Borderland by S. K. Epperson Read Free Book Online Page A

she
watched, he handed the shotgun back to his friend and turned away to lead his
daughter over the drive to the porch of the house. He paused in front of the
door and fumbled in his pocket, probably for the key the lawyer had collected
to send to him, Myra guessed.
    "It's
open," she said.
    Kimmler
turned to look at her. "Why?"
    "I…we
had to sleep there last night," Myra replied. "I'll tell you why when we talk."
    His eyes
narrowed, then he looked away from her and shoved open the door. The older girl
followed them up the steps. Myra glanced around and saw the blond looking over his car and
muttering under his breath. Cal watched him with a smirk that quickly became a nervous
twitch as the man turned suddenly and spoke to him.
    "Whose
shotgun is this?"
    "It
was Darwin 's," Cal answered.
    "Did
he give it to you, or did you just take it?"
    Cal opened his mouth, but Myra stepped in front of him. "Why are you treating us
like criminals? We haven't done anything."
    Gray-blue
eyes leveled on her. "Don't fuck with me, lady. Vic is Mr. Congeniality
compared to me. If it was my decision, I'd kick your thieving little ass right
out of here."
    Myra gave Cal a shove and told him to go inside the trailer. When he was
gone, she turned back to meet the hard gaze. "Don't speak that way to me
again. Tell me what I'm being accused of and why."
    He held
up the shotgun. "Just borrowing it?"
    "Yes,"
she said flatly.
    He
nodded. "Well, I couldn't help noticing that it's been fired recently. At
what? Or should I ask whom?"
    "I'm
not going to say it twice," Myra said. "I don't know who you are, or what your
connection to Mr. Kimmler is, but I have nothing to say to you. And you can
keep the stupid gun for all I care."
    He
chuckled. "My, my, ain't no fun when the rabbit's got the gun, is it? Why
don't we go in and get this story started? I can't wait myself. It's bound to
be a good one, and I'd like to have some popcorn ready for when the theatrics
start."
    Myra stared at him and he stepped forward, still smiling.
"Now, now, don't stand there with your scabby little mouth hanging open
like a two-dollar suitcase. Let's go in and get the show started."
    "No," Myra said,
backing away. "You've already made up your mind about me. For some reason
you've decided not to believe anything I say. I don't know what you've heard,
or who you've been talking to, but you don't know anything. Tell Mr. Kimmler
when he's ready to talk, he knows where I am."
    She
whirled and had to force herself not to run from him. She was so angry she felt
the blood pounding through the veins in her head. Once inside the trailer she
touched the scab on her lower lip and wanted to use those same fingers to rip
out the man's cold, mocking eyes.
    "Guy's
a jerk, isn't he?" Cal said from his position by the kitchen window. "Both
of them are. I don't like the way they talked to you, Mom."
    Myra took several deep breaths to try and calm her. "I
don't either, Cal . They've obviously heard some gossip in town and are
reacting to it. Maybe he's angry about the money Darwin left us. With no horses and no
way to run the farm, I don't blame him. But that doesn't explain their behavior
completely."
    "The
blond guy just unloaded the trunk," Cal said. "Mr. Kimmler's coming this way."
    "Alone?" Myra asked.
    "Yeah." Cal turned
away from the window. "He looks a little like Darwin , doesn't
he?"
    Myra nodded. "Let's just hope he has the same
temperament."
    "Come
on," Vic Kimmler said when she opened the door. "I need to go back to
town and buy some groceries. We can talk on the way."
    "Fine," Myra said.
She asked Cal to get her purse while she slipped into a pair of sandals. At the door she
paused. "Will you be all right, Cal ?"
    "Of
course," he said. "Will you?"
    She
glanced at Vic. "Of course."
    When his
mother was gone, Cal wandered back outside and sat on the steps of the trailer.
Within moments he was joined by the smaller of Vic Kimmler's two daughters.
    "I'm
Andy," she said. "What's your