Read Online The Dark: A Collection (Point Horror) by Linda Cargill - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Linda Cargill
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She went racing out of the room. She was soon
back with the manager in tow, bellowing, "Break it up!" He was a
big, burly man with a beer belly sticking out of a Hawaiian shirt,
wiping the ticket taker's lipstick off his face. He tucked his
shirt in around his waist. He reeked of cheap perfume as he inserted
himself between the two boys, forcing them to fall back.
"Harry attacked
Rick. I saw it with my own eyes," Marianna insisted.
"She's lying!"
Bianca burst out as she ran to Harry.
"No, she's not,"
Rick panted, standing shoulder to shoulder beside Marianna. Both eyed
Bianca maliciously. "He's a vicious beast!" Rick stared at
Harry.
"All right,
Fellini, you're fired!" the manager barked, still wiping his face
with his handkerchief. "I had second thoughts about hiring the
brother of a convict. Bad blood runs in families. I'll mail you
your wages. I want the uniform back, though. No stealing things to
get even. Is that clear?"
Bianca gaped at
Harry, wondering what he would do.
Harry bit down on his
lip. Then he hurled his usher's cap at the manager, making the
fatso catch it.
"After all the
goings-on I saw in your theater, I was going to quit after tonight
anyway," Harry stated flatly.
"That smart-ass,
tongue is going to get you nothing but trouble, Fellini." The
manager scowled at Harry. "It'll earn you jail time just like
your brother, Mike. I was about to call the police. Here they come
anyway." He glanced over his shoulder. "I don't know what
goings-on you're talking about. But I bet you're involved in
them."
Harry looked as if he
wanted to say something back, but he kept his mouth firmly shut.
They were soon
surrounded by policemen in uniform. The manager did all the talking,
feeding them Marianna's version of the story. Marianna and Rick
kept on vigorously nodding.
"Do you have
anything to say for yourself, Fellini?" the police chief asked
Harry.
Bianca could feel
what it must be like to be him, to always be the chief suspect
because he was related to Mike. She bit her lip.
"I didn't do a
thing, officer. Honest I didn't. Roscoe attacked me first. I was
trying to defend Bianca."
"Miss Winters,"
the police chief addressed her, "I'm surprised to find you here
tonight, in such company. Your doctor called us on his cell phone
before he left the theater. He said he offered you a ride home. You
refused to leave with him. Do you think that was wise?"
Bianca looked down at
her feet, then up at the police chief. He was the one who had been in
her hospital room two years ago, praising her to the skies.
"I — I just met
Harry tonight. He helped me out. I'm sticking here to tell him
thank you."
"If I were you, I
wouldn't stick around too much longer." The chief scowled at Rick
and Harry. "I don't know who's telling the truth and who's
lying. So I'll issue a warning to you both. If we get any more
complaints about you down at the station, you'll both be arrested.
Am I making myself clear?"
Both boys nodded.
"It's bad enough
that your brother just escaped from the state penitentiary this
afternoon." The chief addressed his remarks to Harry who went white
and seemed to be struck dumb. It was his worst nightmare. The chief
went on, "He'll probably head right to St. Simons Island to cause
more trouble — for the first time in three years. We haven't
released the news to the press yet, but I've doubled our patrol
around the island. We don't want two Fellinis on our hands!"
The police chief took
a few more notes and then motioned to his fellow officers to leave.
The manager screwed
up his face at Harry. "Maybe the police don't know who to arrest.
But I do. If I find any of my property missing, Fellini, I'm going
to prosecute. Clear out and clear out fast!" He stalked out of the
room without a backward look, anxious to get back to his ticket
taker.
"You poor thing!"
Marianna rushed over to Rick, who was sitting on the sofa holding his
jaw in his hand, rubbing it.
Marianna took some
Kleenex out of her purse. She sat
back with the manager in tow, bellowing, "Break it up!" He was a
big, burly man with a beer belly sticking out of a Hawaiian shirt,
wiping the ticket taker's lipstick off his face. He tucked his
shirt in around his waist. He reeked of cheap perfume as he inserted
himself between the two boys, forcing them to fall back.
"Harry attacked
Rick. I saw it with my own eyes," Marianna insisted.
"She's lying!"
Bianca burst out as she ran to Harry.
"No, she's not,"
Rick panted, standing shoulder to shoulder beside Marianna. Both eyed
Bianca maliciously. "He's a vicious beast!" Rick stared at
Harry.
"All right,
Fellini, you're fired!" the manager barked, still wiping his face
with his handkerchief. "I had second thoughts about hiring the
brother of a convict. Bad blood runs in families. I'll mail you
your wages. I want the uniform back, though. No stealing things to
get even. Is that clear?"
Bianca gaped at
Harry, wondering what he would do.
Harry bit down on his
lip. Then he hurled his usher's cap at the manager, making the
fatso catch it.
"After all the
goings-on I saw in your theater, I was going to quit after tonight
anyway," Harry stated flatly.
"That smart-ass,
tongue is going to get you nothing but trouble, Fellini." The
manager scowled at Harry. "It'll earn you jail time just like
your brother, Mike. I was about to call the police. Here they come
anyway." He glanced over his shoulder. "I don't know what
goings-on you're talking about. But I bet you're involved in
them."
Harry looked as if he
wanted to say something back, but he kept his mouth firmly shut.
They were soon
surrounded by policemen in uniform. The manager did all the talking,
feeding them Marianna's version of the story. Marianna and Rick
kept on vigorously nodding.
"Do you have
anything to say for yourself, Fellini?" the police chief asked
Harry.
Bianca could feel
what it must be like to be him, to always be the chief suspect
because he was related to Mike. She bit her lip.
"I didn't do a
thing, officer. Honest I didn't. Roscoe attacked me first. I was
trying to defend Bianca."
"Miss Winters,"
the police chief addressed her, "I'm surprised to find you here
tonight, in such company. Your doctor called us on his cell phone
before he left the theater. He said he offered you a ride home. You
refused to leave with him. Do you think that was wise?"
Bianca looked down at
her feet, then up at the police chief. He was the one who had been in
her hospital room two years ago, praising her to the skies.
"I — I just met
Harry tonight. He helped me out. I'm sticking here to tell him
thank you."
"If I were you, I
wouldn't stick around too much longer." The chief scowled at Rick
and Harry. "I don't know who's telling the truth and who's
lying. So I'll issue a warning to you both. If we get any more
complaints about you down at the station, you'll both be arrested.
Am I making myself clear?"
Both boys nodded.
"It's bad enough
that your brother just escaped from the state penitentiary this
afternoon." The chief addressed his remarks to Harry who went white
and seemed to be struck dumb. It was his worst nightmare. The chief
went on, "He'll probably head right to St. Simons Island to cause
more trouble — for the first time in three years. We haven't
released the news to the press yet, but I've doubled our patrol
around the island. We don't want two Fellinis on our hands!"
The police chief took
a few more notes and then motioned to his fellow officers to leave.
The manager screwed
up his face at Harry. "Maybe the police don't know who to arrest.
But I do. If I find any of my property missing, Fellini, I'm going
to prosecute. Clear out and clear out fast!" He stalked out of the
room without a backward look, anxious to get back to his ticket
taker.
"You poor thing!"
Marianna rushed over to Rick, who was sitting on the sofa holding his
jaw in his hand, rubbing it.
Marianna took some
Kleenex out of her purse. She sat
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