William Rabkin - The Call of the Mild

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Table of Contents

SILENT KILLER

Shawn hadnt moved. He was staring back towards the snack bar, looking for the vanished mime. There was something wrong with that mime, Shawn said.

By definition, Gus said.

No, something else, Shawn said, still looking back where theyd last seen the mime. Something I noticed but didnt register until after we left.

There was a long moment of silence. Then Gus spoke quietly. You mean like he had a gun pointed at my head?

I think I would have noticed that a little quicker, Shawn said. No, it was

Shawn!

Yes?

The mime has a gun pointed at my head.

Shawn turned back to his partner. The mime stood in front of Gus, his white-gloved hand leveling a gleaming pistol at Gus forehead.

Please, the mime said. Dont make me kill you.

THE PSYCH SERIES

Call of the Mild
Mind Over Magic
A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Read

For Rufus R. and the woman who loves him

Prologue

1988

Henry Spencers head was about to split in two. Part of it was due to the horrible high-pitched whine coming from the backyard. But mostly it was caused by the even more horrible low-pitched whining from the woman on the other end of the phone line. Shed started complaining the second he picked up, and she hadnt stopped to take a breath in five minutes.

Finally there was a pause in her tirade. Maybe she needed air. Maybe shed keeled over from a stroke. Henry didnt care. He saw his opportunity and he seized it.

You want to sue, Ill see you in court, lady!

He slammed down the phone receiver, then picked it up and slammed it down again. It didnt help. His head still throbbed.

This wasnt the first time Henry had been threatened with a lawsuit. Half the creeps hed arrested in all his years on the Santa Barbara police force had screamed police brutality and vowed to take him to court.

But it was the first time hed been threatened with a lawsuit because of something his son had done. Or, rather, not done.

Henry massaged his pounding skull, then shouted, Shawn! There was no answer, of course. And the whining kept getting louder.

Henry stalked through the kitchen and and flung open the screen door. Shawn was standing in the middle of the lawn, a radio-control box in his hand.

Watch out! Shawn said.

Im not the one who Henrys sentence was cut off as a model airplane crashed into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

Well, thats just great, Shawn said, flipping a switch on the control box. You killed it.

Then half my work is done. Henry pulled air into his lungs, then picked up the airplane and looked it over. It was a nice model, finely detailed. These things werent cheap. Where did you get this?

I bought it, Shawn said.

With what money?

Money I earned, Shawn said.

Would that be money you earned taking care of Mrs. Calloways garden? Henry said.

Why do you ask?

Because she just called, Henry said. Apparently she paid you in advance for your work, and now all her flowers are dead because you never showed up to take care of them. She wants to sue you.

Good luck to her, Shawn said. Its not like I have any assets, thanks to a medieval allowance policy around here.

Shawn turned the control box upside down and banged on the bottom. The plane in Henrys hand gave a cough and a shake, and the propeller kicked over. Henry grabbed it and held it in place until the toy stopped struggling.

Maybe I should have said she wants to sue me, Henry said. But the lawsuit isnt the important part. Hell, if she was stupid enough to pay you in advance, she shouldnt be allowed to own plants anyway. But you said youd take care of her garden and you killed it.

It was a weasel, Shawn said.

Oh, thats good, Henry said. You took care of her flowers, but a weasel destroyed them.

Im not talking about a rodent, Shawn said. He walked over to his father and tried to pry the plane out of his hands. Henry didnt let go. Im saying I didnt lie. I told her I would take care of her plants to the best of my ability. Well, this was the best of my ability. Thats a weasel.

Henry stared at his son, wondering as he had so many times before exactly what he had done in a previous life to deserve this. You want to go into court and explain this weasel to a judge?

Its the truth, Shawn said.

A weasel is not a legal defense, Henry said. If anything, its going to make a judge really angry. Hell find a way to put you in juvie just for smarting off to him.

Henry was pleased to see that Shawn actually looked a little nervous. What should I do?

I only see one way out of this, Henry said. And thats another weasel.

But you just said

Henry held up a hand to cut him off. Its a very special weasel, guaranteed to get you out of trouble. But you have to promise to do exactly what I say, or its not going to work.

What is it? Shawn said suspiciously.

Promise first.

Shawn struggled to find a way around the requirement. Then he smiled. I promise.

Right. Because I am an idiot. You have to tell me exactly what youre promising, or its no deal.

Shawns smile vanished. I promise to do exactly what you say.

Good call, son. Putting down the plane, Henry led Shawn to the garage and threw open the door. He poked around in his tools and came out with a long pole topped with three sets of rotating tines. There you go.

He thrust the tool out to Shawn, who took a step back. I thought you said you had a weasel for me.

I do, Henry said. This is the Garden Weasel. I want you to use it to dig up Mrs. Calloways garden, and then I want you to replace everything that died. Is that clear?

Shawn thought this over for a long time. Then he broke out into a grin. Yes, sir!

Shawn took the Garden Weasel and ran down the driveway. Henry looked after him, wondering what had just happened. He had laid down the law for Shawn, and Shawn had agreed to it. Why had he seemed so triumphant? What had Henry missed?

Inches away from Henrys feet, the airplanes propeller kicked twice, then started to spin. The plane taxied down the driveway. Henry dove for it, but it took off and rose out of his reach.

And then Henry knew. Shawn hadnt agreed to do the work. Shawn hadnt agreed to do any work. He had simply acknowledged the clarity of his fathers demands. It was another one of Shawns weasels.

The airplanes whining filled the air again. But this time Henry didnt complain about the headache it brought on. He wanted to be in as bad a mood as possible when Shawn came home. Then hed teach him all sorts of uses for a Garden Weasel.

Chapter One

It was the same dream that had tormented Gus since he was seven. He was lost in the woods, whacking through thick undergrowth with only a sliver of moon to light his way. Shawn had been next to him just a second ago. Now he was gone. Gus wanted to call out for him. Or for help. Or for his mother. But he didnt dare make a sound.

Something was hunting him. Gus didnt know what. He couldnt see it. But he could hear it. Crashing through brush and snapping branches as it plunged towards him. Closer and closer, until Gus could hear its ragged breathing. Feel the hot breath on the back of his neck.

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