Dead Girl Moon Read Online Free Page B
Author: Charlie Price
listening. He didn’t tell her much about himself, wouldn’t say anything that led to questions about his dad or why they moved all the time. Word gets around. His father’d drummed that into him. As for Mick, he didn’t have anything to say worth hearing. He read a lot? He wanted to play ball? That sounded lame. He couldn’t think of something he’d done that he was proud of. He could think of several things he hoped she’d never find out. Him telling her that he was ready to settle down, make this town his home? Too weird. Really, there was nothing to say.
Before they went back to their places for the night, she pointed at the moon. “This one’s the Snowcone,” she said. Mick didn’t understand. Didn’t know then that she named each one.
At the edge of the bushes, he checked the parking lot for cops before he left cover. Old habit. Silly, probably, but he was still a little gun-shy. When Mick thought about it he didn’t see how anybody could have followed them here. He knew his dad didn’t ever tell getaway plans. Always used cash. No way to trace them except for the car, and his dad had lifted Montana plates from an abandoned wreck outside of Plains.
9
W ITHIN DAYS M ICK HAD MET everyone in their compound. His front door looked across the flat dirt lot to willows edging the river. The Stovalls’ trailer sat downriver a hundred feet to the right, an old Chevy station wagon with flat tires parked to the side of its porch. Gary and his drunk wife, Tina, their son, Jon, JJ, and Grace, all squeezed in the single-wide. Gary seemed decent enough. Stoned. Did his electronic work on the foldout kitchen table. Kept his jays in a ziplock beside him along with Visine for red-eye. Mick didn’t know then that he made most of his money on weed, selling ounces out of his kitchen.
Tina was beautiful. Or had been beautiful. Now she wore housecoats, forgot to comb her hair. Slurring and sleepy whenever Mick saw her. Mostly stayed on the living room couch in easy reach of a drink and a small TV. Jon had a short daybed just to the left of the front door. Gary could work and watch him at the same time. Gary tried to keep the kid quiet with meds. Jon learned to cheek them. Made for a daily battle.
JJ and Grace shared the bedroom off the living room; Gary and Tina had the one on the other side of the kitchen. One big happy mega-baked family, except JJ didn’t use and if Grace did, she hid it.
Left from Mick’s front door, directly across the lot from the Stovalls, was Ms. Crabtree’s double-wide. Her trailer had an elevated deck where you could see the black water of the Clark Fork and the tree-covered mountains beyond. She told Mick to call her Dovey and invited him in for a cookie. She looked older than rock. Said she’d been Sanders County clerk since the early seventies. She was easy to talk to, soft-spoken, unhurried. Said she’d thought about sending some banana bread over but didn’t want to intrude. Asked what Mick’s dad did, and accepted “mechanic” without more questions. Mick could tell by the way she looked at him, her steadiness, she would be a hard lady to fool. Must have seen a lot over the years.
* * *
Grace Herick, he’d run into after school. Nice! She was sharp-faced, with dry straw-colored hair, and some freckles. Not pretty, exactly, but she looked you right in the eye like she was daring you to give her any grief. Didn’t smile much. Had a don’t-tread-on-me attitude with sarcasm or a mini-smirk that made it seem like she could be wicked. He tried not to stare or get caught staring, but the more he looked the more attractive she seemed. Her gray eyes? Her lean strength? Something. She moved right … From the start, Mick wanted to get on her good side. And he could relate. She was more guarded than he was.
10
A COUPLE OF WEEKS after they moved in, his father asked if Mick had seen a red Chrysler hanging around. The kind with the big wheels. That was a new one. The
Before they went back to their places for the night, she pointed at the moon. “This one’s the Snowcone,” she said. Mick didn’t understand. Didn’t know then that she named each one.
At the edge of the bushes, he checked the parking lot for cops before he left cover. Old habit. Silly, probably, but he was still a little gun-shy. When Mick thought about it he didn’t see how anybody could have followed them here. He knew his dad didn’t ever tell getaway plans. Always used cash. No way to trace them except for the car, and his dad had lifted Montana plates from an abandoned wreck outside of Plains.
9
W ITHIN DAYS M ICK HAD MET everyone in their compound. His front door looked across the flat dirt lot to willows edging the river. The Stovalls’ trailer sat downriver a hundred feet to the right, an old Chevy station wagon with flat tires parked to the side of its porch. Gary and his drunk wife, Tina, their son, Jon, JJ, and Grace, all squeezed in the single-wide. Gary seemed decent enough. Stoned. Did his electronic work on the foldout kitchen table. Kept his jays in a ziplock beside him along with Visine for red-eye. Mick didn’t know then that he made most of his money on weed, selling ounces out of his kitchen.
Tina was beautiful. Or had been beautiful. Now she wore housecoats, forgot to comb her hair. Slurring and sleepy whenever Mick saw her. Mostly stayed on the living room couch in easy reach of a drink and a small TV. Jon had a short daybed just to the left of the front door. Gary could work and watch him at the same time. Gary tried to keep the kid quiet with meds. Jon learned to cheek them. Made for a daily battle.
JJ and Grace shared the bedroom off the living room; Gary and Tina had the one on the other side of the kitchen. One big happy mega-baked family, except JJ didn’t use and if Grace did, she hid it.
Left from Mick’s front door, directly across the lot from the Stovalls, was Ms. Crabtree’s double-wide. Her trailer had an elevated deck where you could see the black water of the Clark Fork and the tree-covered mountains beyond. She told Mick to call her Dovey and invited him in for a cookie. She looked older than rock. Said she’d been Sanders County clerk since the early seventies. She was easy to talk to, soft-spoken, unhurried. Said she’d thought about sending some banana bread over but didn’t want to intrude. Asked what Mick’s dad did, and accepted “mechanic” without more questions. Mick could tell by the way she looked at him, her steadiness, she would be a hard lady to fool. Must have seen a lot over the years.
* * *
Grace Herick, he’d run into after school. Nice! She was sharp-faced, with dry straw-colored hair, and some freckles. Not pretty, exactly, but she looked you right in the eye like she was daring you to give her any grief. Didn’t smile much. Had a don’t-tread-on-me attitude with sarcasm or a mini-smirk that made it seem like she could be wicked. He tried not to stare or get caught staring, but the more he looked the more attractive she seemed. Her gray eyes? Her lean strength? Something. She moved right … From the start, Mick wanted to get on her good side. And he could relate. She was more guarded than he was.
10
A COUPLE OF WEEKS after they moved in, his father asked if Mick had seen a red Chrysler hanging around. The kind with the big wheels. That was a new one. The
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