Chapter 12Catherine and I were necking and eating tuna fish sandwiches at the beach in her Nova when a tornado boiled across Crab Orchard Lake and overturned the car. The two of us hung from our seatbelts as we necked and finished the sandwiches, until the upside-down Mancini children rocked the car upright. Then the window cranked itself down and an arm holding an apple pie appeared and hit me between the eyes. This was followed by a deafening explosion and a lot of smoke, through which I made out Mr. Mancini wielding a shotgun and Mrs. Mancini standing behind him, bandying a rolling pin.
“It’s time for Mr. Federson to go home,” Mr. Mancini growled as he pulled back the second trigger.
“Goddamn!” I coughed as I sat up in my bed with a start.
“I was wondering when you’d get yer ass u
