15
THE MESSAGE
For the past hour Herculeah had been steeling herself to face Meat and show him the pictures. It helped her to remember what her father had said.
“You have to show him the pictures, hon. You don’t have any choice.”
“But, Dad, he thinks of his father as this tremendous person.”
“Well,” her father nodded at the pictures in Herculeah’s hands, “he’s tremendous, all right.”
“Oh, Dad, don’t try to be funny. Help me.”
“Herculeah, you’ve always told me that the most important thing to Meat was knowing who his father is.”
“But—”
“You told me he went to Madame Rosa to have her try and find him.”
“All Madame Rosa told him was she saw shoes.”
Again he indicated the snapshots. “There you go.”
Herculeah looked down at the shoes in the pictures and grimaced.
“And he went to have his dad’s handwriting analyzed. Herculeah, your best friend is frantic for word of his father, and you have not got the right to keep it from him.”
She went through the pictures one more time, then put them facedown on the table. She started for the front door.
The message light on the answering machine was blinking. Herculeah crossed the room and punched Play, even though she might have been stalling for time.
The message was from Meat.
“Herculeah, I’m going back to Broadview to look for Marcie Mullet. If you don’t want to come with me, fine! I’ll go alone. Good-bye.”
He had to be back by now, she thought. Squaring her shoulders, she crossed the street and rang the bell.
Mrs. McMannis opened the door. “Can Meat come over to my house?” Herculeah asked. “I’ve got something to show him.”
“Meat’s not here.”
“Oh.”
“He went out a little while ago and hasn’t come back. What’s going on?”
“I don’t know.”
Mrs. McMannis gave her a suspicious look. “I think you do.”
Herculeah shrugged. She could feel Mrs. Mac’s sharp eyes watching her as she crossed the street. At the steps to her house, Herculeah paused.
Meat might be at Marcie Mullet’s apartment right now, she thought. What if my dad got an urgent call and Meat’s there alone? What if the murderer’s there? Meat could be in real trouble.
She thought of the photos inside.
“Double trouble,” she said.