Dirty Secrets

Part 56

During the bus ride home, she couldn't sweep the haunting images of Geno Bonatello from her mind. It was wishful thinking to believe that Keenan's attacks would eventually subside, that he would grow weak and lose his grip on the living world, finally plummeting into the next realm, however inhospitable the accommodations. Lyla had no doubt that through Geno or Clover, or as the puppet master of the wretched little girl, Keenan would continue his violent assaults. Jack was delusional if he thought that his narrow escape from the morgue, the sacrifice of a dislocated shoulder, was sufficient to satisfy Keenan's unquenchable appetite for revenge. They hadn't seen the last of Keenan. Not unless they were prepared to take drastic measures.

As she exited the bus, she recalled a strategy that her mother had imparted. When Lyla was stuck in a ruminative loop or overwhelmed by a problem, her mom had often suggested that she break it down into manageable pieces and work them out one-by-one. 

If she and Jack had the slightest expectation of executing Clarisse's plan, step one would require a return visit to the Ames burial ground to locate Keenan's grave. Surely, his remains were no longer lying in the shallow pit that she and Jack had dug. Locating the grave would mean driving out to that remote location and climbing to the top of that ghastly hill, hoping that the graveyard was not under watch by vicious guard dogs, armed maniacs, and perhaps worse. 

So she found herself baffled by what was supposed to be a solvable piece, only the first part of a complex process. Maybe Jack wasn't the delusional one. Maybe she was. 

A high-pitched whirring like the sound of a dentist's drill faded in and out as Lyla traveled the sidewalk bordering the park. The insect-like buzzing brought to mind images of flies swarming and feeding on Keenan's corpse. She clenched her eyes, struggling to clear her mind. The noise grew progressively louder as though it was following her.

What the hell?

And then she spotted the source looping about twenty feet overhead. Someone was flying a drone. Through a break in the hedges she saw him. In the park, a pre-teen kid wearing a striped shirt gripped a controller as he flew the drone over the treetops. She stepped into the green space to get a closer look.

A guy riding his bike along the walkway shouted, "Hey. You're not allowed to fly that thing here."

"Okay, boomer," the kid replied without taking his eyes off the drone.

Lyla stood about ten feet away watching him. In his peripheral vision, he noticed her. 

"Hey," she said.

"Hey."

"Is that thing hard to fly?"

"Easy. You wanna try it?" he said.

"Nah, I'm no good with stuff like that, Lyla responded.

"You got no game skills?"

"Yeah, that sounds like me."

"Where's your life?" He said with attitude.

"Pretty boring, actually."

"You gotta get gaming."

"I don't like the person I become when I'm playing."

He rolled his eyes then said, "Okay, so seriously. You wanna fly it? It's super easy."

"I'll definitely wreck your drone."

"No you won't. There's a button to make it take-off and land. You just toggle these to make it go right or left or up or down. Simple. My little brother can do it."

"Hey!" An authoritative voice hollered. An elderly security officer approached. "No drones in this park. Pack it up before you hurt somebody."

"How am I gonna hurt somebody in the sky? You mean like a bird?"

The guard didn't appreciate the attitude. "Get out of this park. Don't you ever let me catch you with that thing here again."

"Okay, okay," the kid replied. "Let me land the damn thing."

........

When she got home, Lyla went straight to her room. She freed herself from her bulky backpack, dropped it onto the floor, then climbed onto her bed with her laptop. Before she knew it, two hours of her life had been committed to the internet gods during which she watched videos of guys flying various drones, read dozens of drone reviews, and checked drone models and prices.

She was surprised to learn that one of Amazon's featured drones, with twelve hundred five-star reviews, cost less than sixty dollars.