Nobody's Sorry You're Dead

78

Hadley picked Beanie up at eight sharp. He had his pillow. She had a backseat full of snacks and a gallon jar of brewed coffee. She preferred her java piping hot, but in a pinch, cold coffee would do.

Beanie would not complain. She brought enough sugar to turn his into syrup.

She let the car coast down the road near Rayna's house. In the darkness, the lights in Rayna's windows looked like golden squares of warmth and hominess. Hadley rolled her windows down.

"What are we doing, Hadley?" Beanie asked.

"We're on surveillance, Bean."

"Who's that?" Beanie asked. "I never heard of no Sir Valences living around here."

"We're watching," Hadley said.

"Watching for what?" Beanie asked.

"Shooting stars," Hadley said.

"Oh," said Beanie. "Which star is named Sir Valence, Hadley?"

"That big one over there," Hadley said, pointing to the right. "But don't quote me on that, okay. Harry was the stargazer, not me. You want something to eat?"

"If I eat now," Beanie said, "I'll have a full belly. The next thing I'll want to do is doze off. I always doze off if my belly's full at night, Hadley."

"Feel free to eat and snooze, Beanie."

Beanie ate his fill. He yawned, content and satisfied.

"If you see a shooting star, will you wake me up?" Beanie asked.

"I sure will."

Beanie fluffed his pillow and was sawing logs minutes later.

Hadley pulled out Harry's binoculars. Useless in the dark. There was a sliver of a moon. It provided some light, but not enough to distinguish much more than Rayna's house and a few large trees.

Shoot, thought Hadley.

She would never be able to tell if Teddy Croft was lurking around. But she dare not park closer. How would she explain the fact that she and Beanie were staking out Rayna's house?

"Morning, Hadley," Rayna said, standing beside Hadley's opened window. "You and Beanie get lost?"

"Ah, no," said Hadley.

"We wuz . . ."

Beanie started to explain that they were only watching for shooting stars, but Hadley's hand on his leg hushed him instantly. It was their signal, Hadley's and Beanie's, long ago agreed upon, to keep Beanie out of trouble.

"Actually, I woke up really early this morning with a hankering for a peck of apricots. I drove over here first thing, with Beanie, and realized it was way too early for me to knock on your door and ask if you were picking, today. Guess me and Beanie just settled down in the car and nodded off."

"Why, yes, Hadley," Rayna said. "We will be picking this morning. But why didn't you just call?"

"Hadley's been hanging around me too long. I rub off on folks that way," said Beanie.

Hadley breathed a sigh of relief. Sometimes, Beanie voiced the wisdom of the ages.

"Richie should be coming back with some, shortly," Rayna said. "Wait at the shed. He'll take care of you."

"Thanks," Hadley said, driving her car to the shed as Richie was driving up with the tractor and a load of fruit.

"Hey, Hadley," Richie said.

"I need a peck of apricots, Richie," Hadley said.

"They're beautiful this year. And a bumper crop, too," Richie said.

"They are, Richie."

Hadley handed Richie the money.

"I haven't got the money box out of the house, yet," Richie said. "I owe you seventy-three cents."

"Keep it as a tip, Richie," Hadley said.

"Thanks, Miz Pell. Save the pits. Mama does all the time. You can grow good trees from them."

"Thanks, Richie. I will," Hadley said.

"What you gonna do with all those?" Beanie asked.

"I'm going to cook them into cakes and pies," Hadley said.

"All of them?" Beanie asked.

"No, Beanie. I'm saving six of the best ones just for you. Here," she said, counting out six prize apricots. "But mind you, don't eat them all at once. You'll get the runs."

"Runs are no fun, Hadley."

"Definitely not," Hadley said, steering the car toward home.