“It’s okay. You don’t have to pretend you’ve read his books. No one has.” She thought of mentioning the fact that she had no babysitting experience whatsoever, but then decided it would be unprofessional. “I’m in there now.” She handed back his phone. “Under C for Clarke in your contacts.”

“So you’ll do it?” Stuart asked. “It’s kind of important. My wife has been sick and she doesn’t get out much, but she’s been feeling better so…”

“Sure.” She glanced down at the boy and tried to smile at him without being too creepy, but he was staring intently at a crack in the sidewalk and didn’t seem to be paying any attention at all.

“Great. Thanks so much. I’ll text you,” Stuart said and hauled Ted hurriedly away.

Roy was staring at his computer screen again. He hated when he did that. Sometimes he even nodded off. It was embarrassing. He felt so old and stupid.

“A Russian assassin on Mars,” he said aloud so that the pain of his humiliation would be even more acute. If only he could put on a hair suit and flog himself.

“Dad, I’m babysitting tonight!” Shy shouted when she came home from school. “They’re paying me loads of money!” She charged upstairs and slammed the door to the bathroom.

Roy continued to stare at his screen. Peaches would be at the karaoke thing. Peaches could help him. He hoped Wendy wouldn’t be too busy at work to come. She loved parties and going out and they never went anywhere anymore—which was entirely his fault. He reached for his phone.

There’s a fun-sounding gathering at a bar in the neighborhood tonight. Meet me there?

Chapter 14

The bar was unlocked. A karaoke machine with two microphones, a large screen for reading the lyrics, and two huge speakers stood beside the drum set. The wooden bar top gleamed and the whole place smelled of Murphy Oil Soap and something else Peaches couldn’t quite nail down. She checked the bathroom. The white porcelain toilet and sink were bleached clean. Ten individually wrapped rolls of fresh toilet paper were stacked on a shelf. The paper towel dispenser had been filled and the wastebasket emptied. Elizabeth had been busy.