U Is for Undertow (Kinsey Millhone 21)

He stepped back. “Whoa. What’s this? Are you mad about something?”

“You took me by surprise. I would have appreciated a call,” she said. She could have kicked herself for the stupidity of the comment. This was like coming face-to-face with home invaders, making nice in hopes they wouldn’t slaughter you where you stood.

Shelly snorted. “Yeah, sorry about that. Like we have a phone on the bus.” She hadn’t said “a fucking phone,” but the expletive was buried in her tone.

Deborah ignored her, addressing her attentions to Greg. “When did you get in?”

“Fifteen, twenty minutes ago. Long enough to use the bathroom and take a look at what you’ve done. New paper and paint. The place looks great.”

“Thank you. I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you arrived.”

“We figured you were out running errands. Anyway, we needed time to cool it after being on the road.”

“Can I fix you something to eat?”

Shelly said, “Don’t bother. We already looked in the fridge. What a waste.”

“I’m sure I have something. I went to the store yesterday and stocked up for the weekend. What were you thinking of?”

“Nothing that involves cruelty to animals,” Shelly said.

Greg said, “We’re vegans. No meat, no dairy, no eggs, no animal products of any kind.”

“In that case, I guess you’ll have to have your meals somewhere else. I don’t know the first thing about vegan cooking.”

Shelly sounded put-upon. “We don’t have the money to eat out. We used all our cash to pay for the trip.”

Greg said, “We left San Francisco this morning and drove straight through.”

“Ah. Is that where you’ve been? We had no idea you were so close.”

Shelly said, “Something else while we’re on the subject.” She pointed at Greg, then Shawn, and then herself. “He’s Creed, he’s Sky Dancer, and I’m Destiny.”

Deborah lowered her gaze, keeping her expression neutral. She couldn’t wait to tell Annabelle, who’d howl with laughter. “I see. Since when?”

“Since we realized our birth names were completely meaningless. We each chose a name that represents the future, like a higher calling. Our vision of ourselves.”

“ ‘Destiny.’ I’ll make an effort to remember.”

Greg said, “Don’t worry if you forget. Everybody goofs at first.”

“I can well imagine,” Deborah said. “I’ll see if I can round up some towels for you. I assume you’ll be sleeping in the bus.”

Greg said, “Sure, if that’s what you want.”

From the way he’d phrased his reply, she knew he was waiting for her to offer them the guest rooms, with assurances they were welcome for as long as they liked. Their insistence on living like vagabonds must have lost its appeal. Nothing like clean sheets and flush toilets, especially when someone else is doing all the work. Shelly was giving her the hard stare she’d used so often before. Deborah felt a certain stubbornness take hold. She didn’t intend to let Shelly take advantage of her hospitality.

“We don’t want to put you to any trouble,” Greg added. “I mean, you might be using the guest rooms for something else these days.”

“No, not really. You probably saw for yourselves if you had a look around.”

“Yeah, that’s right. It’s just the way you said that about our sleeping in the bus—”

“Creed,” Shelly said. “It’s obvious she doesn’t care to play hostess, which is her prerogative.”

Greg looked at his mother. “Is that true? You don’t even want us in the house?”

“It’s entirely up to you,” she said. She knew full well they wouldn’t take her up on it. She and Shelly were in a power play. Shelly couldn’t ask for anything. She only won if she could outmaneuver Deborah, who was supposed to extend herself of her own accord, graciously bestowing favors on her guests to save them the discomfort of making their wishes known.

Now it was Greg’s turn to look pained. “Man, this is like a major bummer. We didn’t mean to intrude. We thought you’d be pleased to see us. I guess not, huh?”

“Creed, dear,” Deborah said carefully, nearly tripping on the name. “You and Destiny left four years ago without so much as a by-your-leave. We had no idea where you’d gone or what your intentions were. I don’t think you should expect to be welcomed back with open arms. That’s not how these things work.”