Desert Star by Lisette Brodey

Author:Lisette Brodey
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: Saberlee Books
Published: 2014-11-12T05:00:00+00:00

`*`*`*`

Gabe smiled proudly as he looked at the seventy-six seats that were back in their original setting. “So, Larsen, what do you think?”

“I think these look incredible. Did you say that all of them should be in by next week?”

“That’s right. The guy who did this work, Joey, is an old friend of mine from Jersey. I knew he wouldn’t disappoint Arielle. Yeah … feel really good about this.”

Larsen looked at Muggins. “What do you think, boy?”

Preoccupied, Muggins seemed interested in everything but the refurbished theater seats.

“Wow, Gabe. This must have been quite a job.”

“You bet. All of the old upholstery had to be stripped and each chair disassembled. After that was done, Joey stripped and sandblasted all of the metal and iron pieces to get the paint off. Said he found over a hundred pieces of petrified chewing gum.”

Larsen made a face. “That’s awful. Why can’t people just wait until they find a trashcan?”

“Ah, some people just suck. You know that. Yeah, people can suck real bad.”

“Grrrr.”

Taking a quick look at Muggins, Larsen knew he had seen or heard something unusual. “What is it, boy?”

“Ah, don’t pay the dog no mind. Every time he’s in here he’s growling or woofing. It’s what dogs do.”

Larsen looked curiously at Gabe. “Yeah, I know what dogs do, but, um, the last time I was in here alone with Muggins, I not only heard a song from West Side Story playing, I heard a loud scream followed by this really intense wailing. That was about a month ago. I spend most of my time in the trailer, so if there’s weird stuff going on in here, I don’t see too much of it.”

Larsen watched as Gabe’s face reddened. “But somehow I’m thinking you’re seeing it.”

Gabe looked panicked. “You didn’t tell Arielle about any of that, did you?”

“Uh, no. I didn’t want to upset her. But now I’m wondering if she’s seen or heard things.”

Lowering his voice, Gabe moved closer to Larsen and looked him squarely in the eyes. “Listen to me. I’ve trusted you with my kids, so I’m gonna trust you with this. Don’t ask me any questions. I’m just telling you that people like to play mind games to mess with other people’s heads. Things aren’t always what they seem to be. I’m just sayin’. I’ve been racking my brain since I got here tryin’ to figure out how they’ve rigged this place, and for the life of me I can’t find squat. But I will. I’ve had enough crap pulled behind my back for a lifetime. So whatever you think you see, you only tell me, okay?”

Larsen looked confused. “Who are the people playing mind games?”

“You’re a good kid. But what part of ‘don’t ask me any questions’ didn’t you understand? I’m heading back to the trailer. You stay here a while if you want. Sorry I don’t have time to give you a walking tour of all we’ve done, but you can see for yourself. Okay, kid?”

As Gabe hurried out of the theater, Muggins’ interest in the backstage area grew tenfold.

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