The Accomplice(32)

“Really?” Luna said.

“Yes.”

“I’m proud of you.”

“We made out a little, but I was mostly trying to talk to her, to tell her we weren’t a thing.”

“How’d that go?”

“Not well,” Owen said. “I need to know exactly what to say to end the relationship without any drama. She can be kind of crazy.”

The previous night’s strangling episode shed new light on Owen’s fear of conflict. Then Luna wondered if Owen’s attraction to Scarlet was partially oedipal. She decided it was better not to ask.

“Tell me what to do,” Owen said. “What do I say to her?”

“I wouldn’t say anything. Not right now.”

“What are you not saying?” Scarlet said from the frame of the half-open door.

“Scarlet, what’s up?” Owen said.

“Your mom wanted to know what Luna wanted to drink,” Scarlet said, smiling with dead eyes.

“Something hot,” said Luna.

“What were you guys talking about?” Scarlet said.

Owen conjured up a lightning-fast lie. “Luna found out that Mason and Bobbi hooked up.”

“What? No way,” said Scarlet.

“Yeah, no way,” said Luna, deadpan.

“No one can know,” Owen said.

“Can you two get out of here while I get dressed?” Luna said.



* * *



—

When Luna returned to the living room, Vera abdicated her seat by the fire and handed Luna a brandy with hot water and honey. Tom and Vera continued to ply their guests with alcohol. Then dinner was served, followed by dessert. And then more drinks.

Griff saw the headlights of a car on their private drive. “You expecting company, Mom?” he said.

“Shit,” said Tom, spilling some of his drink on his shirt.

“Is that Barb and Bill?” said Griff.

Owen rushed to the pantry and filled his arms with snack food.

“Save yourselves,” said Vera as she ushered Owen and Scarlet down the basement steps.

Griff took Luna’s arm and said, “We better go too.”

“Who are Barb and Bill?” said Scarlet.

“Neighbors,” said Owen.

“Are they dangerous?” Luna asked.

“No. But they could literally bore you to death. And there is no way to escape them,” said Griff.



* * *



—

“Truth or dare?” Griff asked with the enthusiasm of a bank teller.

“Dare,” said Luna.

“You never play truth,” Scarlet said.

The quartet had been in the basement for an hour. Luna had expected to find one of those finished rooms with a pool table, a flat-screen TV, comfortable threadbare furniture, and maybe a well-stocked bar. But it was a musty storage area, loaded with crumbling boxes and cast-off furniture and a noisy water heater. The defectors were growing restless. Luna heard laughter from the floor above and wondered if the neighbors were really that bad. Or perhaps the Mann parents had fortified themselves enough to endure any kind of company.

The basement did, however, hold a stash of wine, of which the four had already availed themselves. Owen was uncorking the second bottle when Scarlet’s genius idea struck.

“Let’s play Truth or Dare,” she said.

Her suggestion was met with silence. Griff began to wander the room, searching through boxes.

“I think we might have Risk or Monopoly,” Griff said.

“Noooo,” said Scarlet like a whiny child. “That’s boring. Let’s have some fun. You in, Luna?”

“Sure,” Luna said, despite the warning she felt deep in her gut.

“See, Luna wants to play. Owen and Griff? Don’t be buzzkills.”

The brothers made eye contact and shrugged. What’s the harm?

Scarlet had an unusual system of play. All four members of the quartet would draw cards. The low card was the victim and the high card the commander. They’d played five rounds without anyone exposing his soul or performing a life-threatening stunt. One more round couldn’t hurt, could it? They drew cards, yet again. Griff got the high and Luna the low cards.

It was Griff’s turn to deliver the challenge. “I dare you to go upstairs, introduce yourself to Barb and Bill as…Barb Billings, and ask for the time,” Griff said.

Luna left for her mission without a word.

What Griff hadn’t calculated into his amusing dare was how long Luna would be entangled upstairs with the garrulous neighbors. As they waited for her return, Scarlet grew bored again. She tried to hold Owen’s hand, but he disengaged under the pretense of getting another drink.

Griff wanted the night to end. He didn’t enjoy seeing his brother like this, and he felt sorry for the almost-girlfriend. Also, he got the feeling that Luna was wary and that Scarlet, despite her smiles and feigned warmth, had fangs with Luna’s name on them.

Luna returned from her mission and collapsed in exhaustion on one of the beanbags. “It sounds like a simple question,” Luna said, “but in the hands of Barb and Bill…”

“I apologize,” said Griff. “Shall we call it a night?”

“It’s only nine-thirty,” Scarlet said.