Maria felt the color drain from her cheeks. “You must stay here until my mother and father come home. Someone must be here to tell them.”

“And you can’t?” Anita’s laugh was scornful, acid with mockery. “Why not? It happens every day. Just tell them your brother is dead, murdered, and you’re running away with the boy who killed their son.”

“Try to understand,” Maria pleaded.

“I can’t!” Anita screamed. “I can’t understand and I don’t want to because then I might understand…”

“You do,” Maria said. “That is why you are screaming. We are going away, Anita. I will meet him at Doc’s and if anyone tries to stop us they will have to kill me too. You will tell that to Chino?”

The outside doorbell rang, then the door was thrust open and the girls saw Schrank come in the kitchen. Moving quickly, eyes taking in everything, he opened the bathroom door, looked into the little room, then looked into the other bedroom before he closed the kitchen door and stood against it. “I guess you know the news?” he said to Maria. “You’re his sister?”

“Yes. If you will tell me where to go to my brother…”

“He can wait.” Schrank smiled at his wit. “There’re a couple of questions—”

“Later, please.” Maria scooped her dress from the bed and pulled it over her head. “I must go to him. So please tell me.”

“It’ll only take a minute,” Schrank said.

“Her brother’s dead,” Anita shrilled. “Couldn’t you wait until—”

“No!” His voice warned Anita to remain silent. “You were at the center dance last night?”

“Yes.” Maria nodded and gestured for Anita to pull up the zipper in the back of her dress.

“Your brother got in a heavy argument because you danced with someone he didn’t like.” Schrank watched the girls closely. It was going to be very tough on him if he didn’t break this quickly. “You want to see Bernardo? Fine, I’ll take you and on the way you can start telling me what you know.”

“Excuse me, Anita, my headache is worse,” Maria said. “Will you go to the drugstore, for—how do you call it?”

“Aspirin,” Anita replied, but made no sign that she would go. Schrank indicated the bathroom and kitchen cabinets. “Don’t you keep aspirin around here?”

“The bottle is empty,” Maria replied. “Will you go for me, Anita? Please? Otherwise they might close the store.”

“We’ve got aspirin where we’re going,” Schrank took Maria’s arm.

“Will I be long?”

Schrank shrugged as he looked at his wristwatch. “As long as it takes.”

“I won’t be long,” Maria said and turned from Schrank so that he could not see how her eyes pleaded with Anita. “You could wait for me at the drugstore? I won’t be long.”

“I’ll wait. And maybe Doc will stay open for you,” Anita replied. She turned to Schrank. “Don’t you do anything rough with this girl. She has suffered enough tonight. And I am ’Nardo’s girl.” She was defiant.