Death Before Facebook

she’d met in a bar, or maybe a guardian angel who’d come down and tapped her on the shoulder.
    Well, what the hell, depending on the kindness of strangers made this city famous
.
    Sheila tugged at Darryl. “Hey, where’s my present?”
    “In my backpack. What’d I do with it?”
    Sheila ran to get it.
    Kenny was leaning against a wall, looking melancholy.
    “Bet you’d like a present too, sport.”
    He looked around, as if sure Darryl were talking to some other kid. “Me?”
    “Yeah, you. You want a present?”
    Kenny smiled his smile. “Sure.”
    “Well, I got somethin’ for you.”
    Sheila handed Darryl his pack. He fumbled around for what seemed an inordinate amount of time, and when he pulled his hand out a different rubber monster head sat on each finger, now waving fiercely in Kenny’s face.
    The boy laughed out loud. So did Skip and Jimmy Dee. And even Sheila.
    “You want these?” He caught Kenny’s nose with two of them. “Want ’em? Huh?”
    Kenny was so enchanted he could only nod.
    “And now for Ms. Sheila. Well, I got you something really special. But I better tell you, it’s something you’re probably not expecting.”
    She nodded, radiant in her anticipation.
    “It may even be something you think you don’t want.”
    “Oh, I’ll want it. I know I’ll want it.”
    “Even if it’s a—”
    “A what?”
    “1 can’t tell you. You’re going to be mad.”
    “I won’t be mad, I promise. I promise I won’t be mad.”
    “Okay, it’s a book.”
    “A what?” She couldn’t conceal her disappointment.
    “See, I knew you’d be mad.”
    “I’m not mad. I could… read a book.” She wanted desperately to please him.
    A truly wonderful sign. She never wants to please either of us
.
    “Even if it’s about a boy?”
    “A boy?” Her voice said,
What on Earth are you thinking?
    “You gotta trust me, Sheila. Even though it’s a book and even though it’s about a boy, it’s going to change your life. You’re going to read this and think,
There’s somebody out there who understands.”
    “
Catcher in the Rye
,” the other adults said together, and instantly realized it was a tactical error. They were the enemy; if they liked it, it couldn’t be good.
    But Darryl turned to them: “Now how did you two know that?”
    “Saved my ass,” said Jimmy Dee.
    “Mine too.”
    Kenny said, “I didn’t think grown-ups were supposed to talk like that.”
    “Anybody who reads this book,” said Darryl solemnly, “can talk any way they want from now on.”
    “Hold it a minute,” said Jimmy Dee. “You don’t have to live with these two.”
    “Yeah, but you know it doesn’t matter what I say now. Because you can’t stop anybody after they’ve read it, can you? They come out a whole different person, don’t they?”
    “Okay, okay, I’ll read the damn book.”
    “Sheila!” said Kenny. “You’re not supposed to cuss.”
    “Darryl said I could cuss.”
    “Only if you read the book.”
    Skip sighed:
Back to normal.
    But still. It was the most peaceful—in fact, the most downright enjoyable—dinner she and Jimmy Dee had ever had with the kids.
    Too bad Darryl’s already got two jobs, she thought. He’d be the nanny of the century.
    “Margaret where are you off to tonight?”
    “Oh, a little something on the case.”
    “Policeman’s work is never done.”
    “This lady’s no policeman,” said Darryl. “She might be the heat but I got eyes.”
    Eyes like lasers. Get ’em off me before I rip your clothes off in front of the kids.
    “Gotta go,” she said. “Darryl, nice to see you. Thanks for coming by.”
    “My pleasure, Ms. Skip. Pleasure’s all mine.” He stared unabashedly as he said it, and she felt her sweater go over her head, her zipper go down in his mental movie.
    Beads of sweat are going to pop out of my forehead,
she thought, saw Jimmy Dee’s amused look, and was pretty sure they already had.
    She’d agreed to meet Hodges at headquarters. He was going to drive, since none of the women had seen him; Skip could scrunch down in her seat if she had to.
    Driving over, she thought,
What’s with this Darryl? What does he want? Surely not me
.
    And yet she hoped against hope that he did.
    What about Steve?
    Damn Steve!
    She picked up Hodges and gave him directions to Kit’s house. They followed her as she picked up Suby (who came out carrying a large tote bag), crossed the Causeway, drove to Covington, and then turned onto a small country road.