33It was awkward, walking the scooter any long distance, and the mechanic’s shop was on the other side of the village so that Molly’s arm was aching from having to stretch across and guide the handlebars. Her mood was foul from frustration and not enough sleep, and she muttered under her breath as she made her way along.
When she was bumping down the alley next to the La Perla house, she stopped for a moment to rest her arm. Peeking over the wall, she saw that the clothesline was bare for once, with no fantastically expensive underwear dancing in the slight breeze, and no one in any of the backyards. The heat had started to build again and any villagers who weren’t at work were sticking to the shade.
Just as an exercise, she considered the clothesline of the La Perla house and tried to c
