Danny followed Nicki out the door, catching the screen with his shoulder because both hands were occupied. Only after he was through the door did she remember and turn back to hold it open for him, and so her reaching hand smacked him in the chest.

“Ow,” she said. “Your chest is hard!”

“Sorry it got in your way,” said Danny. “Like your dad said, all toothpicks.”

Then she led the way to the car, which stood on a paved carport pad. There was loose gravel all over, though, so Danny had to pick his way carefully to the back door. Nicki ran around and got in the front passenger side, and Lieder backed them down the driveway and out into the street.

Only now did Danny realize that they didn’t know where he lived—nobody knew that except his friends. Unless they had looked up his school records. Which they must have done, because Lieder drove right there without any directions.

Of course, in the days when Lieder was spying on him to try to catch him running and time him, he might have seen where Danny ran to after school. Surely he hadn’t planned this out far enough in advance to consult the school records.

“Thanks,” said Danny as he got out of the car. “I’ll bring these clothes back to you at school.”

But they didn’t drive off. They followed him up the short walk into his house. That bothered him. He hadn’t invited them in. In fact, he had made it clear he wasn’t inviting them in. So he had to gather up his clothes that were scattered in the living room and retreat into the bedroom to change.

When he came out, there was Nicki, washing the dishes that had stacked up by the sink. “You know, if you rinse them right after you use them, they’re easier to wash.”

“But I don’t mind scrubbing,” said Danny.

“Now you won’t have to,” she said, drying her hands. “At least, not the ones I washed.”

Danny looked around for the coach.

“Daddy went back to the car. He said this place was too messy for him to find a place he trusted enough to sit there.”

“Yeah, well, I wasn’t expecting company.” Though in fact it had looked just like this when Pat came over last night. Hadn’t expected her, either. “We’d better get to the car,” he said.