Spoonbenders

“So,” she said, in a voice pitched so that only he could hear. “My mom and Frankie are probably getting a divorce.”

“Whoa. Really?”

“It doesn’t look good.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“Can you tell me now what you and Frankie have been up to?”

“Uh…”

“Because whatever it is, it got our house taken away from us.”

“I don’t know what he’s been—”

“Don’t say that. Don’t. If you fucking lie to me, I won’t be able to take it.”

“I don’t want to lie to you,” he said.

“So don’t. Just tell me. Please.”

He was not about to tell her about her dad, and the mobster thing. But it would be such a relief to have one person his own age know what he was going through. Especially if it was Malice.

He looked around. The room was full of kids, but they were all paying attention to the puppy.

“He was helping me,” Matty said. “Helping me do stuff.”

She waited for him to explain.

“I’m like Grandma Mo,” he said. “I can travel outside my body, and see things.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” That might have sounded harsh from someone else, but the way she said it, it meant That’s amazing.

“You believe me?” he asked.

She rolled her eyes. “Jesus, Matty. I’m in the family. The shit I’ve seen?”

Relief flowed through him like cool water. He didn’t know what she meant by seeing shit; he hadn’t seen anything until something happened to him. Before that it was all family stories and rumors.

“I thought I was going crazy at first,” he said. “I’m getting better at it, but I still need…help. To make it happen. Psychologically, and uh, physically.”

“So that’s where I fit in,” Malice said.

He felt himself blush.

“It’s okay,” she said. “There’s nothing to be ashamed about. True, you’re a little young…”

“You think so?”

“Sure. But now it makes sense why you were so desperate. You needed to get high.”

It took him a moment to process this. “Right,” he said. “That’s where you came in.”

“Though I have to tell you, I’ve never seen someone smoke up and get such a boner.”

His throat seized, and he coughed.

“At the playground?” she said, oblivious to his distress. “Man, Janelle and I looked over and you were like, shwing!”

He covered his face. She leaned into his shoulder. “It’s okay, man. Janelle thinks you’re just a natural born perv, ever since the night in the attic.” He was so glad she was keeping her voice down.

“That was the first time,” he said.

“The first time you jerked off?”

He uncovered his face. “No!” Wait, did that make him sound more like a perv, or less? “The first time I left my body. And traveled.”

“Really? And to think, I was there.”

“Sometimes that’s the thing that gets me to travel,” he said. He couldn’t believe he was telling her this, but she was being so frank with him, so unfreaked out, that he wanted to tell her everything. “Certain emotions happen, and boom.”

“Sexual emotions.”

“Uh…yeah.”

“So you’re like the Hulk, but with hard-ons.”

“Oh God.”

“Horny Hulk.”

“Stop, please.”

She grinned at him. “It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“You’re being so cool about this,” he said.

“I just wanted to know what was going on,” she said. “All you have to do now is explain how Frankie helping you got us kicked out of our house.”

And just like that, the trap snapped shut.

“Spill it,” she said.

TEDDY

Give this to Destin Smalls: he was persistent. Even as Archibald and Cliff unplugged and disassembled equipment, he was arguing for a second test.

“Not going to happen,” Teddy said. “Not today.”

The doorbell rang. Graciella said to Teddy, “I think that’s for you.”

“Then this week,” Smalls said. “You and the boy, come to my office. We need a score, Teddy, a proper tau rating. This time we’ll do it with an industrial electrical system.”

“I promise you, we’ll come,” Teddy said.

“You can trust him,” Graciella said. And oh, that warmed his heart. A woman defending his honor. She was a much better woman than his honor deserved.

The doorbell rang again.

Smalls said to her, “Don’t you remember how you met? He was conning you. This is Teddy the Greek. He took his name from the Greek deal, his specialty. He only changed his name when—”

“Enough of that!” Teddy said. Smalls had never lost his urge to expose him, embarrass him. Well, Teddy got the girl, didn’t he? Everybody fell in love with Maureen, but he was the only one she loved back. That was a trump card Destin could never beat.

Teddy opened the door, and the air in his chest turned to ice.

It was Nick Pusateri Senior.

He stood on the tile step, looking sweaty, eyes glittering like a crazy man. That toupee probably trapped heat like a World War II helmet. Behind him, Barney loomed unhappily.

Teddy struggled to put on a smile. “What can I do for you, boys?” Only long training kept his voice from breaking.

“Mind if we come in?” Nick asked.

“I’d love to invite you in,” Teddy said, lying desperately. “But we’re having a family event.”

“That’s who I’ve come for,” Nick said. “Family.” He shoved Teddy in the chest, palm out, and sent him stumbling. Teddy regained his balance and Nick said, “You’re moving a little better now, looks like.”