So Far and Good by John Straley

Author:John Straley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction
Publisher: Soho Press
Published: 2021-10-24T20:42:56+00:00

9

IS THAT LIGHT IN THE

TUNNEL GETTING BIGGER?

They had discussed it, and Blossom was in favor of trying to trick Lilly into talking about the stuff in the basement. George didn’t feel good about it. George argued that Lilly was most likely going to be her sister one way or another and starting off with the truth would be the best way to deal with her. Blossom wanted to try some stunt—she had read that PIs called them “ruses.” They’d tell Lilly they were doing a scavenger hunt, and they needed to find something hidden in the basement of the house . . . or something like that.

“No,” George said flatly. “I wouldn’t do that to you. I’m not going to do it to Lilly.”

“Criminy, you are no fun at all.”

“Nope.”

They picked Lilly up at the school. Girls were enjoying the last few meets and relishing the camaraderie and strange fun of both school and not-school at the same time. Lilly looked as if she were talking to her teammates and might even be making friends. She laughed and waved to a group of tall girls and ran to the Le Car and jumped into the back seat. She recognized Blossom and said hello and tapped on her gym bag with her fingertips as they drove home.

“Why are you driving me home?” Lilly asked.

Blossom spoke right up. “Your mom asked me to pick you up, to save your dad some time.”

“Oh,” was all Lilly said.

“Listen, Lil,” George said, clearing her throat, “I did something dumb. Really dumb, and I will probably get in trouble.”

“What?” The younger girl leaned forward, more excited than worried, sticking her head nearly between the front seats.

“I wanted to try and see what was in the basement without asking permission. That door was so cool looking, so I tried to pick the lock . . . Well, we tried to pick the lock, and we jammed the pick stuff in it. Now I need to get the key to the lock to get it fixed before your dad or mom find out. Can you help me? Please?”

Lilly sat back in the seat and put her arms over her head and let out a soft kind of animal wail, a cross between sobbing and choking.

Blossom pulled the car over in a driveway; George jumped out of the front and got in the back seat with her sister. “Lilly, sweetie, what’s wrong? It’s okay . . . you don’t have to do anything. It’s okay. You won’t get in trouble. I will take the blame. Sweetie . . . stop.”

Lilly was trembling: her arms, her hands. She tried to cover her eyes with her fingers. “He will kill all of us if we go in there,” she whispered, as if she were going to be sick.

“No . . . Lil, he won’t,” Blossom said. “It was all my fault. You didn’t do a thing.”

“That doesn’t matter.”

“What is down there, Lilly?”

“I can never ever tell anybody.” She was breathing very hard, and both the older girls were worried now that she would pass out.

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