Borderland Read Free Page B

unfamiliar exposure exhausted him, and he gained a new
and awe-filled respect for Vic, who had been dealing with them on his own since
his wife's death.
    "How
do you do it?" he asked when the tiny she-demons had dozed off again.
    Vic knew
what he was talking about. "Believe it or not, it isn't that bad. The
first few months I went crazy because I didn't know how to do anything. But
they helped me. They're both pretty tough, really. Connie taught them to be
independent from early on."
    "So
the little one is what, six?"
    "Yeah,
she just finished kindergarten. Christa's going into the fourth grade next
year. I guess there's a school around Denke. I didn't ask anyone."
    "Denke,"
Nolan repeated. He'd forgotten the name of their destination. "How big is
the town?"
    "Not
very. Last I knew the population was about a hundred and fifty. That's probably
counting everyone's dogs and hamsters."
    "You
were born there, right?" Nolan said.
    "Yeah,
but I don't know much about it. My mom took me and left when I was a baby. She
said she hated it there. But you know how my mom was. She liked cities."
    Nolan
remembered. Before his mother's death six years ago Vic had frequently taken
her out to restaurants, shows, and dances. The old lady hated to sit still for
even a minute, sort of like Andy, the miniature bane of Buicks.
    "So,"
Nolan said. "What do you know about horses?"
    "Not
a goddamned thing," Vic said. "But I imagine I'll learn. You know, I
keep thinking I should've visited him more. He saw the girls one time. Just
once. He didn't know any of us beyond birthday cards and snapshots."
    "It's
normal to feel that way," Nolan assured him. "When my dad died I felt
like shit for a year. I could've driven across town to see him any time. I was
just too busy. Or at least I thought I was."
    "That
was it," Vic agreed. "I was too busy. Too busy with the job, too busy
with Connie.”
    Nolan
heard the break in his voice. He hated that. He didn't know what the hell to
say or do.
    "Hey,"
he said alter a moment. "Why don't we stop in Dodge City and get a
room? My treat. We've got plenty of time to get to Denke. It's close to the Colorado border, right?
We can get up in the morning and make it in four hours from Dodge."
    Vic
wiped his eyes and nodded.
    "Good,"
said an unidentifiable voice from the back.
    The men
traded a glance and fell silent, one of them thinking what perfect undercover
plants the harmless-looking little spies would make.
    Finding
a room wasn't as easy as Nolan had assumed it would be. Dodge City was something
of a tourist attraction and vacationers were everywhere. They finally had to
settle for a single—the last one available—in a small family-owned
establishment a mile off the highway. Nolan entered the Spartan room, sniffed
the stale air, and looked at the plaid coverlet on the sole bed. Then he looked
at Vic and his daughters. Andy hung limply in her father's arms; Christa was
eyeing Nolan.
    "Daddy,
where is he going to sleep?"
    "On
the floor," Nolan answered.
    "You
paid for the room," Vic said. "You should have the bed."
    "I'm
not sleeping with him," Christa said imperiously.
    "You
can sleep on the floor," Vic told her.
    Christa
opened her mouth and Nolan raised his hands. "Don't wake up the brat. The
floor is okay with me. You guys take the bed."
    "Where
are you going?" Christa asked as he turned toward the door.
    "To
find my first aid stuff. I need to change my bandages."
    "Oh,"
she said. "Can I watch?"
    "No,"
her father said. "You go wash up then get into bed."
    "But
I don't have my pajamas. They're in my suitcase."
    "Sleep
without them tonight. I'm not unpacking anything until we get to Dad's
place."
    Nolan
left them and went out to the Buick, where he searched until he came to the
curse-filled realization that his first aid kit was missing. He had a brief
vision of taking it out to fit a sack of toys into the trunk beside his
suitcase…but he couldn't remember putting it back in.
    "Well,
Jesus Christ," he said in disgust.