Red Heart of Memories 0.5 - A Stir of Bones by Nina Kiriki Hoffman

Author:Nina Kiriki Hoffman [Hoffman, Nina Kiriki]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: To be found, Urban Fantasy
ISBN: 9780142403617
Google: QIMlAQAAIAAJ
Amazon: 014240361X
Publisher: Firebird
Published: 2005-06-02T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWELVE

SUSAN STARED AT rows and rows of bright-colored pictures of vegetables in the canned food aisle of the supermarket: orange carrots, green beans, purple beets, yellow corn, with lines of silver shining at the tops and bottoms of the cans. She let her eyes unfocus until the colors blurred with kaleidoscopic pleasantness. Supermarket air, a mixture of scents from produce and bakery, dairy, raw meat, detergent, refrigerator coolant. She sniffed it, noticed that the metal of the shopping cart handle had warmed under her right hand; the bone in her left hand was body temperature, a strange shape, yet not separate from her.

She loved grocery shopping with Juanita on Wednesdays.

"I know you," said a voice behind her.

Susan's hand tightened on the cart handle. Juanita, ahead of her in the aisle, chose a can of chile peppers, then glanced at Susan.

"Yeah, you," said the voice. "Turn around. You were that girl playing tricks on me at the house on Lee Street."

Susan turned to face Trudie. She raised her eyebrows in imitation of Mother's Imperial Manner. "I'm afraid you have me confused with somebody else," she said.

"Oh, no, I don't." Trudie glared at her. "I should call the cops and tell them about you and your friends trespassing up there."

Susan yawned into the back of her hand. "You're free to do whatever you like. I'm sure it doesn't concern me."

"We'll see about that," said Trudie, with a dark smile. She stalked away, assurance in every line of her body.

"Susana?" Juanita said. "You been going to that house?"

Susan looked at her. Every Wednesday, she and Juanita took the coupon supplements from the weekly paper and went shopping. Father felt shopping was a survival skill a woman needed, and Juanita hadn't argued with him.

"I know Julio goes there," said Juanita. "He always tells me where he is. He doesn't tattle on his friends, though. You been going up there?"

Susan bit her lip. "After school. We have permission."

"What if that girl goes to the police? Will you get in trouble?"

Susan looked down at her hands. "I don't know. Maybe if we're prepared--" She thought about House's defense systems. She smiled.

"I've heard stories about that house," said Juanita.

"An anima, a ghost. Screams. Shapes in the window, the death of a child, and the sombras, shadows hanging around the house. Besides, it's very old. Is it safe, Susana?"

"The construction is sound."

"You didn't answer my question." Juanita pulled the cart along the aisle, paused to check their list against the sale prices. She glanced back at Susan.

"It's safer than being home alone after school. Julio's there, after all."

Juanita raised her eyebrows, then took four cans of green beans from a shelf and stacked them in the cart. "Well, listen. If things go bad, if the police get you or something like that, call me, all right? Don't you go calling your father. Call me at the Grants' if I'm not working at your place."

"Oh, Juanita." Susan darted around the cart and hugged her.

There was so much they had never talked about.

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