Chapter 2

Mom.

“David?”

“Mom?”

“What comes next?”

“I don’t know. What do you want to do?”

She gave that about a five second think, snapped her fingers and said, “I’m going out in the back yard and start a garden.”

“It’s after midnight.”

“Best time to dig ... a garden.”

‘A garden’ was flat voiced and lacking any emotion.

Then she said, “I’ll need you to hold the flashlight. Jackie ... go to bed.”

Jackie is my sister ... younger sister ... by two hours. According to mom ... Jacqueline was a difficult birth... ‘and she’s been difficult ever since.’

“Mom?” Jackie can wheedle with the best of ‘em.

“Go to bed ... what you don’t know might keep you alive.”

“Ooo ... secrets. It’s okay ... David will tell me.” She looked her ‘difficult’ look. “Won’t you, Dave.” Not a question ... a foregone conclusion ... then her ‘in the bag’ look.

Erk

“Did you say something, Dave?”

“A belch. Just a burp.”

She smiled and headed for bed.

“We need the shovel from the basement.”

“The shovel is in the garage.”

“Not the one we want.” She opened the cellar door... “And two towels, the three pound hammer and a garbage bag. a big one. The hammer is under the sink.”

That came with a look.

I’ve seen that look before ... the one that says, ‘DON’T QUESTION ... just do it.’

There is only one answer to that ... don’t answer. Just nod and do it. I did. I fetched ... and carried.

Mom said, “Jackie is watching from the hall. I shoulda killed her when you two were born. You are the best son ... she is the worst brat.”

“She suffers from an excess of estrogen.”

“Yes ... and I am jealous.”

Mom is no slouch ... but Jackie is the ideal idea of every male in town ... married, single or gay. If I could charge a buck everytime some fella said, ‘God, your sister is hot’ ... I’d be a multi-millionaire.

Mom started down the stair, “Put the hammer on the third step ... the squeeky one.”

I did.

“The towels at the bottom.”

“Yes ma’am.” I shook the bag.

“If she falls we’ll need the bag for the body.”

EEP

She walked over to the work bench and took a welding rod out of the hipbag and an icepick off the bench, counted the bricks in the southwall...

Our house is really old ... and huge. The foundation is triple layer brick ... not poured concrete or blocks. The construction must have been expensive because there has never been a crack or chip in any wall and never a sag in the house floor or a swayback in the roof.

... she found the brick she wanted ... used the icepick to pry a perfect piece brick out and shoved the rod in the hole. She pushed.