The Regulators - Stephen King [101]
All night Seth sat in the den in his favorite chair, holding Dream Floater on his lap like a little girl might hold her favorite doll, watching the TV. Herb brought home a movie from the Video Clip. Just some old black-and-white thing from the Bargain Bin, but Seth really likes it. It's a Western (of course) from the late '50s. He's watched it twice already.
Rory Calhoun's in it. It's called The Regulators.
June 29, 1995
I think we're in trouble.
William Hobart over this morning, in a rage. Herb had left for work about twenty minutes before he showed up, thank God, and Seth was out back in the yard.
'I want to ask you a question, Mrs Wyler,' he said. 'Did you or your husband have anything to do with what happened to my car last night? A simple yes or no will suffice. If you did, it would be best to say so now.'
'I don't know what you're talking about,' I said, and I must have sounded convincing, because he calmed down a little bit.
He led me down the front walk (I was happy to go, the further away from Seth in the back yard, the better), pointed, down at his house. He drives one of those four-wheel things, an Explorer, maybe, something like that. It was standing on four flat tires, and all the windows had been broken. Including the windshield and the big one in back.
'Oh my God, I'm so sorry,' I said. I was, too, although maybe not for the reasons he thought.
'I apologize for my accusation,' he says, just as stiff as starch. 'I suppose I thought . . . the toy Hugh took . . . if you were still angry . . . ' A vehicle for a vehicle, I think he meant, like an eye for an eye.
'I've put the whole thing behind me, Mr Hobart,' I said. 'And I'm not what you'd call a vengeance-minded person under any circumstances.'
'Vengeance is mine saith the Lord, I will repay,' he says.
'Right!' I said. I don't know if it is or not, but by then I only wanted to get rid of him. He's creepy.
'It must have been vandals,' he said. 'Drunkards. Surely no one on the street would do such a thing.'
I hope it was vandals. I hope it was. And how could it have been Seth — or the Stalky Little Boy, if you prefer — if I'm right about his powers having a short range? Unless his abilities are growing. His range widening.
I don't dare tell Herb about this.
June 24, 2995
When I came downstairs this morning to start breakfast, I saw the Reeds out on their walk, still in their robes. I went out. It's been hot, but it rained in the middle of the night — hard — the air was cooler this morning, with that sweet wet smell it gets after summer rain. Early Saturday morning, or the whole street would have turned out, I think. There was a police car parked in front of the Hobart house, where there was broken glass everywhere, in the driveway on the lawn, twinkling in the sun. William and his wife (Irene) were standing on their front stoop in their pj's, talking to the cops. The little thief was standing on the stoop behind them, sucking his thumb. A little old for that, but it must have been a bad morning at chez Hobart. Every window in the house was out, it looked like, upstairs as well as down.
Cammie said it happened around quarter to six, she was just waking up heard it. 'Not as loud as you would've expected, all that glass, but loud enough so you could tell what it was,' she said. 'Weird, huh?'
'Very,' I said. My voice sounded normal enough, but I didn't dare say any more in case it started to get shaky.
Cammie said she looked out almost as soon as she heard the noises, but the people who threw the rocks were gone already (if the police actually find any rocks, I'll eat them with spaghetti sauce). 'Whoever it was, they must have moved very fast.' She threw an elbow at Charlie. 'The big lug here slept through the whole thing.'
'First his car, now this,' Charlie said. 'Vandals, my butt. Someone's got it in for Will Hobart.'
'Yes,' I said. 'Someone must.'
Later
Found Seth's 'wascally wabbit' slippers pushed way back under his bed. Just by accident.