Running with the Demon - Terry Brooks [194]
“Hey,” she said.
“Nest?”
“Want to go for a bike ride and visit Jared?”
There was a long pause. “What did you do to me last night?”
“Nothing. Want to go with me or not?”
“You can’t visit Jared. He’s off limits. They’ve got him hi intensive care.”
Nest looked at the shadows lengthening hi the park. “Let’s go see him anyway.”
She hung up and when the phone rang, she left it alone. With Robert, it was best not to argue or explain.
Twenty minutes later he wheeled into her drive, dropped his bike in the grass, and walked up to her where she was back sitting out on the porch steps. He brushed at his unruly blond hair as he strode up, bouncing defiantly on the balls of his feet.
“Why’d you hang up on me?” he demanded.
“I’m a girl,” she said, shrugging. “Girls do things like that. Want a root beer?”
“Geez. Bribery, yet.” He followed her into the kitchen. “How’s your grandpa?”
“Good. He won’t be able to come home for a while, maybe a week. But he’s okay.”
“Good for him. Wish I could say the same.”
She cocked one eyebrow speculatively. “What’s the matter? Did I hurt you last night?”
“Ah-hah! You admit it!” Robert was ecstatic. “I knew you did something! I knew it! What was it? C’mon, tell me!”
She reached into the refrigerator, brought out a can of root beer, and handed it to him. “I used a stun gun.”
He stared at her, openmouthed. Then he flushed. “No, you didn’t! You’re just saying that because that was what I told the cops! Where would you get a stun gun, anyway? Come on! What did you do?”
She cocked her head. “You mean you lied to the police?”
He continued to stare at her, frustration mirrored in his narrow, bunched features. Then he crooked his finger. “C’mere.”
He led her back outside, down the steps and into the yard. Then he shook the can of root beer as hard as he could, pointed it at her, and popped the top. Cold fizz sprayed all over her. He waited until she was glaring openly at him, then took a long drink from the can and said, “Okay, now we’re even.”
She went inside to wash and change her T-shirt, then came back out to find him dangling a length of string in front of Spook, who was watching with a mix of curiosity and mistrust. “Are you ready?” she asked, picking the kitten up and depositing him inside the house.
He shrugged. “Why are we doing this, anyway?” He dropped the string and walked over to retrieve his bike.
She kicked at his tire as she walked past. “Because I’m afraid Jared might not come back from wherever he’s gone if one of us doesn’t go get him.”
They wheeled their bikes to the top of the drive, climbed onto the seats, and began to pedal into the twilight. They rode down Sinnissippi Road and across Lincoln Highway to the back streets that led to the hospital. They rode in silence, watching the city darken around them, its people settling in behind lighted windows in front of lighted screens. Children played in yards, and lawn mowers roared. Starlings sang raucously, and elderly couples walked in slow motion down the concrete sidewalks that had become the measure of their lives.
When they reached the hospital, Nest and Robert chained their bikes to the rack by the front entry and went inside. It was after nine o’clock, and the waiting room was quiet, most of the visitors gone home for the night. Side by side, they walked up to look in on Nest’s grandfather, but he was sleeping again, so they didn’t stay. Instead, they found a stairwell that connected the six floors of the hospital and stood just outside, glancing around surreptitiously.
“So, what’s the plan, Stan?” Robert asked, lifting one eyebrow.
“He’s in five fourteen,” Nest answered. “Just off the stairway. You go up the elevator and talk to whoever’s working the nursing station. Ask about Jared or something. I’ll go up the stairs and slip into his room while they’re busy with you.”
Robert smirked. “That’s your whole plan?”
“Assuming you intend to help.”
He stared at her. “Tell you what. I’ll help if you’ll tell me what you did to me last night. The truth, this time.”
She stared back at him without