Dog Days of Summer (Damned of the 2/19th Book Four) - Finished

A Cup of Tea for Thee

Alma McDaurn's House

Lewis County

United States of America

12 August, 1986

0035

"Matron Alma's residence, Anthony Stillwater speaking." I said into the phone.

There was a ringing silence for a long moment. I could feel the outraged shock over the phone lines, even though I couldn't see the other person. I lit a cigarette while Nancy motioned Matron Alma into the chair across from her husband. John slowly pulled the flash suppressor of the AR-15 from her husband's mouth, the metal coated with saliva.

"What are you doing there, Aodan?" Aunt Regina, AKA Matron Regan.

"Aodan isn't here." I said, still smiling at Aunt Alma.

"You need to leave Matron Alma's house and return to the farm so that you can be brought back into..." she was saying.

I hung up.

I took a drag off the cigarette and picked up an empty beer can out of the garbage to use as an ashtray.

"You'll pay for..." Matron Alma began.

Nancy slapped her across the back of the head.

The phone rang.

I picked it up.

"Aodan McDaurn..." Aunt Regina said, her voice full of iron authority that boys quickly got used to obeying.

I hung up again.

Exactly fifty-two seconds later the phone rang.

"Anthony speaking."

"Aodan..."

<click>

"Is there any way my wife and I..." my uncle started.

"Shut up and nothing will happen." Bomber said.

My uncle shut up.

I answered the phone when it rang.

"Anthony speaking."

"What do you..." My aunt started.

"Listen closely. If you speak, I will hang up." I snarled.

"Who do you..."

I slammed down the phone.

Twice more she spoke when I told her not to. Twice more I hung up.

The next time she shut her mouth.

"I thought you should know, Regina, that when I'm done with my next target, I'm going to kill all of your boys." I told her. "And I mean all of them."

"You wouldn't dare." She screamed into the phone. She expected me to hang up, but I waited a moment till she was done screaming at me.

"Every boy over the age of twelve, I'm going to kill." I told her softly. "But before that, I'm going to kill your oldest two daughters."

I hung up the phone and pulled the cord from between the base and the receiver, and hung up the receiver.

"Just sit there, don't try to answer the phone, and you'll live through this." I told Matron Alma.

She just nodded, holding together her nightgown.

"Let's go, we need to be at Matron Clionna's house in under twelve minutes if we're going to stay on schedule." I said.

Bomber and Nancy nodded.