On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester’s Mill, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field.
Авторы: King Stephen Edwin
would be the power behind the throne. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it was Rule One in Big Jim’s political operating manual, and having Andy out front always worked like a charm. Most of Chester’s Mill knew he was an idiot, but it didn’t matter. You could run the same game on people over and over, because ninety-eight percent of them were even bigger idiots. And although Big Jim had never planned a political campaign on such a grand scale—it amounted to a municipal dictatorship—he had no doubt it would work.
He hadn’t included Brenda Perkins in his list of possible complicating factors, but no matter. When you were feeling it, complicating factors had a way of disappearing. This you also accepted as your due.
He walked down the sidewalk to the corner of Mill and Main, a distance of no more than a hundred paces, with his belly swinging placidly before him. The Town Common was directly across the way. A little farther down the hill on the other side of the street were the Town Hall and the PD, with War Memorial Plaza in between.
He couldn’t see Food City from the corner, but he could see all of the Main Street business section. And he saw Julia Shumway. She came hurrying out of the Democrat’s office, a camera in one hand. She jogged down the street toward the sound of the chanting, trying to sling the camera over her shoulder while on the move. Big Jim watched her. It was funny, really—how anxious she was to get to the latest disaster.
It got funnier. She stopped, turned, jogged back, tried the newspaper office’s door, found it open, and locked it. Then she hurried off once more, anxious to watch her friends and neighbors behaving badly.
She is realizing for the first time that once the beast is out of its cage, it could bite anyone, anywhere, Big Jim thought. But don’t worry, Julia—I’ll take care of you, just as I always have. You may have to tone down that tiresome rag of yours, hut isn’t that a small price to pay for safety?
Of course it was. And if she persisted…
‘Sometimes stuff happens,’ Big Jim said. He was standing on the corner with his hands in his pockets, smiling. And when he heard the first screams… the sound of breaking glass… the gunshots… his smile widened. Stuff happens wasn’t exactly how Junior put it, but Big Jim reckoned it was close enough for government w—
His smile folded into a frown as he spotted Brenda Perkins. Most of the people on Main Street were heading toward Food City to see what all the ruckus was about, but Brenda was walking up Main Street instead of down. Maybe even up to the Rennie house… which would mean up to no good.
What could she want with me this morning? Wliat could be so important it trumps a food riot at the local supermarket?
It was entirely possible he was the last thing on Brenda’s mind, but his radar was pinging and he watched her closely.
She and Julia passed on opposite sides of the street. Neither noticed the other. Julia was trying to run while managing her camera. Brenda was staring at the red ramshackle bulk of Burpee’s Department Store. She had a canvas carrier-bag that swung at her knee.
When she reached Burpee’s, Brenda tried the door with no success. Then she stood back and glanced around the way people do when they’ve hit an unexpected obstacle to their plans and are trying to decide what to do next. She might still have seen Shumway if she’d looked behind her, but she didn’t. Brenda looked left, right, then across Main Street, at the offices of the Democrat.
After another look at Burpee’s, she crossed to the Democrat and tried that door. Also locked, of course; Big Jim had watched Julia do it. Brenda tried it again, rattling the knob for good measure. She knocked. Peered in. Then she stood back, hands on hips, carrier-bag dangling. When she once more started up Main Street—trudging, no longer looking around—Big Jim retreated to his house at a brisk pace. He didn’t know why he wanted to make sure Brenda didn’t see him watching… but he didn’t have to know. You only had to act on your instincts when you were feeling it. That was the beauty of the thing.
What he did know was that if Brenda knocked on his door, he would be ready for her. No matter what she wanted.
15
Tomorrow morning I want you to take the printout to Julia Shumway, Barbie had told her. But the Democrat’s office was locked and dark. Julia was almost certainly at whatever mess was going on at the market. Pete Freeman and Tony Guay probably were, too.
So what was she supposed to do with Howie’s VADER file? If there had been a mail slot, she might have slipped the manila envelope in her carrier-bag through it. Only there was no mail slot.
Brenda supposed she should either go find Julia at the market or return home to wait until things
