He looked a little surprised by her timing, but stopped and said, "Okay."
"What you did for Nina—it's going to change her life. I just want to thank you and tell you that I appreciate it."
A wry smile stretched across his face as if he'd just cracked her code. Julia had never felt so nak*d with her clothes on. "What?" she muttered.
"That was hard for you, wasn't it?"
"No, of course not. I'm a gracious person."
"I know," he said. "You're a thanker."
She didn't know what he meant by that, but it didn't sound like an insult, so she let it slide. "Anyway, I want you to know that I appreciate all that you've done, and that as far as I'm concerned, we're even. You don't have to do this. It should be easy enough, and it shouldn't take three of—"
"You're right," he cut her off. "You stay here."
"Wait!" She grabbed him. "I mean you should stay. It's my problem. I'll fix it."
"We've already spent one night in jail together, Julia. I don't see why we should go for two."
An all-too-realistic vision flashed in Julia's mind—fifteen years on a hard bench with thumbtacks poking into her skull.
Only his grin could snap her back into the moment. He leaned close and said, "Breathe."
"Lance, what I'm trying to say is that it's okay. I can handle this one. You don't need to take the risk."
"Julia, I get the risks—believe me. If it were up to me, you wouldn't be going over there at all. So you can wait here while I go get your manuscript, or you can come with me. Personally, I'd prefer it if you and Nina would stay put."
"Out of the question."
"Then after you." He made a show of stepping back and sweeping his arms toward the patio doors.
Chapter Twenty One
WAY #96: Don't be afraid of uncharted territory.
Take a good look at your life and see if there's anything you've always wanted to do or try but have so far been too scared to pursue. Throw away the maps if that's what it takes, but don't be afraid of venturing where you've never gone before.
—from 101 Ways to Cheat at Solitaire
( ? ) here's a full moon over Tulsa hope that it's shining on you, David Frizzell sang inside Julia's mind as she stood on Caroline's patio and stared into the face of the largest full moon she'd ever seen. So much for the cover of darkness. It shone a spotlight on everything—sandboxes, Big Wheels, and the half-finished fence that marked the point of no return beyond Caroline's backyard.
Nina emerged from the shadows of the patio, and the three of them surveyed the scene like a battlefield, their eyes scanning for snipers or land mines or worse, Cassie's Bubble Fun Push Mower, which lit up and played music anytime you touched it.
Then, as if moved by the hand of God, a dense cloud swept across the night sky, blotting out the moon. The three of them bolted, like lightning, for the fence. They stood side-by-side with their backs flat against the completed section, breathing hard. Julia fought the feeling that they were practicing for a police lineup. Beside her, she heard Lance's steady breathing and felt his arm press against hers.
"Last chance to turn back," she said, more for his benefit ban Nina's, but Lance was already gone, ducking quickly and silently around the end of the fence. All she and Nina could do was follow.
Darting across Myrtle's backyard, Julia's heart was pounding. Am I this out of shape? she wondered, feeling as though she were trying to breathe water. She'd never been so grateful to see a wall in her life as when they reached the house and dropped to their knees next to Lance, who was already crouched beneath the unlocked window. She heard the walkie-talkie crackle, and it sounded like a freight train in the silence.
"Windows are black," Caroline said. "We are a go."
When this is over, Julia decided, I'm sending Caroline on a very long, very exotic vacation.
She leaned against the cranberry-colored brick that covered every wall in the development. The window above her was double-paned and double-hung, but luckily, it didn't have a screen. Lance looked at Nina then locked eyes with Julia, an unspoken "get out of here" passing between them. But Julia nodded toward the glass, and his gaze changed to "here goes nothing." He applied gentle pressure to the window, and it eased silently up. Beside her, Julia could feel Nina gloating. Lance turned to Nina, who tucked the walkie-talkie into the zipper pocket of her black fleece pullover. He leaned over and cupped his hands, and she gave him her right foot as if they'd practiced the maneuver a hundred times before. Her hands went to Lance's shoulders. With no more breath than a whisper, he said, "One, two ..." On three, he lifted until her head, shoulders, and waist disappeared into the darkened window, and Nina shimmied the rest of the way inside.
Julia listened for a crash. In movies, there's always some kind of shatter as the person going through the window lands on a stray pot or sleeping cat. Nothing. The silence seemed imminently worse. Julia couldn't help herself—she leaned into the window and whispered, "Nina!" but Lance clamped his hand over her mouth before she could make another sound. She tasted the rubber of his latex gloves and felt his warm breath on the back of her neck as he whispered, "Wait."
Her eyes stayed glued to the black, empty expanse of the kitchen and keeping room. Where was Nina? Fear boiled inside Julia. She strained to see something inside the darkened house. She was about to fight free of Lance's grip and call out for her best friend again, when Lance turned her to face the backyard, where Nina stood on the dewy grass, hands on hips, a "what are you waiting for?" expression on her pinched face.