ever.”
She sighed, and I listened as she repositioned the phone. “Well, it’s just taking me a while, okay?”
I took a breath and continued out on the thin ice of unhappy women in my life. “I guess I just want to be certain that you don’t consider me to be a part of that stuff.”
“I don’t, honest.”
“Okay.” I sat up in my chair and placed my elbows on my desk. “How’s Lola?”
“Sleeping.”
“I figured, but how’s she doing?”
“She’s growing at a phenomenal rate—the clothes that Vic sent don’t even fit anymore.”
“Well, Vic hasn’t seen her in months.”
Pause. “Are we going to keep coming back to this?”
“I didn’t mean . . .”
“The last time I looked, I-25 went both ways.”
“I’m not . . .”
The twinge of aggravation in her voice was growing. “Look, I’m tired, and I’m going to go.”
“Hey, Punk. I . . .”
“Good night, Dad.”
The phone went silent in my hand, and I sat there listeningI’m not sure for what. I finally lowered the receiver onto the cradle and watched the tiny red light go out, extinguished like a heartbeat. “Well, hell.”
Dog looked up at me in hopes that I’d pull out my keys, but I didn’t have the energy and just sat there thinking about the conversation in its entirety and trying to figure out what I’d said wrong and promising myself that I’d do better the next call.
There was a noise in the outer office that sounded like someone coming in, and I looked up to check the time with Seth Thomas—nine o’clock at night.
Standing, I walked out into the main room, with Dog trailing behind, and waited for someone to top the stairs just as Saizarbitoria’s head appeared.
“You here to protect your position in that damned office pool?”
He shook the head and then continued along with a six-pack of Rainier beer. “I talked it over with Maria, and we decided you might still be here and in need of a little spiritual uplifting.” He stopped at the top step and smiled an awkward grin. “Besides, I know what a modem is, and I can put your computer together for you.”
----
—
“Is it doing anything?”
“Describe anything .”
“Is it lighting up or making noise?”
“No.”
The Basquo’s voice echoed from under my desk. “Hmm . . . Maybe I don’t know as much as I think I do.” He happily tinkered some more as I sat there on the corner of my desk, sippeda beer, and stared at the blank screen of the computer, as if the staring might prompt it. “So, how’s Cady?”
“Mad at me.”
“Boy, seems like everybody’s mad at you these days.”
“Are you mad at me too?”
“Nope.”
“Well then, that’s you and Dog, so almost everybody.” I listened as he struggled with something. “Problem?”
“Yeah, the only phone line you’ve got is a plug-in, and it’s so old I’m having trouble hooking it into the modem, but I’ll win.” He wrestled some more and then asked, “Have you read any of those Post-its that Ruby put on your door yet?”
“All the wolf hunters? No.”
“There’s more than that.”
“Like what?”
“Have you ever heard of the Rupert Report ?”
“No.”
“It’s this guy, Jon Rupert, who does this conspiracy show on cable TV about UFOs, cryptozoology, and occult stuff.”
I laughed. “So?”
“He’s coming to Absaroka County.”
“For what?”
“Are you ready for this?”
“Probably not.”
“A werewolf.”
I assembled my thoughts as every ounce of humor left the room. “Did I just hear you right?”
“Did you hear the term werewolf ?”
“I did.”
“Then you heard right.” He crawled out from under my deskand sat in my chair, pulling the screen-thing toward him. “You have to turn it on, Boss.”
“Where?”
He showed me. “This little button on the back of the monitor.”
“Why do they put it there?”
“Well, you don’t turn it off every day.”
“You mean you just leave it on all the time?”
He blinked.
She sighed, and I listened as she repositioned the phone. “Well, it’s just taking me a while, okay?”
I took a breath and continued out on the thin ice of unhappy women in my life. “I guess I just want to be certain that you don’t consider me to be a part of that stuff.”
“I don’t, honest.”
“Okay.” I sat up in my chair and placed my elbows on my desk. “How’s Lola?”
“Sleeping.”
“I figured, but how’s she doing?”
“She’s growing at a phenomenal rate—the clothes that Vic sent don’t even fit anymore.”
“Well, Vic hasn’t seen her in months.”
Pause. “Are we going to keep coming back to this?”
“I didn’t mean . . .”
“The last time I looked, I-25 went both ways.”
“I’m not . . .”
The twinge of aggravation in her voice was growing. “Look, I’m tired, and I’m going to go.”
“Hey, Punk. I . . .”
“Good night, Dad.”
The phone went silent in my hand, and I sat there listeningI’m not sure for what. I finally lowered the receiver onto the cradle and watched the tiny red light go out, extinguished like a heartbeat. “Well, hell.”
Dog looked up at me in hopes that I’d pull out my keys, but I didn’t have the energy and just sat there thinking about the conversation in its entirety and trying to figure out what I’d said wrong and promising myself that I’d do better the next call.
There was a noise in the outer office that sounded like someone coming in, and I looked up to check the time with Seth Thomas—nine o’clock at night.
Standing, I walked out into the main room, with Dog trailing behind, and waited for someone to top the stairs just as Saizarbitoria’s head appeared.
“You here to protect your position in that damned office pool?”
He shook the head and then continued along with a six-pack of Rainier beer. “I talked it over with Maria, and we decided you might still be here and in need of a little spiritual uplifting.” He stopped at the top step and smiled an awkward grin. “Besides, I know what a modem is, and I can put your computer together for you.”
----
—
“Is it doing anything?”
“Describe anything .”
“Is it lighting up or making noise?”
“No.”
The Basquo’s voice echoed from under my desk. “Hmm . . . Maybe I don’t know as much as I think I do.” He happily tinkered some more as I sat there on the corner of my desk, sippeda beer, and stared at the blank screen of the computer, as if the staring might prompt it. “So, how’s Cady?”
“Mad at me.”
“Boy, seems like everybody’s mad at you these days.”
“Are you mad at me too?”
“Nope.”
“Well then, that’s you and Dog, so almost everybody.” I listened as he struggled with something. “Problem?”
“Yeah, the only phone line you’ve got is a plug-in, and it’s so old I’m having trouble hooking it into the modem, but I’ll win.” He wrestled some more and then asked, “Have you read any of those Post-its that Ruby put on your door yet?”
“All the wolf hunters? No.”
“There’s more than that.”
“Like what?”
“Have you ever heard of the Rupert Report ?”
“No.”
“It’s this guy, Jon Rupert, who does this conspiracy show on cable TV about UFOs, cryptozoology, and occult stuff.”
I laughed. “So?”
“He’s coming to Absaroka County.”
“For what?”
“Are you ready for this?”
“Probably not.”
“A werewolf.”
I assembled my thoughts as every ounce of humor left the room. “Did I just hear you right?”
“Did you hear the term werewolf ?”
“I did.”
“Then you heard right.” He crawled out from under my deskand sat in my chair, pulling the screen-thing toward him. “You have to turn it on, Boss.”
“Where?”
He showed me. “This little button on the back of the monitor.”
“Why do they put it there?”
“Well, you don’t turn it off every day.”
“You mean you just leave it on all the time?”
He blinked.
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