Houseful of Strangers

Monday, April Eighteenth Forest Hills, Queens SHE PACKED BILLY'S picture last. The one with him wearing his dirty Little League uniform. He'd scored the winning run a moment earlier, and she'd been there, camera in hand. Her boy, Alison bit her lip and slammed the suitcase shut. With trembling fingers, she groped for the locks, snapped them into place. Okay. She could do this. She could leave her home, which wasn't a home anymore but a hideout. She could leave this bedroom where she'd slept alone for the past two years. She could leave the bed where William had cradled her in his arms, where she'd given love and received it for fourteen years from a man who'd known he belonged right next to her. She had no choice but to keep going, but God damn it! Survival was overrated. A soft whine near her ankles caught her attention, and she scooped Shadow into her arms. "We're almost ready, girl," she whis-pered to the black, curly-haired schnoodle. Billy's dog. Billy's shadow. Now hers. She put the dog back down and hoisted the suitcase to the floor, scanning the room with a critical eye. Tenants would be moving in the next day, tenants who under-stood that Billy's room was off-limits. She rechecked each dresser drawer, as well as the master closet. Nothing. She'd sent William's clothes to Goodwill and hers to her parents' place in Massachusetts. As she clasped the handle of the suitcase and stepped toward the door, her eyes fell once more on the king-size bed. She blinked quickly and hurried from the room, down the flight of stairs, Shadow at her heels. Outside on the front steps, she slammed the door behind them. Bayside, Queens FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD DANIELLE O'Connor pointed out the street sign to her two new friends. "Jupiter Place," she said. "We're here, and we've got a job to do." "At your old house," said Raven, shad-ing her eyes and peering down the long city block. "That's exactly right," said Dani softly. The sun shone brightly, and Dani needed to feel its warmth on her face. She'd woven her hair into one long braid, which hung down her back. April in the city smelled clean, hinted of promise, a promise of something. She didn't know exactly what, but she liked the tang in the air. Especially combined with the familiar rush of adrenaline coursing through her. "Nice spreads and big ole oaks," drawled Houston. "A good hood." Dani glanced at the boy. A skinny kid from Maine with a craving for Texas. "All the houses look alike, " she said ", and the oaks have been here forever, but your accent's getting better, cowboy. Keep prac-ticing. And keep your mind on what we're doing. Hear me?" Maybe it was time to go off on her own again. After two years on the streets, she'd learned that life was easier just taking care of herself. But sometimes she liked the company. Last year, she'd returned to her old street alone and had achieved great success. Yet her satisfaction had been short-lived because no one had been there to see the shambles she'd made of her father's house. He'd deserved it and a lot more. "An al-coholic. A crazy cop," the neighbors had called him. "No wonder they threw him off the force." Dani had heard the whispers, had seen the empty bottles. And she'd been bruised enough throughout her childhood. Maybe if her mother had been alive, She stroked the gold four-leaf clover she wore around her neck. "We're going to walk slowly down the block. Just three kids killing time. And when we get to his house, we make sure it's empty before we go in." She paused and stared at Raven. Dani didn't know her real name. "Better take off the do-rag, Raven. We don't want attention." "You worry way too much, Irish." But the girl pulled off her headgear. "I don't worry, Raven. I plan." She'd had to learn to plan--about the time her breasts had begun to grow and her hips had widened, and John O'CBarrett, Linda is the author of 'Houseful of Strangers ', published 2007 under ISBN 9780373781546 and ISBN 0373781547.