Under the Dome: A Novel by Stephen King Read Free Book Online Page A

singing along with “How Great Thou Art”—
    “Stacey, was it Chuck Thompson? I saw that new Piper of his flying over. Pretty low.”
    “I don’t know, Chief, I’ve told you everything Peter told me.”
    Brenda, no dummy, was already moving her car so he could back the forest-green Chief’s car down the driveway. She had set the portable radio beside his small pile of raked leaves.
    “Okay, Stace. Power out on your side of town, too?”
    “Yes, and the landlines. I’m on my cell. It’s probably bad, isn’t it?”
    “I hope not. Can you go in and cover? I bet the place is standing there empty and unlocked.”
    “I’ll be there in five. Reach me on the base unit.”
    “Roger that.”
    As Brenda came back up the driveway, the town whistle went off, its rise and fall a sound that never failed to make Duke Perkins feel tight in the gut. Nevertheless, he took time to put an arm around Brenda. She never forgot that he took the time to do that. “Don’t let it worry you, Brennie. It’s programmed to do that in a general power outage. It’ll stop in three minutes. Or four. I forget which.”
    “I know, but I still hate it. That idiot Andy Sanders blew it onnine-eleven, do you remember? As if they were going to suicide-bomb
us
next.”
    Duke nodded. Andy Sanders
was
an idiot. Unfortunately, he was also First Selectman, the cheery Mortimer Snerd dummy that sat on Big Jim Rennie’s lap.
    “Honey, I have to go.”
    “I know.” But she followed him to the car. “What is it? Do you know yet?”
    “Stacy said a truck and an airplane collided out on 119.”
    Brenda smiled tentatively. “That’s a joke, right?”
    “Not if the plane had engine trouble and was trying to land on the highway,” Duke said. Her little smile faded and her fisted right hand came to rest just between her breasts, body language he knew well. He climbed behind the wheel, and although the Chief’s cruiser was relatively new, he still settled into the shape of his own butt. Duke Perkins was no lightweight.
    “On your day off!” she cried. “Really, it’s a shame! And when you could retire on a full P!”
    “They’ll just have to take me in my Saturday slops,” he said, and grinned at her. It was work, that grin. This felt like it was going to be a long day. “Just as I am, Lord, just as I am. Stick me a sandwich or two in the fridge, will you?”
    “Just one. You’re getting too heavy. Even Dr. Haskell said so and he never scolds
anybody.
”
    “One, then.” He put the shift in reverse … then put it back in park. He leaned out the window, and she realized he wanted a kiss. She gave him a good one with the town whistle blowing across the crisp October air, and he caressed the side of her throat while their mouths were together, a thing that always gave her the shivers and he hardly ever did anymore.
    His touch there in the sunshine: she never forgot that, either.
    As he rolled down the driveway, she called something after him. He caught part of it but not all. He really was going to have to get his ears checked. Let them fit him with a hearing aid if necessary.Although that would probably be the final thing Randolph and Big Jim needed to kick him out on his aging ass.
    Duke braked and leaned out again. “Take care of my
what
?”
    “Your pacemaker!”
she practically screamed. Laughing. Exasperated. Still feeling his hand on her throat, stroking skin that had been smooth and firm—so it seemed to her—only yesterday. Or maybe it had been the day before, when they had listened to KC and the Sunshine Band instead of Jesus Radio.
    “Oh, you bet!” he called back, and drove away. The next time she saw him, he was dead.
    2

    Billy and Wanda Debec never heard the double boom because they were on Route 117, and because they were arguing. The fight had started simply enough, with Wanda observing it was a beautiful day and Billy responding he had a headache and didn’t know why they had to go to the Saturday flea market in Oxford