Ellen stared straight ahead for a moment. “He put in the cassette, and when he leaned over, his head knocked a rabbit’s foot hanging from the mirror. It was yellow. The song was something about being a child.” She started to hum, her hand moving to a beat. “They had a fever?”

“‘Comfortably Numb,’” said Marie. “Pink Floyd. You’ve heard me play it too?”

Ellen nodded. “I can’t remember anything else.” She was groggy. “I feel like I could sleep now.”

“That girl is worn out,” Sage said, “and I have to get home.” She stood up, straightened her cutoffs, and leaned over to give Ellen a kiss on the top of her head. “See you later, munchkin. Get some sleep.”

Ellen settled down into the pillows around her. The rest of us walked downstairs together and out to the driveway.

“I’ll call you later, Libby,” Sage said. She walked to the back of our house to cut through the woods. Wilson, Marie, and I stood facing the street. Mr. Walker was sitting on his drive-around mower with his glass of lemonade, watching us. Everyone knew who Wilson McVay was and now Mr. Walker had seen him come out of our house when our mom wasn’t home. He didn’t talk to our mother ever, but what if he decided to call her? I stared back at Mr. Walker until he looked away.

“Why are you guys asking her all those questions?” I asked. “Are you going to report it to the police?”

“No,” Marie said. “But someone’s got to get him. Wilson knows people, and if he’s from around here, it won’t be hard to find a giant blond man with hair down to his ass who drives a black Camaro. Someone’ll know him.”

“And who plays the guitar,” said Wilson.

“What?”

“The fingernails on the right hand. He must keep them long for plucking.”

I looked at the two of them. Marie was acting as if all of this was perfectly normal.

“Do you think you’re detectives or something? What will you do if you find out who he is?”

“Skin him alive,” Wilson said in a deadpan voice. It gave me a jolt in my stomach. I looked at him and remembered that day in the Sun Bowl when he’d passed us on the swings. He saw my face and started to laugh. “Calm down. I just want to find out who the shithead is.”