From the Corner of His Eye

Eugene by car, from Eugene to Orange County Airport by a chartered aircraft, from Orange County to Bright Beach in a stolen '68 Oldsmobile 4-4-2 Hurst, while the advantage of surprise remained with him. Carrying a newly acquired, silencer-fitted 9-mm pistol, spare magazines of ammunition, three sharp knives, a police lock-release gun, and one piece of steaming luggage, Junior had arrived late the previous evening.
        He had quietly let himself into the Damascus house, where he stayed the night.
        He could have killed Vanadium while the cop slept; however, that would be far less satisfying than engaging in a little psychological warfare and leaving the devious bastard alive to suffer remorse when two more children died under his watch.
        Besides, Junior was reluctant to kill Vanadium, for real this time, and risk discovering- that the detective's filthy-scabby-monkey spirit would in fact prove to be a relentless haunting presence that gave him no peace.
        The prickly-bur ghosts of two little children didn't concern him. At worst, they were spiritual gnats.
        This morning, Damascus had left the house early, before Vanadium came downstairs, which was perfect for Junior's purposes. While the maniac cop was finishing his shave and shower, Junior crept upstairs to check his room. He discovered the revolver in the second of the three places that he expected it to be, did his work, and returned the weapon to the nightstand drawer in precisely the position that he had found it. Narrowly avoiding an encounter with Vanadium in the hall, he retreated to the ground floor. After some fussing over the most effective placement, he left the quarter and the luggage-just as Vanadium, the human stump, clumped down the stairs. Junior experienced an unexpected delay when the detective spent half an hour making phone calls from the study, but then Vanadium went into the kitchen, allowing him to slip out of the house and complete his work.
        Then he came directly here.
        Angel, on the window seat, wore nothing but white. White sneakers and socks. White pants. White T-shirt. Two white bows in her hair.
        To look entirely like her name, she needed only white wings. He would give her wings: a short flight out the window, into the oak.
        "Did you come to hear the book that talks?" the girl asked.
        She hadn't looked up from her sketching. Although Junior thought she hadn't seen him, she'd apparently been aware of him all along.
        Moving out of the doorway, into the bedroom, he said, "What book would that be?"
        "Right now, it's talking about this crazy doctor."
        In her features, the girl entirely resembled her mother. She was nothing whatsoever like Junior. Only the light brown shade of her skin provided evidence that she hadn't been derived from Seraphim by parthenogenesis.
        "I don't like the old crazy doctor," she said, still drawing. "I wish it was about bunnies on vacation-or maybe a toad learns to drive a car and has adventures."
        "Where's your mother this morning?" he asked, for he'd expected to have to shoot his way through a lot more than one adult to reach both children. The Lipscomb house had proved empty, however, and fortune had given him the boy and girl together, with one guardian.
        "She's drivin' the pies," Angel said. "What's your name?"
        "Wolfgang Kickmule."
        "That's a silly name."
        "It's not silly at all."
        "My name's Pixie Lee."
        Junior reached the window seat and stared down at her. "I don't believe that's true."
        "Truer than true," she insisted.
        "Your name's not Pixie Lee, you little liar."
        "Well, it's sure not Velveeta Cheese. And don't be rude."
        The various flavors of canned soda were always racked in the same order, allowing Barty to select what he wanted without error. He got orange for Angel, root beer for himself, and closed the refrigerator.
        Retracing his path across the kitchen, he caught a faint whiff of jasmine from the backyard. Funny, jasmine here inside. Two paces later, he felt a draft.
        He halted, made a quick calculation, turned, and moved toward where the back door ought to be. He found it half open.
        For reasons of mice and dust, doors at the Lampion house were never left ajar, let alone open this wide.
        Holding on to the jamb with one hand, Barty leaned across the threshold, listening