Short for Chameleon by Vicki Grant

Author:Vicki Grant
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Canada
Published: 2017-01-24T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 21

We looked everywhere in the car, but the only interesting discovery we made was that Albertina had a nasty animal-cracker habit. Under all the other junk, the floor was littered with three-legged rhinos and decapitated monkeys. There were bunches of files too, a few more pictures of Eldon, and what I thought was a venomous tropical insect but turned out to be a spare set of false eyelashes. (I don’t care what Raylene said. She’d have screamed too if she’d found it clamped onto her groin.)

After about ten minutes, we gave up on the search and started walking back to the restaurant. “I bet the pills are in that massive purse of hers,” I said. “That thing scares me. Wouldn’t be surprised to find body parts in there too.”

“Got to put ’em somewhere,” Raylene said. “And she might have a few more by the time we get back. I bet this was just some scam she dreamed up to get us out of there. She was probably planning a kamikaze attack on poor old Lorenzo and didn’t want us to get splattered. I mean, you know how considerate she is and everything.”

That made me laugh. I could totally picture Albertina going after that little dough ball. She’d eradicate him. Raylene and I spent the rest of the walk across the parking lot pondering some of the moves she might use on him. (The naked-flaming-body-slam was my personal favourite.)

I couldn’t remember the last time I was so happy. I managed to talk Raylene into playing with a puppy we found sticking his nose out a car window for a while. I told her it was to give Albertina her “jeezly me-time,” but really what I was doing was getting some Raylene-time for myself.

When we got back to the restaurant twenty minutes later, people were pouring out the door. Security guards in black uniforms and modified mullets were directing everyone away from the building and onto the sidewalks. Something was happening. It was sort of exciting.

“You were kidding about the kamikaze thing, weren’t you?” I said.

“That’s not funny.” Raylene crossed her hands on her collarbone and looked at me with big eyes.

We pushed our way over to one of the guards. “What’s going on?” I said. “Why’s everyone leaving?”

“There’s been a medical emergency. You’re going to have to move back.”

“Can we go in? Our”—I didn’t even have to think about it—“grandmother’s in there.”

“Sorry. You’ll have to move back. She’ll be coming out like everyone else. Please. Step. Back.”

People were standing around with their hands over their mouths. One lady was leaning against her friend, sobbing. Parents with fake smiles on their faces were rushing little kids back to cars. An ambulance pulled up and the crowd split to let it pass. Guys ran in with a stretcher.

A couple minutes later, they came back out. They weren’t moving so fast any more. A blanket was draped over the stretcher. All you could see of the body was a little tuft of tangerine hair sticking out the top.

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