"I didn't invite you in," Kendra said. She had heard somebody clomping through the back door. Rick? But Rick's walk was usually not so loud. It was Jay who materialized out of the corner of her eye. Jay who, though living, assumed he had an unconditional right to the Mason's house.
"Well, I'm not a vampire," Jay said smoothly.
"Ha ha."
Before Kendra could rise from her seat at the kitchen table, Jay swooped in behind her and playfully caressed her through the back of her chair.
"Although," he mocked huskily, "I have been known to bite."
Ha ha. Jay was a big kidder. He had been putting on flirty moves to her since she was ten, but they were never serious. Neither she nor Spinner would allow anything serious, and it was one of the few boundaries Jay actually respected.
Cole entered the kitchen. Kendra pushed back the chair, intending to return her attention to her detestable journal.
"So you're the kid who smashed Spinner's car," Jay quipped.
"I didn't," Cole yelped, his face reddening.
Jay started cackling. "You crack me up, kid." He bestowed the compliment as if it were the highest honor Cole could ever attain.
Cole remained rigid in his spot. He had picked up the hint that Jay was only playing with his mind in accusing him of the car wreck. Part of him was embarrassed that he reacted so freakishly. He never knew how to deal with people responded to everything with ridicule.
"I'm just messing with you," Jay said, in his version of assurance. He held out his hand to Cole. Cole stared at it as if he thought it concealed a joy buzzer or some other trick, then accepted Jay's handshake.
Spinner deigned to show up. He regarded his uninvited guest sleepily.
"So what happened to your car?" Jay asked.
Spinner's shoulders jumped. "Did something happen?" he echoed, directing the question to Kendra.
"It's not on the curb," Jay explained.
Kendra, at that point, shifted her glare back to her journal. Cole, having no suitable occupation, continued to listen on.
"It's in the garage," Spinner answered, delayed by his visible sluggishness. "I'll show you."
He shuffled to the back door. Jay offered to invite Cole along. "Might as well get a break from Princess Kendra."
The three boys crowded into the garage. The garage was usually packed with outdoor tools that rarely got used and projects that never got finished. Spinner had had a chore clearing away all the junk to make room for the car. He felt uncomfortable leaving it on the curb after that strange attack, which he partly suspected was not all that random. Some of the larger pieces he had left for trash pick up, and he lined some of the tools and implements against the walls. He had finished by securing his and Kendra's bikes overhead with bungee cords.
Jay leaned forward to peer in the windshield. "What's with the broken glass?" he asked, indicating the shards that regularly covered the interior.
Spinner was at a loss to explain. "Nothing's broken," was all he said.
"You should really vacuum that up," Jay advised, as if Spinner could not have thought of that himself. "So it was just the windows?"
"Yup." Spinner yawned.
"Weird," Jay said. "Any self respecting vandal would make the car immobile. At least slash the tires."
"You ever been egged?" Spinner argued. "It doesn't prevent you from driving to the car wash."
Jay grinned, as if to boast that he had more often been on the egging side than the egged. "Egging has its own bonuses. But that's kid's stuff," he added hurriedly, remembering egging cars at his age did not enhance his tough image.
"So is smashing windows," Cole murmured. His tone was passionless, matter-of-fact. He had not meant to speak aloud; he did not want to add to this inane conversation.
Jay brandished a flashlight from a hook on the wall. He shone the light on Cole. "So what's the latest trend in car pranks where you are from?" he challenged.
"Cow's blood," Cole answered, making it up on the spot. He had seen a car smeared with blood recently when he and his mother drove on errands, but one time hardly made a trend. He doubted it was cow blood anyway. The answer emboldened him; he stood up straighter at the corner.
"Wow," Jay spoke in admiration. "That's inspired."
"Dude," Spinner said disapprovingly. He said nothing further, figuring why ruin the favorable impression the kid made on Jay.
Jay aimed the flashlight back at the car. He wove the light up and down at each window. The glass layered on the front seats glittered under the beam.
"It's the same as when you saw it the other day," Spinner said, his patience wearing thin.
"You did remember to ask for UV protected glass?" Jay asked.
"Yeah, sure." Spinner paced to the far wall. He swiveled in the narrow space.
Cole saw the bicycle on the wall behind Spinner. The chain started to reel. Before he could react, it snapped. The chain lashed just in front Spinner, arcing at a frightening speed.
Spinner jumped back. His reflex saved him from the severity of the chain's blow. Several screws from within the mechanism fired out, one or two of which struck Spinner. The rest pierced through the car, hissing as they came to a stop on the seats.
The back left and port windows shattered. The driver's window cracked, imitating the same pattern that it bore from the first attack, including the bullet holes at the height of the driver's head.
Then the rest of the inner wall crashed down on Spinner.