Midnight Sun (19 page)

Hildegard
Farris
had
found
heaven
on
earth.

Chapter
4

Muldoon Neighborhood

Anchorage
Alaska

Saturday,
June
18th

7:30
p.m.

“
I
’
m
not
doin
’
it.
”
Sammy
Davis
Jr.
started
for
the
door.
“
I
told
you
a
hundred
times,
no
houses.
”

Jimmy
snorted.
“
Look,
Babe,
why
don
’
t
you
just
admit
what
you
do
and
stop
pretending
to
be
freakin
’
Robin
Hood.
”

“
Don
’
t
call
me
Babe!
I
said
no,
and
that
’
s
final.
”
Sammy
stormed
out,
letting
the
door
bang
shut
behind
him.
He
threw
the
truck
door
open
and
jumped
into
his
beat-up
eighties
model
pickup,
jolting
awake
the
ratty-haired
mutt
sleeping
on
the
seat.
The
sudden
movement
elicited
a
tinkling
sound
from
the
metal
tags
on
the
dog's
collar,
one
with
his
veterinary
info,
the
other
with
his
name
inscribed
in
bold
letters,
“
Deano.
” 
The
frame rattled and the
truck
door
’
s
bent
hinges
squeaked
when
he
slammed
it.
He
gave
it
a
quick
yank
to
make
sure
it
would
stay
shut.

“
Jerk,
”
Sammy
grunted
as
he
turned
the
key
in
the
ignition.
The
dog
cocked
his
head,
ears
raised.
  “
Not
you,
Deano
.
You
’
re
cool.
I
just
wish
my
other
friends
were
cool
like
you.
”
He
turned
the
ignition
again
and
the
engine
made
a
sound
like
an
over
taxed
coffee
grinder
then
went silent.
On
the
third
attempt,
it
fired
over.
The
tape
deck
instantly
started
up
with
Sinatra
’
s
“
My
Way
”
as
he
slammed
the
truck
into
gear
and
backed
out.
 
While
Alaska
’
s
Sammy
Davis
Jr.
was
certainly
no
relation
to
the
famous
singer
of
the
previous
century,
unlike
most
of
his
head
banger
or
hip-hop
friends,
he
and
Deano
loved
the
music
of
the
Rat
Pack
as
if
it
were,
in fact,
their
own.

“
If
he
calls
me
Babe
one
more
time,
I
’
m
going
to
punch
him
in
the
nose!
”
Sammy
slammed
the
truck
into
reverse
and
quickly
backed
up.
Deano
gripped
the
seat
with
his
paws
to
avoid
sliding
to
the
floorboards
as
the
truck
lurched.
“
Just
‘
cuz
I
cried
in
that
pig
movie,
he
thinks
I
’
m
a
wimp.
Well,
I
ain
’
t
gonna
break
into
a
house
and
have
some
little
kid
crying
for
real
‘
cuz
I
made
him
scared
forever,
and
I
ain
’
t
gonna
have
some
wife
bein
’
all
upset
after
her
wedding
ring
goes
missing.
No
way—I’m just
not
that
kind
of
guy.
”