STEVEN MEACHAM AND HIS WIFE, Sandy, were watching 48 Hours Mystery on TV in their expansive home in Cow Hollow when the doorbell chimed.
Steve said to Sandy, “Are we expecting someone?”
“Hell no,” Sandy said, thinking of the door-to-door canvassing1 that had been going on because of the heated school board elections. She took a sip2 from her wineglass. “If we ignore them, they’ll go away.”
“I guess I can always give ’em a couple of shots to the ribs3, make ’em take us off the list,” Meacham said, feinting and punching the air, then slipping his bare feet into his loafers.
He walked to the front door, peered through the fanlight, saw two good-looking boys standing4 outside, kids about the age of his son, Scott.
What was this?
The heavier of the two wore a peachy-colored T-shirt under a camouflage5 vest, his hair covering his shirt collar, more Banana Republic than Republican, and definitely not a Jehovah’s Witness. The other boy was dressed traditionally in a glen plaid jacket over a lavender polo shirt, hair long in front like a kid from an English boarding school. The boys had unopened liquor bottles in hand.
Meacham turned off the security alarm, opened the door a crack, said, “May I help you fellows with something?”
“My name is Hawk6, Mr. Meacham,” said the one in the sport jacket. “This is Pidge. Uh, those are our pledge names,” he said apologetically. “We’re friends of Scotty’s, you know, and we’re pledging Alpha Delta7 Phi?”
“No kiddin’? Scotty didn’t call . . .”
“No, sir, he doesn’t know we’re here. We have to do this on the sneak8.”
“Pledges, huh?”
Meacham fondly remembered his own fraternity days. “So, when’s the initiation9?” he asked.
“Next week, sir,” said Pidge. “If we make it. We have to ask you about Scotty, things people don’t know about him, and we need to score a baby picture, preferably a naked one . . .”
Meacham laughed, said, “Okay, okay, come on in.” He threw open the door to his spacious10 home with its heart-stopping view of the bay.
“Honey, we’ve got company,” he called to his wife, leading the two boys through the foyer. “Hawk, like Ethan Hawke? Or some sort of bird theme, probably.”
Meacham accepted the bottles from the boys with thanks, then he opened the inlaid wooden liquor cabinet in the living room. He took out glasses as the boys introduced themselves to his wife, who said, “It’s quite nice of you to bring something, but it really wasn’t necessary.”
“Cointreau,” Meacham said. He poured from the bottle, handed the glasses around. “To the Greeks.”
Actually, Meacham was trying to cut down on the booze, but Sandy was already half sloshed. She swished her drink in the glass, took a sip, said, “Honey bear, why don’t you show the boys Scotty’s room? I’ll get out the photo albums.”
“I’ll stay with you, Mrs. Meacham,” Pidge said. “Help you pick out the right picture.”
Sandy was lost in the photo album in her lap when Pidge’s shadow fell across her face. She looked up, did a double take through her unfocused eyes, finally putting it together. Pidge was holding a gun.
She took in a deep breath, but Pidge raised a finger to his lips, then said, “Don’t scream, Sandy. Just do what I tell you and everything will be fine.”
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1
canvassing
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| v.（在政治方面）游说( canvass的现在分词 )；调查（如选举前选民的）意见；为讨论而提出（意见等）；详细检查 | |
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2
sip
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| v.小口地喝，抿，呷；n.一小口的量 | |
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3
ribs
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| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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5
camouflage
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| n./v.掩饰，伪装 | |
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6
hawk
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| n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员 | |
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7
delta
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| n.（流的）角洲 | |
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8
sneak
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| vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行 | |
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9
initiation
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| n.开始 | |
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spacious
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| adj.广阔的，宽敞的 | |
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