Needful Things - Stephen King [162]
And he held out his hand.
Everett shrank away from it. Leland Gaunt laughed cheerfully at this and stepped aside so the young Physician's Assistant could enter.
"I really can't stay-" Everett began, but he felt his feet carry him forward into the gloom of the shop as if they knew better.
"Of course not," Mr. Gaunt said. "The healer must be about his appointed rounds, releasing the chains of illness which bind the body and " His grin, a thing of raised eyebrows and clenched, jostling teeth, sprang forth. " and driving out those devils which bind the spirit. Am I right?"
"I guess so," Everett said. He felt a pang of unease as Mr.
Gaunt closed the door. He hoped his pipe would be all right.
Sometimes people broke into cars. Sometimes they did that even in broad daylight.
"Your pipe will be fine," Mr. Gaunt soothed. From his pocket he drew a plain envelope with one word written across the front.
The word was Lovey. "Do you remember promising to play a little prank for me, Dr. Frankel?"
"I'm not a doc-" Mr. Gaunt's eyebrows drew together in a way that made Everett cease and desist at once. He took half a step backward.
"Do you remember or don't you?" Mr. Gaunt asked sharply.
"You'd better answer me quickly, young man-I'm not as sure of that pipe as I was a moment ago."
"I remember!" Everett said. His voice was hasty and alarmed.
"Sally Ratcliffe! The speech teacher!"
The bunched center of Mr. Gaunt's more or less single eyebrow relaxed. Everett Frankel relaxed with it. "That's right. And the time has come to play that little prank, Doctor. Here."
He held out the envelope. Everett took it, being careful that his fingers should not touch Mr. Gaunt's as he did so.
"Today is a school holiday, but the young Miss Ratcliffe is in her office, updating her files," Mr. Gaunt said. "I know that's not on your way to the Burgmeyer farm-" "How do you know so much?" Everett asked in a dazed voice.
Mr. Gaunt waved this away impatiently. "-but you might make time to go by on your way back, yes?"
"I suppose-" "And since outsiders at a school, even when the students aren't there, are regarded with some suspicion, you might explain your presence by dropping in at the school nurse's office, yes?"
"If she's there, I guess I could do that," Everett said. "In fact, I really should, because-" -you still haven't picked up the vaccination records," Mr.
Gaunt finished for him. "That's fine. As a matter of fact she won't be there, but you don't know that, do you? just poke your head into her office, then leave. But on your way in or your way out, I want you to put that envelope in the car Miss Ratcliffe has borrowed from her young man. I want you to put it under the driver's seat but not entirely under. I want you to leave it with just a corner sticking out."
Everett knew perfectly well who "Miss Ratcliffe's young man" was: the high school Physical Education instructor. Given a choice, Everett would have preferred playing the trick on Lester Pratt rather than on his fiancee. Pratt was a beefy young Baptist who usually wore blue tee-shirts and blue sweat-pants with a white stripe running down the outside of each leg. He was the sort of fellow who exuded sweat and Jesus from his pores in apparently equal (and copious) amounts.
Everett didn't care much for him. He wondered vaguely if Lester had slept with Sally yet-she was quite the dish. He thought the answer was probably no. He further thought that when Lester got bet up after a little too much necking on the porch swing, Sally probably had him do sit-ups in the back yard or run a few dozen wind-sprints around the house.
"Sally has got the Prattmobile again?"
"Indeed," Mr. Gaunt said, a trifle testily. "Are you done being witty, Dr. Frankel?"
"Sure," he said. In truth, he felt a surprisingly deep sense of relief. He had been a little worried about the "prank" Mr. Gaunt wanted him to play. Now he saw that his worry had been foolish.
It wasn't as if Mr. Gaunt wanted him to stick a firecracker in the lady's shoe or put Ex-Lax in her chocolate milk or anything like that. What