Page 15 of Sully

“That’s something. Not every house has Bilco doors. What about the yard? The car?”

“It was my car,” I told him.

“He brought you here in your own car?”

“Yes.”

“Where? Where is the car? How far did you walk?”

“Just… out front,” I said, waving in the general direction. “Kind of at the corner of the fence out front.”

“What kind of car is it, honey?”

“Just a black sedan. With a bumper sticker.”

“What’s it say?” he asked, lips curving up slightly.

“Oh, uh,Chasing thatScholastic Book Fairhigh.”

The smile I assumed came so easily to him spread across his face, making his already handsome face look even more appealing.

“Got my ass a lot of comic books at those things,” he said, nodding. “When you got out of the car, did he?”

To that, my brows pinched.

“No, no. I mean… maybe. He was still sitting there when I got out. I remember he was waving the thing in his hand at me. But when I was walking away, I’m pretty sure I heard the door close.”

“Waving what thing at you?”

“The thing he had in his hand. With the button. You know… for the vest.”

“A detonator? He had one in his hand?” Sully asked, seeming confused by that.

“Yeah. He kept threatening me with it.”

“In the basement and car?”

“To get me to do what he wanted. What… oh,” I said, shoulders falling as I realized why he was asking.

There was no way he would have detonated a bomb when he was in close proximity to me.

“Wow. That was stupid,” I decided. “I should have run.”

“Run where?” Sully asked. “The cops wouldn’t have been able to do anything if that thing was live. Which it may have been. I haven’t gotten a chance to really look it over.”

“So, you know a lot about… that kind of thing?”

“I was in the service for a long time. Saw quite a few bombs in my day. I guess I know more than most,” he said, shrugging that off. Like he didn’t want to talk about it. “Is there anything else you can remember about the guy? The house? Anything. Sights, smells, sounds…”

Sounds.

“Oh! I heard the train,” I told him. “When we were leaving the basement, I heard the train. I mean, I don’t know how helpful that is.”

“Hey, it narrows things down a bit,” he said, nodding. “Now, I have some more… personal questions.”

“Okay…”

“Do you know me?” he asked. “I feel like I’d remember you if I’d seen you before, but maybe—no?” he asked when I shook my head.

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