Free Dead Man's Switch by Sigmund Brouwer Page A

said.
    â€œMultiplication tables,” King told him.
    â€œHuh? Multipli—” Johnson stopped himself. “Oh, got it.”
    He made a show of studying Samantha’s fingers. “The pinky is up, the next finger is down, and the rest are up. One and eight. You have 18 fingers up.”
    Samantha giggled and shook her head again.
    â€œFrom her perspective,” King said. “You can do this, MJ.”
    Johnson frowned. He held out his own fingers. Took a second to figure it out. “Okay, 81. You have 81 fingers up.”
    Samantha, with her arms still reached around the stuffed dog, applauded.
    â€œBut I don’t see measles,” Johnson said. He turned to King. “Why can’t anything be easy about this?”
    â€œWhat’s supposed to be easy?” Samantha asked.
    â€œMJ,” King said. “How about ix-nay on-ay e-they iscussion-day ere-hey?”
    â€œWhat?” he said.
    â€œNix on the discussion here,” Samantha said. She looked at King. “Whatever you guys are doing, maybe I should help. MJ’s not that swift.”
    â€œWe’re good,” King said, thinking maybe Samantha had a point.
    â€œSo what aren’t you supposed to be discussing in front of me?” Sam asked.
    â€œNothing,” Johnson said. “Especially with a smart-mouth little girl.”
    She crossed her arms. “You shouldn’t lie to little girls. You wouldn’t be here unless you wanted to talk about something. Because you never come over to play. But if you want to discuss nothing, I can do that too.”
    â€œMJ,” King said, “would you mind getting on your knees and begging forgiveness for calling her a smart-mouth little girl?”
    â€œYou sound serious.”
    â€œI am serious. She’s smart, but not a smart-mouth.”
    â€œLittle too,” Sam said. “I’m okay with smart and little.”
    Johnson knelt.
    â€œGood enough,” Sam said before Johnson could speak. “Now tell me how I have Measles.”
    King liked Samantha and her exhibition of total control of the situation.
    â€œGive us a hint,” King said.
    She shook her head.
    â€œRemember, I was the one who suggested that MJ kneel like a knight before a princess.”
    â€œOkay then. Blake gave me Measles.”
    â€œBlake was sick too?” Johnson asked.
    King had a hunch. “Sam, how do you spell ‘measles’?”
    She grinned. “Capital M-e-e-z-elz.”
    â€œShe’s wrong,” Johnson said. Triumphant to be smarter than a little girl. “Elz isn’t even a letter. It’s m-e-a-s-l-e-s.”
    â€œNice,” King said. “You won a spelling bee against someone younger than half your age. And by the way, you missed the important part. The capital M .”
    â€œIt’s M-e-a?” Sam turned to King, who was obviously the default arbitrator. “Not M-e-e?”
    â€œI like the way you spelled it,” King said. “Especially because it had a capital M . The one that MJ missed.”
    â€œThis conversation makes me feel like I’m with Alice in Wonderland,” Johnson said. “Really.”
    â€œYeah?” King told him. “I’m the one who had to stop you in the middle of a yes-no argument with a little girl. You’d probably still be in the middle of it.”
    â€œNo,” Johnson said.
    â€œYes,” Samantha said.
    â€œNo,” Johnson said.
    â€œYes.”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œMJ!” It came out a little sharper than King intended. But still. Johnson couldn’t even figure out that Sam was messing with him.
    Johnson looked hurt.
    Samantha giggled.
    â€œSam,” King said. “Would it be okay if I held Measles?”
    â€œSure,” Sam said. “Blake said I could have this if I promised I wouldn’t tell anyone his secret name except for you.”
    She extended the stuffed dog from her lap. “Blake also told me I could