Girl in the Shadows (Shadows 2)

"What are you doing back here?" I asked.

He showed me a videotape. "I thought you could use this. It's a tape I forgot I had, a tape of sign instruction. It will make it easier and quicker for you to learn," he said.

"Oh. Thanks." I didn't move and he didn't move. "How did you know I was here?"

"I asked for you at the house and Mrs. Westington said she thought you had gone out for a walk. I saw the lights on in the mobile home."

"How did you get away from work?"

"We're closed for inventory. I forgot," he said. He started to look annoyed at my questions and then gazed past me. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I've got to get started on packing. I was just thinking about everything. The call could come any day to put the motor home up for auction and I'll have to get everything personal out of it."

He nodded and just stood there. I realized how silly it was talking to each other over the small stairway.

"Come on in if you want." I said. I backed away and he came in, closing the door behind him. He glanced at Destiny.

"I still can't let over that doll. You do wonders with it," he said, then looked about. I meant to ask you where you slept when you traveled with your uncle. On the sofa?"

"No, up there." I said, nodding at the bunk above the driver's seat.

"Oh. I guess you couldn't toss and turn too much," he said, looking up at it.

"I'm not a light sleeper. but I never fell out. Would you like something to drink? I know we still have some sodas in the refrigerator." I went to it and looked. "Cokes and ginger ales."

"No, that's all right, thanks," he said. He placed the videotape on the coffee table and looked again at Destiny. "It's funny, but it seems like her eyes move with you as you move about."

"I know.-

"I never saw anything like it. Those lips look soft."

"Th

ey are. As you saw, she's soft wherever she is supposed to be." I said.

He looked like he wanted to see for himself, but I didn't give him permission to touch her. He hovered about her, looking at her ears, her fingers.

"She has pierced ears. too?"

"Yes. Occasionally, Uncle Palaver put earrings on her, depending upon the outfits, the show. You can take her pulse if you want," I said. It had always intrigued me.

"What? Take her pulse? You're kidding."

I shook my head and he brought his fingers to her wrist slowly. His eyes widened.

"How..."

"Something electrical run by the batteries to simulate a heartbeat. Stagehands used to get a real kick out of it, but they couldn't touch her when Uncle Palaver was around."

"What was the point of having that?"

I didn't answer. I knew the point. The more she resembled the real Destiny, the happier Uncle Palaver could be. I wouldn't even begin to tell him other things, like when he gave her a bath or brushed her teeth, things I had seen him do, but never mentioned to him or asked him about for fear of embarrassing him. In those earlier days when I was with him. I had one fear and that was I would upset him too much and he would send me back to Brenda or leave me on some street corner in some village.

Tyler sat on the sofa and shook his head at Destiny. Then he looked up at me as though lie just remembered I was there. too.

"So where did you live before you went to live with your sister in Memphis?" he asked.

"A small community called Hickory about ninety miles from Memphis. My father was an attorney there. Where did you go to college?' "California State. Northridge," he said. "Did you always want to do this kind of work?" "No."