Free Satan’s Lambs by Lynn Hightower

underpants. I swear, I’m ready to jump up and down. Been so excited I coulda had an accident myself.”
    Lena tried to smile.
    â€œSomething’s wrong.” Eloise unfolded her arms and rested her hands on her knees. “Charlie. Take those crayons in your room.”
    Charlie peered at an orange crayon, hesitated, and set it down. He picked up a piece of yellow crayon.
    â€œCharlie.” Eloise scooped the crayons into the coffee can and handed them to her son. “Go on back in the bedroom. Right now.”
    Charlie took the coffee can and trudged down the hall. Eloise reached into the box of laundry and pulled out a pair of navy polyester pants. She folded them and set them on the chair in front of the stool.
    â€œTell me about Harry Zyn,” Lena said.
    Eloise rubbed a finger across a pulled thread on the pants. “Who?”
    â€œHarry Zyn. Harry Straczynski. The Bennelton agent who covered the savings and loan Archie robbed.”
    Eloise pulled a tiny red-and-blue striped shirt from the box and smoothed it on her knees. She shrugged. “What’s to tell?”
    â€œI did happen to have it in the back of my mind,” Lena said, “to find out what really happened to the robbery money. I thought if we knew what happened, maybe we could get Archie off your back.” Lena shrugged. “Not much of a play under the best of circumstances. I don’t see Archie as all that reasonable. Particularly as you did take that money.” Lena frowned and looked at her feet. “What I don’t understand is why you’re still in his reach. The reason I’m here’s to advise you not to be.”
    Eloise took a quick breath, and her chest heaved up and down. “I don’t know why you got it in your head I took that money. If I can’t change your mind I guess there’s no more to say.”
    Lena nodded. “Probably not, if you take that attitude.” She stood up and walked to the door.
    â€œI have dreams about Archie coming here.”
    Lena reached for the doorknob. Hayes was problem enough to keep her busy for now.
    â€œWorst thing is what’ll happen to Charlie. There’s nobody to take care of him but me.”
    Lena sighed. “I can give you some ideas on how and where to disappear.”
    â€œYou going to give me the money, too?”
    â€œI’m not the one who has a hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”
    â€œIt was a hundred and thirty-eight thousand. And I ain’t got it now.”
    â€œMust have been a great day for the malls.”
    â€œI never had it.”
    Lena leaned against the doorjamb. “See, I can’t help you when you tell me lies. There’s nothing to work with, besides being offensive.”
    â€œYou honestly think I’d live in this dump if I had that kind of money? You think I’d put my clean laundry in a box, and my boy got no more toys than you see on this floor?”
    â€œI think you’re a pretty poor budgeter.”
    Eloise pointed to the couch. “You sit down there and I’ll tell you what happened.”
    â€œI’m listening.” Lena folded her arms.
    â€œHarry Zyn is one of those men who looks at you like there’s nobody else for miles, and listens to everything you say. Everybody likes him. And when a guy like that focuses on you … I told you I drank a lot. I didn’t even know I told him about the money, until when I woke up one morning, we was in bed at the Red Badge Motel. He said we’d go off together, to Rio, but I guess you know the rest of that story. All I got from Harry was a night or two feeling pretty, and a whole lot of words.”
    â€œAnd the clap.”
    â€œHow’d you know?”
    â€œI checked your medical records.”
    â€œNow, how can you do that when I can’t even look at them?”
    Lena sat back down on the couch. “Eloise, the patient is about the only person who doesn’t have access.