Red Man Down Read Online Free PDF Page B

are.’ She stood like a pointer in front of a shelf.
    ‘Honey, those are toaster ovens.’
    ‘I know. Have you noticed how hard it is for Grandma to bend over now? Even when I’m there to light it, she still has trouble getting a dish in and out of that little narrow oven. I know you and Will want to remodel the whole kitchen, but that won’t be for quite a while yet, will it? And one of these could sit up on the counter. I think Grandma would enjoy it quite a bit, don’t you?’
    ‘Denny, these things cost at least a hundred dollars.’
    ‘On sale right now for $89.95. See?’ She showed Sarah the tag. ‘The ad says it’ll cook a whole chicken. And I know it’ll bake four potatoes – I saw that on TV. What do you think?’
    ‘It’s very nice. But you don’t … Surely you don’t have that much money, do you?’
    ‘With this week’s allowance, yes, I’ve got enough and a little left over.’
    ‘How did you get so much?’
    ‘I saved up all fall for Christmas. But then you all said only small gifts, so that’s what I did. Hankies for grandma and that little bottle of cologne for you … Will’s Dreml head was the most expensive thing. So I still had most of what I saved, and then Uncle Howard sent me a check, remember? And Mom sent money in her card …’
    Janine had certainly done that. The limp, stinking twenty, smelling of hemp and sorrow, had fallen out of a cheap card that arrived two days before Christmas and temporarily silenced all conversation in the house. Denny had put it away somewhere and never spoken of it again until now.
    ‘I see,’ Sarah said. ‘And this is how you really want to spend all your money?’
    ‘Yes.’
    ‘All right, then. Let’s see, this one has a broiler …’
    They examined all the features available and picked the one that seemed best. Sarah managed to get a salesperson to help, in the madhouse that the store had become, by standing on tiptoe and turning on her Officer of the Law expression.
    The clerk pulled a ready-boxed one off a back shelf. She showed them the numbers matched the model they’d chosen, said, ‘This is what you want, right?’ and rang up the sale. Denny counted out ninety dollars on the counter. When the drawer slid open the clerk said, ‘That will be $98.05.’
    ‘No, it’s on sale, see?’ Denny pointed to the tag.
    ‘Yes, but then I have to add sales tax, dear.’
    ‘Oh.’ Denny’s voice grew smaller. ‘I forgot about that.’ She began pulling dollar bills and quarters out of her wallet. People waiting in line were watching. Her hands had begun to shake. There wasn’t going to be enough.
    ‘Denny, let me pay the tax, OK? Really,’ she said as the child looked up, ‘I want to.’ She slid a ten across the counter.
    They got their purchase in a big sack and fought their way outside. Beside the car, Denny said, ‘Thank you, Aunt Sarah.’
    Sarah looked at her niece fondly. ‘You’re welcome. I have to say, Denny, shopping with you is a real eye-opener and a very great pleasure.’
    ‘Oh, yeah, now that I’m safely broke you say that.’
    ‘Hey … did I really look that reluctant?’
    ‘I know how much you hate to shop. So thanks again for doing this for me.’
    After they belted the box carefully into the back seat so it couldn’t fall, Sarah looked at her watch and said, ‘I know you’re anxious to go home and give Grandma her present, but … we got that done so fast. Why don’t we give ourselves a treat?’
    ‘OK. What?’
    ‘Oh, hot chocolate or … I wonder, is it legal to eat ice cream this soon after breakfast?’
    Denny giggled. ‘You’re the cop, you tell me.’
    ‘Let’s see, have I ever arrested anybody for inappropriate consumption of dairy products? I don’t think so. Let’s give it a try.’

THREE
    M onday morning, Delaney called his crew into conference.
    ‘Jason’s right – the dead man’s name is Edward Lacey.’ He held up a service jacket, put it down and sighed. ‘For eighteen years