“Nick—” Rose opened the door. “What—where have you been, anyway? Why didn’t you come out last—”

“Later.” I squeezed inside and closed the door. I kissed her, keeping her mouth closed until I knew she was ready to listen. “I couldn’t come any sooner, honey, because I been workin’ on a plan. It’s a way to get rid of Myra and Lennie, and I’ve already taken the first step an’ now I’m goin’ to need your help. So here I am, askin’ for it. You don’t want to give it, you just say so and we’ll just forget all about gettin’ rid of ‘em and go on like we been doin’.”

“But, by—what—” She was willing but confused, puzzled. I’d talked fast, acting excited and running my words together, and I had her nodding even while she was frowning and wondering what the heck it was all about.

“Well, forget it,” I said, turning toward the door. “Just forget I asked, Rose, an’ I’m sorry I troubled you.”

“No, wait! Wait, honey!” She grabbed onto me. “I just wondered what—why—but I’ll do it, honey! You just tell me what it is!”

“I want you to wait a couple of minutes,” I said. “Then, I want you to go outside and grab Lennie an’—”

“Lennie!” She let out a frightened gasp. “D-Did he—”

“He followed me out here. I egged him into doin’ it, because that’s part of the plan. So you grab him and haul him inside, and then you tell him what I tell you to.”

I told her what to say, the gist of it, that is. She turned pale, lookin’ at me like I’d gone out of my mind.

“N-Nick! That’s—that’s crazy! I couldn’t—”

“Sure, it’s crazy,” I said. “It’s got to be crazy, don’t you see?”

“But . . . oh,” she said, and her eyes narrowed a little. “Yeah, I can see how it might—but, Nick, honey, what about the rest? How does—”

“There ain’t time to tell you, now,” I said. “You just go on an’ take care of Lennie, an’ I’ll explain everything afterwards.”

I turned and went into the bedroom, seeming to take it for granted, you know, that she’d do what I told her to.

She stayed where she was for a moment, fidgeting uncertainly. Frowning and maybe a little frightened. She took a step toward the bedroom, on the point, it looked like, of calling out to me. Then she suddenly faced back around, crossed to the door, and went outside.

Dimly, I heard running sounds. The fast scuffle of footsteps on the hard-packed clay of the yard. I heard a holler as she grabbed hold of Lennie, and I heard him burbling and giggling as she dragged him into the house. Tickled pink with himself, but just a mite scared along with it.

They came into the kitchen. I stood back out of sight, watching and listening.

“All right,” Rose said, her eyes pure poison as she hooked at him. “What were you doing sneaking around here?”