Blackout Read Online Free PDF Page A

know the person’s name. How did you get to discussing Kelsey
Fritz?”
    Rhoda only smiled. She wasn’t going to tell
me that much. Kelsey might have happened to mention her troubles
with Ben, not knowing that Dr. Schiff knew Ben’s mother.
    “So anyway,” I said, “the reason I started
ranting was I told Ben about it because I hoped he could get her
pictures off the Internet and all he said was, ‘Why are girls so
stupid?’”
    Rhoda sighed. “It does happen, unfortunately.
Young people think they’re smart, trying liquor. They like the
initial effect and then they don’t know when to stop or how to hold
it. I suppose you know the legal drinking age in this state used to
be eighteen. They changed it because too many kids were getting
drunk and smashing up their cars and themselves.”
    “Or doing something embarrassing,” I said,
“and getting their pictures on the—uh oh.”
    What if it were me? Not that I would be so
stupid, but what if I were Kelsey? I might really want to kill
myself, or at least move to Tasmania. Except the Internet goes all
over the world.
    “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” Rhoda
asked.
    “You’d better call your friend,” I said.
    “I think she’s out of town.”
    “Without a telephone, I’ll bet.”
    I stared at what was left of the coffeecake,
not really seeing it. Rhoda ate the last piece and took away the
plate.
    I got up, too. It should have been me
clearing the table but I had things on my mind. “What am I going to
do?”
    She came back for another load of dirty
dishes. “You’ll have to figure that out for yourself. You know her
better than I do.”
    “I scarcely know her at all. I haven’t even
seen the post-therapy Kelsey.”
    “Then where did you learn all this? From
Glynis?”
    “I’ll call her.” I wondered if Glyn had gone
back to bed after that early morning news flash.
    She hadn’t. She was too keyed up to
sleep.
    “Maddie, why didn’t you kill him when you had
a chance?”
    Good question. “I couldn’t. Everything was
fine at first and when it stopped being fine it was him trying to
kill me. Remember when he cut my brake line?”
    “He shouldn’t be allowed to live,” she
said.
    I had a chilling thought. “Does Kelsey know
it’s on the Internet?”
    “Not unless somebody told her. She was too
out of it last night.”
    “It’s only a matter of time,” I said. “She
may be a wimp, but that wouldn’t stop her.”
    “Wouldn’t . . . stop . . .” As she said the
words, Glyn caught on. “Ohmigod!”
    “Yes. That. Oh, why didn’t I do it when I had
the chance?”
    “Do away with yourself?” Glyn sounded
confused.
    “Do away with Evan. I never thought I could
kill anybody, but right now that’s what I want to do.” I couldn’t
believe I was saying it seriously.
    “No, Mads, you’d only make trouble for
yourself. He’s not worth it. But we have to do something about
Kelsey.”
    I told her what Rhoda said about Barbara
Schiff being out of touch. “She’d be our best bet, but she’s out.
So what’s the second best?”
    “Do you really think she’d try something?”
Glyn asked.
    “I probably would.”
    “You? Maddie Canfield? I can’t believe
it.”
    “Neither can I, because I wouldn’t get that
drunk to begin with and I would never let that shithead Evan get
anywhere near me. Again,” I added. There had been a time, before I
came to my senses . . . It made me sick now to think about it.
    “Glyn, you’re closer to her than I am. Why
don’t you check on her?”
    “Why don’t you come with me?”
    “I don’t think she’d trust me. Because of
Ben.”
    “What can I do all by myself?” she asked.
    “Don’t be a wuss. And you won’t be all by yourself. I told Ben about the pictures and asked if he can get
them off the Internet. I don’t know if he can or will. And I’ll
call my cop friend Rick.”
    “Yummy,” she said.
    “Don’t get distracted. I’ll be there as soon
as I can. Maybe she won’t try