Free Streetlights Like Fireworks by David Pandolfe Page A

occurred to me.” She stabs at
the screen three times, then waits. When someone answers, she says, “I’m not
giving you my name. I just want you to know that three guys are dealing drugs
out of this location. In fact, right now they have it all out on a table in
their apartment. From there, I’m leaving it up to you.”
    Lauren disconnects and then dials. Again, just three
numbers. She drops the phone behind a bush next to the front steps. “Just in
case,” she says. “Let’s get out of here.”

9
    Imagining the Need
for Minty Breath
     
    We drive out of the parking lot, neither one of us saying
anything as we put some distance between us and Victor’s apartment building.
We’re out of danger but my heart keeps beating fast as the adrenaline works its
way through my system. I feel buzzed from it and the sky seems bluer than
normal, the sun brighter. I still didn’t know what to do with what just
happened. It will be a long time before I forget those moments when it seemed
like Lauren stared right into Victor’s soul, seeing nothing but darkness. Sure,
I’ve had premonitions, sometimes even about bad things about to happen, but
I’ve never experienced that kind of insight. I definitely wouldn’t want to
either.
    “Are you okay?” I ask.
    Lauren takes a moment before answering. “Yeah. I’m fine.
What a creep. Just eye contact with that guy makes me wish I could take like
fifteen showers.”
    I can’t help laugh but that might be part of the
adrenaline buzz too.
    “Obviously, Victor has some very bad stuff going on,”
Lauren says. “He’s a really screwed up person.”
    “You realize that could have gone really badly,” I say,
even though I’m not telling her something she doesn’t already know. Still, back
at Victor’s apartment it seemed like Lauren couldn’t have stopped even if she’d
wanted to, not once she’d locked on like that.
    Lauren turns the corner, bringing us back out onto the
street with all the nice beach houses. “I guess so. But the feeling I got was
that Victor is all bluff. He’s a total slime ball, obviously, but he’s not
particularly violent. At least, I didn’t see anything.”
    I have to ask. “Have you ever done anything like that
before? I mean, picked up on that much about a person just by holding
something?”
    Lauren shakes her head. “That might have been a new
personal record. I guess maybe it was self-preservation.”
    I think back to the night at the Coffee Grounds. “What
about that compass you asked me to hold? What kind of stuff do you get off of
that?
    “That’s different,” Lauren says. “Hey, look at that.” She
points straight ahead.
    I know she changed the subject on purpose. My gut tells
me it was just lucky timing for her when I look to see two cop cars cruising
toward us from the opposite direction. They roll past a moment later, not
exactly speeding but going fast enough to suggest they’re definitely on their
way to check something out.
    “I honestly doubt they can do anything right now,” Lauren
says. “They’ll probably assume it was just some sort of crank call. But you
never know. If they weren’t keeping an eye on that guy before, hopefully
they’ll start.”
    “That would be good,” I say. “Let’s hope that happens.”
    I pull my phone from my pocket to check the time, afraid
there may have already been calls or texts from my parents. Something tells me
Mr. Wilhite will at least leave a message at the house. But it’s still early in
the day. My father’s at work, definitely. Who knows what my mother does during
the day. I think about shutting my phone off but leave it on vibrate for now.
    “I guess we should probably head back, right?”
    “Up to you,” Lauren says.
    Is she serious? Especially, after what just happened it
seems like we should probably rethink things. “That was pretty freaking
dangerous.”
    Lauren nods. “Yeah, it was. But I think it’s probably
safe to bet something like that won’t happen