Page 87 of The Vanishing Place
Effie was taken aback. “I am smart.” She grimaced. God, she sounded like a four-year-old.
“Okay,” said Anya.
Effie stared at the scrawny creature who had the scrutinizing look of a much older child. It was hard to make sense of her sometimes.
Anya glared at her. “Which one should I get?”
“Well…” Effie looked at the freezer, then back at Anya. “How about we get three to try? Then you can see which you like best.”
“Really?” Her eyes widened—just an eight-year-old child again.
After picking a mango Fruju, a Magnum and a mint Trumpet, they sat at one of the tables. Anya tested each of them in silence. She licked one after the other, then she set each down on their open wrapper, and licked them again.
“The Magnum,” she said. “It’s the best.”
“Are you sure? You’ve only had two licks.”
“Will the third lick taste different?”
“Well, no.”
“You can have those,” said Anya, nodding at the Fruju and the Trumpet.
“You don’t like them?”
“I do.”
“You can have some more if—”
“It’s not good to be greedy.”
They ate the rest of their ice creams in silence. The Trumpet was surprisingly good.
“Anya,” said Effie. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Yes. But I might not answer.”
“That’s okay.”
“Why have you started talking to me?”
She shrugged. “Cos I can.”
“But you couldn’t before?”
“Nope.”
“Why not?”
Anya looked at Effie as she folded her Magnum wrapper into a small square.
“Can we go back to June’s now?” she asked. “I don’t like people looking at me.”
Effie glanced around. She was right. Various sets of eyes and ears were honed on them, angled just enough to be discreet. Just enough to be rude. Effie hadn’t even noticed. Some cop she was.
“They’re looking at you too,” said Anya, fiddling with the foil.
A chill trickled between Effie’s shoulders as she caught someone’s eye. The elderly woman’s brow creased, considering, then she quickly looked away. Of course the small town was putting the pieces together. Of course people were whispering about her. Effie’s family had captivated the community for two decades, and they all had the same question.
