kill you."

"Maybe it wouldn't be so bad," he muttered.

"What? Being killed? Don't count on it. For one thing, it's gotta hurt."

"Maybe for a while. Then it'd be over, though. You know? And then nothing would hurt anymore. Not ever."

"Hey, cut it out."

"And I'd be with Mom and Dad and Evelyn."

"Yeah, I guess so." She put a hand behind his head and eased his face toward her. His forehead pushed lightly against the tip of her nose. His breath felt hot on her throat. "Do you know what happened to my mother?"

"Just... you know ... that she's dead."

"She got killed when I was in second grade."

"Was she murdered?"

"She got run over by a car."

"Yuck."

"It was so weird. It was all because she went to a place called the Longlife Health and Nutrition Center. She was a real health nut, and this was where she always bought all her special vitamins. She came out with a whole bagful of stuff. But she must've wondered about something, because they said she was reading the label on a bottle of pills when she stepped off the curb. The heel of her shoe got hung up and she tripped. She stumbled past where our car was parked and ... She ended up falling flat right in front of a moving car. That's how she got killed."

"That's awful," Andy said in a small voice.

"Yeah."

"Were you there? Did you see it?"

"No. I was in school."

"Oh, man."

"I just wanted you to know. Things happen, you know? Really bad things. But ... like ... I still miss her and everything, but not all the time. Things'll get better for you, Andy. It won't always be this bad. So don't talk about crazy stuff, okay? You don't want to die. I don't want you to die. It'd wreck me."

He raised his face, looked her in the eyes, blinked. "It would?"

"Sure."

"Why?"

"Because."

"You do love me, don't you?"

She thought about it for a moment, then answered, "Sure I do. Now, let's get out of here before you start in on kids again. Because I'm not having kids with you, so you might as well forget it."

"If you say so." He made a sad attempt at a smile. "You can always change your mind, though. Know what I mean?"

"Don't hold your breath. Come on, let's see how Dad's coming with the burgers."

Chapter Seventeen.

Dad used the back yard barbecue, after all. He and Andy's uncle were both outside, but soon came in with a platter full of hamburgers. Dad carried the platter and a Pepsi can. w.i.l.l.y had a gla.s.s containing a crushed wedge of lime and the remains of several ice cubes.

"Can I get you a refill?" Dad asked.

Good idea, Jody thought. Get him plowed, so then maybe they'll have to stay.