'Make her shut up,' Georgia said. She wasn't whimpering, but she was close. 'Make her shut up, Cart.'
'Ma'am - ' Freddy Denton. His uniform shirt untucked and bourbon on his breath. Duke would have taken one look and fired his ass. Fired all their asses. He started to get up and this time he was the one who went sprawling, a look of surprise on his face that would have been comical under other circumstances. It was nice that they had been sitting while she was standing. Made it easier. But oh, how her temples were thudding. She returned her attention to Thibodeau, the most dangerous one. He was still looking at her with maddening calm. As though she were a freak he'd paid a quarter to see in a sideshow tent. But he was looking up at her, and that was her advantage.
'But it won't be a cell downstairs,' she said, speaking directly to Thibddeau. 'It'll be in Shawshank, where they do to little play-yard bullies like you what you did to that girl.'
'You stupid bitch,' Carter said. He spoke as if remarking on the weather. 'We weren't anywhere near her house.'
'That's right,' Georgia said, sitting up again. There was Coke splattered on one of her cheeks, where a virulent case of teenage acne was fading (but still holding onto a few final outposts). 'And besides, everyone knows Sammy Bushey is nothing but a lying lesbo cunt.'
Piper's lips stretched in a smile. She turned it on Georgia, who recoiled from the crazy lady who had appeared so suddenly on the steps while they'd been having a nice sunsetter or two. 'How did you know! the lying lesbo cunt's name? 1 didn't say it.'
(Georgia's mouth dropped into an O of dismay. And for the first time something flickered beneath Carter Thibodeau's calm. Whether fear dr just annoyance, Piper didn't know.
Frank DeLesseps got cautiously to his feet. 'You better not go around spreading accusations you can't back up, Reverend Libby.'
'Nor assaulting police officers,' Freddy Denton said. 'I'm willing to let! it go this time - everyone's under stress - but you have to cease and desist these accusations right now.' He paused, then added lamely: 'And the pushing, of course.'
Piper's gaze remained fixed on Georgia, her right hand curled so tightly around the black plastic grip of Clover's leash it was throbbing. The dog stood with his foirepaws spread and his head lowered, still growling. He sounded like a powerful outboard motor set to idle. The fur on his neck had bushed out enough to hide his collar.
'How'd you know her name, Georgia?'
'I,.. I ,,. I just assumed...'
Carter gripped her shoulder and squeezed it. 'Shut up, babe.'
And then, to Piper, still not standing (Because he doesn't want to be pushed back down, the coward), he said: 'I don't know what kind of bee you've got in your Jesus bonnet, but we were all together last night, at Alden Dinsmore's farm. Trying to see if we could get anything out of the soldier-boys stationed on 119, which we couldn't. That's on the other side of town from Busheys'.' He looked around at his friends.
'Right,' Frankie said.
'Right,' Mel chimed in, looking at Piper distrustfully.
'Yeah!' Georgia said. Carter's arm was around her again and her moment of doubt was gone. She looked at Piper defiantly.
'Georgie-girl assumed it was Sammy you were yelling about,' Carter said with that same infuriating calm. 'Because Sammy's the biggest lying scumbucket in this town.'
Mel Searles yodeled laughter.
'But you didn't use protection,' Piper said. Sammy had told her this, and when she saw Thibodeau's face tighten, she knew it was true. 'You didn't use protection and they rape-kitted her.' She had no idea if this was true, and didn't care. She could see from their widening eyes that they believed it, and their belief was enough. 'When they compare your DNA to what they found - '
'That's enough,' Carter said. 'Shut it.'
She turned her furious smile on him. 'No, Mr Thibodeau. We are only getting started, my son.'
Freddy Denton reached for her. She pushed him down, then felt her left arm caught and twisted. She turned and looked into Thibodeau's eyes. No calm there now; they were shining with rage.
Hello, my brother, she thought incoherently.
'Fuck you, you f**king bitch,' he remarked, and this time she was the one who was pushed.