He hadn’t so much as moved a muscle when Lenore showed up with the rest of the Fantastic Four in tow. With any luck, we’d make it to the party, get a confession out of Mia, and we’d deal with the consequences of Norma’s wrath when we returned home.
Vero’s elderly neighbors stood in the living room, Eugene leaning on his cane and Joan on her oxygen cart, listening to Vero rattle off her instructions.
“Javi’s had a lot of painkillers, and he’ll probably sleep for a while,” she told them. “I left a glass of water and his pills on the side table in case he wakes up. All you have to do is keep him comfortable until my mom and Gloria get home. What are you going to tell him if he asks where I’ve gone?” Vero asked, holding a twenty-dollar bill in the air in front of Lenore.
“That you went out to run an important errand with Finlayand you’ll be back in a few hours.” Lenore took the twenty and zipped it into her handbag.
Vero moved on to Wendell and held up another twenty. “What is your most important job?”
“Not to let Javi leave the house, no matter what.” Wendell took the twenty with a wide smile before tucking it into his pocket protector.
Vero moved down the line to Joan like a drill sergeant testing her soldiers. “And what will you tell Officer Oates if she calls or comes looking for me?”
“That you went to bed early with a headache and you don’t want to be disturbed.” Joan reached for the twenty, but Vero held it out of reach.
“And…?”
“And she’s not allowed inside without a warrant.” Satisfied, Vero handed over the twenty, and Joan stuffed it into her bra.
“I’m hungry,” Eugene said.
“There’s roast chicken and salad in the kitchen.”
“You promised us pizza,” he reminded her.
She shook her head at him and gave him the rest of her cash. “You can order a few pizzas. But lock the door after the delivery driver comes. And if you watch TV, keep the volume down. Remember, if Javi wakes up, don’t let him leave the house.”
The four of them settled onto the sofa and love seat in the living room, bickering over who should control the remote.
“Where’s Cam?” Vero asked me. She checked her watch and peered down the basement steps. A light was still on in Ramón’s room. “If he doesn’t hurry up, I’m going to hot-wire his damn car and drive it to the party myself. It’s roasting in here.” She plucked at the front of Gloria’s sweater. The chunky cable-knit she’d found in her aunt’s closet was the only article of clothingbaggy enough to cover the duct-taped battery packs around Vero’s waistline.
“I’m sure he’ll be out in a minute.”
“I don’t understand what’s taking him so long. He already shaved once today. And he used enough of Ramón’s eau de toilette this morning to leave chem trails behind the car. If he puts on any more of that stuff, we’ll need to tape a hazard warning to his forehead and keep him away from open flames.”
“Cut him some slack. He’s never been to a college party before, and he’s probably nervous.”
“Nervous about what? All he has to do is set my transmitter beacon, drive us to the party, and wait for us in the car!”
“I’m sure he’d also like to make a good impression on Zoey.”
Vero looked appalled. “He’s too young for her.”
“He’s eighteen, and she’s only a sophomore. She can’t be that much older than him.”
“She’s not interested.”
“Says who?”
“Says her Big, that’s who. Zoey’s got a bright future ahead of her, and I’m not going to let her do anything—or anyone—that stupid.”
“You sound like your mother.”
Vero gasped.
I held up my hands. “I’m just saying, I’m pretty sure Norma said the exact same thing when she was trying to keep Javi away from you.”
“That’s not the same thing, and you know it!”
