Hide and Seek

I'll wondered if any of the others would think that way.

Sure. Steven would.

'

He was sitting just outside the door, sipping a beer. He glanced at me

and smiled.

"Have some?"

I squatted down beside him. "Don't mind if I do."

"Nice and easy, right?"

"Very easy." I tasted the beer. It was half-empty.

"Good."

"I didn't think you were into this much."

"Well, the idea's better in principle than it is in execution. Who

wants to spend half an hour under a dusty old bed or something?"

"Casey might."

He snorted. "Casey would.

He looked up at the sky. "This is not bad, though."

"Not at all." I handed him back the beer. "I'm supposed to tie

y U ""Yeah."

"It feels ... pretty dumb."

"Of course it does. How did you think it was going to feel? Hell,

Clan , you're all grown-up now."

"Yeah."

"You'd better do it, though." He sighed. "Who knows. Maybe the girls

are really getting a kick out of this. Maybe they like dust." He

looked up at the sky again. "It shouldn't be too bad out here."

"Or too nervous-making." He slugged down the rest of the beer and

glanced back over his shoulder. "Everything's strange back down that

way."

There was no point in telling him what I'd seen on the lawn. No sense

worrying the guy. No animal was going to bother him out here unless it

sprouted wings.

I took two of the nylon cords off my belt and he pressed his wrists

together obligingly. I ran two loops around them and two between them

and knotted it off. Then I tied his feet together just above the

ankles. If he wanted to, I guessed he'd be able to untie his legs

easily enough. I didn't care. With a little luck it would be over

soon anyhow.

IDE AND SEEK