Breaking Skin by Debra Doxer

Author:Debra Doxer [Doxer, Debra]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Tags: Breaking Skin
Publisher: Debra Doxer
Published: 2016-06-19T21:00:00+00:00

Langley looks out the window from the backseat as I pull out of the school parking lot. While she sits quietly, I wonder how I’m going to tell her that I hired a babysitter to pick her up after school tomorrow because I have to go to San Francisco for the day.

I found Lisa’s number in a drawer last week when I was going through Renee’s things. The word sitter was written beside her name. When I called this afternoon, she told me she was available to help out. But what will Langley think? Will she be afraid that I won’t come back?

I look at her face in the rearview mirror and second-guess my plan. Maybe I could take Langley with me to San Francisco. She might think of it as an adventure. It’s probably okay for her to miss one day of school. Deedee could stay with her for a bit if I manage to get some time with Nadia.

The more I think about it, the more I settle on the idea. A distraction and a change of scene may be good for Langley.

“Do you have any homework?” I ask as I pull into the driveway.

When she doesn’t answer, I turn to see her exhale against the window and then trace her finger through the condensation that forms the way she often does, the way I did as a kid too.

“Do you have homework, Langley?” I ask again.

“Just some practice math problems for a test tomorrow.” She opens the door and jumps out, dragging her heavy backpack behind her.

“You have a test tomorrow?” I ask as she follows me up the walkway. I can’t pull her out of school for the day if she has a test.

“Yup. I hate math,” she mutters as I unlock the front door. Then she taps me on the arm and focuses on something behind me. “There’s that weird guy with the jacket again.”

I glance over my shoulder. “What weird guy?”

“The one who stands in the woods across the street sometimes.”

Turning, I look toward the woods at the end of the cul-de-sac. “I don’t see anyone.”

“He walked back in again when I spotted him.”

“What’s weird about him?” I ask, wondering if I should be concerned.

“The fact that he just stands there and stares.”

My eyes narrow on Langley. “How often do you see him there?

She shrugs.

“Have you told your mother?”

“She knows. She’s seen him too.”

My gaze swings between the empty woods and Langley. “Why do you call him the guy with the jacket? Lots of people wear jackets.”

Langley walks inside and dumps her bag in the entryway. “Mom’s the one who calls him that. I guess there’s something weird about his jacket.”

“Why? What does it look like?”

“It’s green and old looking. It has a lot of pockets and some patches on the sleeves.”

The image that comes to mind as she describes it makes me uneasy. “Is it an army jacket?”

“What’s an army jacket?” She kicks off her sneakers and leaves them in the middle of the floor.

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