Page 117 of Rest In Pink

“True,” Rain said.

“Just be ready when this goes south.”

“What time does the shit hit the fan?”

“I told him I could get the money when the bank opens. I’ll have to go by there in case he’s watching. I figure he’ll call right after that.”

“All right. I’ll be standing by. Good luck.”

I was pretty sure I was going to need more than good luck.

So, I did another survey of the base of the tower, and then got back in the Jeep and went over the plan again.

A plan that did not include Liz Danger.

Chapter Fifty-Three

Anemone met me at the door as Vince drove away. “Did you have a fight?”

“No,” I said. “Where’s Peri?”

“Upstairs,” Anemone said. “George was here. He told me what happened.”

“Have you told Peri?” I asked.

Anemone shook her head.

From behind her came Peri’s little voice. “What happened?” she said, and when I looked past Anemone, she was just standing there, her little face bleak. “I heard sirens. And George was upset and left.” She sniffed.

“Your house burned down,” I told her because it was best to give it straight. “Good thing we got your stuff out.”

“Was Grandma—”

“Nobody got hurt,” I told her. “Everybody got out.”

“Where will we live now?” Peri said, and I thought about everything that had happened to her in the past three months and opened my mouth, but Anemone was ahead of me.

“Well, here, of course,” she said, sounding surprised. “We already settled that. Your mom said she didn’t like that house anyway. You and your mom will be here with Liz and Marianne and me. We’ll have fun. Everything is fine.”

Peri nodded, a little wobbly.

Anemone held out her hand to Peri and said, “We should have ice cream,” and Peri hesitated and then took it and followed her out of the foyer, looking back at me once.

“It will be all right,” I said firmly.

She nodded and followed Anemone into the kitchen.

I just stood there, trying to figure out what the hell had happened to my life. To my town. Because Vince was right. No matter how much I fought against it, this is where I’d started. I could run away from it again if things were fine, but I couldn’t abandon it if it needed me. There were people here who needed me. It was time I came home.

I thought about what Vince had said, that the town was just a bunch of buildings with people in them, and that some of those people were too important to walk away from.

He was one of them. He was the big one. Him and Peri. And Anemone—

Anemone came back into the foyer. “Are you okay?”

“I’m not leaving in September,” I told her.

“Good. Neither am I.” She waved her hand toward the kitchen. “Ice cream?”