Pull Down the Night (The Suburban Strange) by Kotecki Nathan

Author:Kotecki, Nathan [Kotecki, Nathan]
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Published: 2013-10-07T16:00:00+00:00

THE FOLLOWING NIGHT, THERE were four black cars on the drive to Diaboliques instead of three: Sylvio and Bruno in front, followed by Regine and Celia, then Brenden and Marco, and finally Ivo and Liz. For their costumes, Marco had taken his inspiration from Edward Gorey’s illustrations, so their eyes were lined with kohl, and each played a part in a forties murder: Ivo was the patriarch and Celia the matriarch; Liz was the starched maid. Brenden and Marco were detectives. Regine was the ingénue and Sylvio was the playboy. Bruno was the butler.

“How did we wind up being the help?” Liz smiled at him.

Everyone at Diaboliques had gone all out for Halloween, which didn’t surprise Bruno. He took his place with his friends on the edge of the dance floor in Patrick’s room. They barely had settled in when the boys from St. Dymphna’s made their entrance. Each of them had dressed as a cross between a clergyman and a rock star: A priest in a black shirt and white collar with black leather pants. A cleric with a white stole and biker boots. An altar boy with aviator glasses.

“I like this place so much better than the club by Metropolitan,” Brenden told Bruno, just as Patrick put on a new song. “‘Wasteland’ by the Mission UK—God, I love that man!” Everyone headed out to dance.

Later, Bruno went down to the mezzanine and found Cassandra on a couch by herself. She looked up at him expectantly. “Hello there!” She casually took his hand in hers, and immediately Bruno was aroused. Again he blushed, and again she gave him an amused look. “We Ambassadors make it . . . difficult for you, don’t we?” she said, dipping her fingernails into his palm.

“I’m sorry to keep coming to you. I know I’m supposed to rely on Celia, but I found the girl who carries the stranger, and she lives in a house where no one’s home.”

“Good! It’s okay if you come see me. I’m not in the habit of turning away handsome young men.” Cassandra gave him a brilliant smile. “Just keep in mind, I may not give you the answers you seek.”

“I’m supposed to replant her family tree,” he said, trying not to make it sound like a question.

“And so you will,” she said.

He gave up. “How do I do that?”

“You know. You know exactly, and you’re hoping I’ll tell you something different, because you’d rather not do it.”

“You’re right.”

“Forget the admonition for a moment. If you had discovered that Wendy was a Lost Girl some other way—say, by accident—would you stand by without doing anything, allowing her to continue with her deception, knowing she’s putting herself in danger?”

“No, I wouldn’t,” Bruno admitted.

“So how is this any different?” Cassandra closed his hand and wrapped her fingers around it. “It was good to see you.”

“It was good to see you.” He took her hand and kissed the back of it, and she laughed. “Go, you sweet boy, or I’ll put you in my pocket and carry you around like a pet.

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