Her eyes darkened. “What is with that kid? I see him everywhere. Him and his stupid snake.”
“Snake?” Black and I asked at the same time.
“Yeah.” She frowned. “Snake. You haven’t seen him around town riding on that stupid skateboard wearing it around his neck? He also gets this sick sort of thrill every time he walks into the supermarket. Likes to scare the older Black lady, Mrs. O’Neal, when she checks him out. He always pulls it off his neck and wraps it around his wrist when he hands her his card.”
“Prick,” I muttered, looking at Black. “You think that it’s related?”
“What’s related?” Constance asked.
I gestured to the room. “Let’s go get dressed.”
Five minutes later, we were dressed and standing on the front porch talking to Black.
The crowd had dispersed after Constance had shown her face and let everyone know that she was more than all right.
“The only one there was Pendelton’s kid,” I murmured. “Where did all those other people come from?”
“When I got to the school, he was in the gas station causing a ruckus. Telling everyone that would listen that you kidnapped her and forced her into your car against her will,” Black added.
“Well, he wasn’t far from the truth.” Constance rolled her eyes. “I wasn’t necessarily willing at the time.”
My grin was not the correct response, but she only whacked me on the arm when she saw it.
Movement caught our eyes, and soon Pendelton’s kid was marching up the walk toward us, looking furious. “You’re just going to let him get away with this?”
“Listen, kid,” Black grumbled. “She’s here willingly. What would you have me do?”
“She’s not willing!” the kid denied.
“I am,” Constance said softly, moving in closer to me. “I was just in a bad mood. Some asshole dumped some dogs off at our house today, and they were scary. Forced me to be late to my daughter’s lunch. And we got in a fight last night. It was all very innocent. I’m sorry you were involved at all.”
Maybe if you were in school like you should be this wouldn’t have happened…
Though I didn’t voice those thoughts.
His eyes narrowed, and he studied me with an intensity that made me uncomfortable.
I moved even closer to Constance.
“Hey, Eustace,” Black called out. “You have a snake?”
Eustace.
I hadn’t realized that was his name.
“Yes,” he asked warily, stiffening.
“Where is it?”
“At home,” he stammered. “I, uh, stopped carrying him around when someone got upset about it in the store.”
Doubtful.
I’d seen him and that snake literally everywhere. And he had never seemed to care before about anyone not liking it.
Except, the way he kept looking at Constance made me wonder if he’d stopped carrying the snake around because she hadn’t liked him terrorizing people with the snake.
Had something happened that she hadn’t shared?
