谎言书：14

Naomi. Ask him. Call him.”

It was the simplest way to find out if they knew something. But the way these

guys were watching her . . . the cold doubt in their eyes. Covenant¹ House was

a shelter for homeless kids. Kids who got lit on fire when they left their gang.

Or got sold by their dad as a sex toy for quick drug money. These kids . . .

weren’t kids.

“Cal don’t date no giant girls,” Panther Tattoo² challenged.

“Well, he dates me,” Naomi insisted.

“Yah? When wuz ya last date?”

Naomi didn’t even hesitate. “Two nights ago.”

“Tha’s funny — cuz he wuz here playin’ Xbox with us two nights back.”

The chubby³ kid with the accent leaned in and pointed⁴ a finger at Naomi’s

face. “You got a problem now, luv. And don’t think we didn’t spot that bloody⁵

little pistol you got hidin’ behind your—”

In a blur⁶, Naomi gripped the kid’s stubby finger and bent⁷ it back, then twirled

him around, pinned his arm behind his back, and rammed⁸ his chest and chin

against the nearby wall. A dozen different plaques⁹ and commendations shook

at the impact.

“ICE agent, which means federal, which means be really bloody careful what

you do next,” Naomi growled¹⁰, using her free hand to slide open her jacket and

show off the badge on her belt.

To her surprise, none of the gang rushed forward or mouthed off. In fact,

since the moment she came in, they’d all been standing¹¹ almost entirely¹² in the

same—

Crap.

“Outta the way! Now!” Naomi ordered, waving them toward the corner of the

sparse¹³ old motel room and heading for the bathroom at the back.

“Lady, you can’t just—”

“Giant people can do anything,” Naomi shot back, shoving British Boy aside

and finally getting her first good look at the bathroom’s closed door . . . and

the light that was on underneath¹⁴. A shadow flitted, then disappeared.

Someone was definitely in there.

“Get back to your rooms!” she yelled at the kids, who scattered¹⁵ onto the

breezeway as she pulled her gun. “And Cal, I checked when I was outside. I

know there’s no window in there!”

She kicked the door and tried the handle. Locked.

“Cal, I’m counting to one!” Naomi shouted. “After that, you’re paying for

whatever it costs to get a bullet out of your—”

Click.

The door opened, revealing a man with a thick nose, an even thicker waist,

and thinning black hair that was tied back in a ponytail.

“If you need to use the can, all you gotta do is ask,” Roosevelt said with a

grin as he rolled Cal’s phone in his palm.

28

Stepping out from the bathroom, Roosevelt studied the tall woman carefully.

Cal warned him they’d send someone — and she clearly wasn’t a novice¹⁶. But

that didn’t mean their stalling hadn’t worked.

“You switched phones with him,” Naomi said, annoyed.

“Me? I’m a man of God. I’d never—” Roosevelt glanced down at the phone in

his hand and forced a look of surprise. “This isn’t my phone! Sweet mother of

Shirley Hemphill, how’d this happen?”

Naomi’s hand jumped out, snatching the phone from Roosevelt’s palm.

“Hey! You can’t—”

Naomi aimed her gun at Roosevelt’s chest. “I can.” Without another word, she

started clicking through the menu on Cal’s phone: Call Log, Placed Calls . . .

“Here we go,” she announced. “Last number dialed: Roosevelt (Mobile).”

Naomi pushed the call button and waited.

But as the phone rang in her ear, there was another ring in Roo-sevelt’s front

pocket.

Roosevelt reached down and pulled out a second ringing phone, flipped¹⁷ it

open, and held it to his ear.

“Hello,” he sang, watching Naomi’s face as his words echoed in her ear. “I

musta had both phones all along. What’re the oddsa that?”

For a moment, Naomi just stood there, her light blue eyes narrowing.

Roosevelt knew she could lock him up and sling¹⁸ questions at him for the next

few hours. But by then, Cal would be long gone.

“You really a former priest?” Naomi asked.

“Former pastor¹⁹.”

“My partner’s missing. I’m praying not dead,” she said of Timothy. “Did Cal

tell you that?”

Roosevelt stayed silent. She was smart — going right for his preacher’s guilt²⁰.

Years ago, Roosevelt’s superiors in the church did the same when they told

him he was hurting his parish by not being married. Back then, he refused to

fight and lost everything he loved. Not a single day went by where he didn’t

wish he could have that life back. When he didn’t think of ways to reclaim²¹

that pulpit. So an hour ago, when Cal and his father had come scrambling²² in

here, searching for help — he could see the way that Cal, even through his

fear, kept glancing over and over at his dad. At nine years old, Cal had had

his life taken from him, too. This was his chance to have that life back,

somehow, in some form. And as Roosevelt knew, that was well worth fighting

for.

“You work your side of the street, and I’ll work mine,” Roosevelt said.

Naomi just stood there. Then she turned to open the door, and with a slam,

she was gone.

After giving it a minute, Roosevelt flipped open his phone and started dialing.

It rang twice before—

“Roosevelt?” Cal answered. “I told you not to call unless—”

“They sent someone, Cal. From ICE, just like you said.”

The door burst open, and Naomi stormed back into the room. “Couldn’t even

wait two minutes, could you!?” she yelled, snatching the phone from

Roosevelt’s hand. He tried to grab it back.

She pulled her gun and aimed it directly at his neck.

As Roosevelt raised his hands, Naomi put the phone to her ear. “Hey, Cal,”

she said. “Naomi. Remember me?”

29

Ten minutes ago

Fort Lauderdale Airport

We enter the terminal separately. We get in line separately. We pick up our

tickets separately. My father’s calm. I’m not. I spent years covering every

port, including this airport. I know where all the security cameras are hidden.

I know which taxicabs out front have undercover agents in them (the ones

lingering in the limo line), ready at any moment to pick up an arriving suspect

who thinks he’s home free. But what’s got me scanning the crowd is whether

Ellis saw us leaving as we snuck out of my building.

“Here you go, Mr. Frenzel,” says the woman at the airline counter, handing

me my ticket and calling me by the name of one of the dozens of fake IDs

that had been left in the van over the years.

“Have a nice day, Mr. Sanone,” another agent says to my dad, who for once

is following my directions and keeping his head down as he leaves the

counter. By flying under fake names, we’re untraceable. But if Ellis is half the

cop I think he is — the way he got to Timothy right after I did — all he has to

do is pull airport video to be right back on our trail. That’s what I would do.

But that doesn’t mean I’m making it easy for him.

Readjusting the green backpack that holds the Superman comic in its waxpaper

protector, I keep my chin down but am surprised to see a spy cam —

flat and thin like a calculator — mounted in a fake palm tree at the end of the

airline counter. Dammit. I duck under the velvet²³ check-in rope, wishing I

could blame it on my lack of sleep. But I’m clearly rusty²⁴. I’ve been off the job

for over four years. Of course there’s gonna be new cameras.

Trying to be smarter as I head toward security, I glance back at my father,

but he’s barely moving. Worst of all, he’s no longer staring down, hiding his

face. In fact, the way he’s looking around . . . like he sees something. Or

someone.

On our left, by the airport gift shop, a dolly stacked with old magazines and

newspapers is wheeled out of the way, revealing a young, light-skinned black

woman in a rhinestoned Bob Marley T-shirt, dark jeans, and 80s Top Gun

sunglasses. I’ve seen her before. At the hospital.

“Serena,” my dad blurts²⁶ just as I reach the front of the security line.

“I’m sorry, I forgot something,” I tell the lady checking tickets at security.

Swimming upstream and squeezing past the other passengers, I fight toward

the back of the line and grab my dad by the biceps.

“What’re you doing?” I hiss²⁷.

“Cal, this isn’t my fault.”

“We were supposed to tell no one. As in no one.”

“I swear to you, I didn’t say a word,” my dad insists.

“He didn’t say a word,” Serena adds. “Quisiera estar aquí para ti,” she

whispers to my dad in Spanish. I just wanted to be here for you.

From the shock on my dad’s face — as I tug²⁸ his arm and steer²⁹ us away from

security — he’s just as surprised as I am. “Cal . . . son . . .”

“Don’t call me son!” I explode as every nearby TSA employee turns our way.

I don’t care.

My dad forces a smile and puts a hand on my shoulder like all is well. I jerk

back until he takes it off.

“Please don’t blame your father. Every soul needs its own flow,” Serena says,

carefully pronouncing each syllable³⁰. She has a tender voice that’s as calming

as wind chimes, and as she speaks, her yellow blue eyes make peaceful

contact. First with me, then my dad. Like she’s seeing something within.

“That’s the mushiest, new-agey-ist manure³¹ I’ve ever heard,” I tell her, finally

stopping all three of us in front of a set of floral sofas, where there are no

cameras in sight. “Now tell me why you’re really here!”

She steps back slightly, almost as if she’s confused. “When we were on the

phone — when I heard the terror in his voice — how could I not help him? He

needed me.”

“Needed you? What’re you, his muse³²?”

She shakes her head, but I’ve been around enough addicts³³ to know what’s

really going on.

“She’s your sponsor, isn’t she?” I ask my dad.

“No. That’s not—”

The phone I traded with one of the kids vibrates in my front pocket. Only one

other person knows I have it.

“Roosevelt?” I answer. “I told you not to call unless—”

“They sent someone, Cal. From ICE, just like you sa—”

There’s a loud noise, like a door slamming. I hear some arguing, but nothing I

can make out.

“Hey, Cal,” a female voice says. “Naomi. Remember me?”

30

Silent on the phone, I leave my father and Serena by the floral sofas as I

keep scanning the area for cameras. The only good news is, it takes a solid

six minutes to track my cell. Plenty of time to find out who I’m up against.

“Sorry, not ringing my bells,” I tell the woman, hoping she’ll give me her last

name.

“Naomi Molina.”

Naomi Molina . . . Naomi . . . Naomi . . . If I knew her, it wasn’t well. Still, the

name . . . “Oh, wait — you’re the one who adopted that kid — the lesbian,

right?” It’s an old cop trick: riling her to see what she blurts.

“C’mon, Cal. The big-boned female agent who’s also a lesbo? Isn’t that a bit

overdone³⁴?” she flings back. “No thanks, but I like mine straight up, no twist.

But yes, I came aboard right as you were fired.”

“I wasn’t fired,” I shoot back, already regretting it. I should’ve seen it: riling

me to see what I blurt²⁵.

“Oh, that’s right — you took the far more honorable resign-on-your-ownand-

avoid-the-indictment. Let me ask: Were you really in love with Miss

Deirdre or was that just the story you saved for Internal Affairs?”

Once again, I stay silent. Across from me, Serena motions for my dad to join

her on one of the floral sofas. He doesn’t hesitate. And as they face each

other — their knees almost touching³⁵ — she whispers something to him and

he smiles with a strange, newfound calm. From the body language alone, she

knows him well.

“Aw, that bump old bruises³⁶, Cal?” Naomi asks in my ear. “Now you know

how we felt when we heard you were kissing one of your CIs and putting your

fellow agents at risk.”

1 covenant   

n.盟约，契约；v.订盟约

参考例句：

• They refused to covenant with my father for the property.他们不愿与我父亲订立财产契约。
• The money was given to us by deed of covenant.这笔钱是根据契约书付给我们的。

2 tattoo   

n.纹身，(皮肤上的)刺花纹；vt.刺花纹于

参考例句：

• I've decided to get my tattoo removed.我已经决定去掉我身上的纹身。
• He had a tattoo on the back of his hand.他手背上刺有花纹。

3 chubby   

adj.丰满的，圆胖的

参考例句：

• He is stocky though not chubby.他长得敦实，可并不发胖。
• The short and chubby gentleman over there is our new director.那个既矮又胖的绅士是我们的新主任。

4 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

5 bloody   

adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染

参考例句：

• He got a bloody nose in the fight.他在打斗中被打得鼻子流血。
• He is a bloody fool.他是一个十足的笨蛋。

6 blur   

n.模糊不清的事物；vt.使模糊，使看不清楚

参考例句：

• The houses appeared as a blur in the mist.房子在薄雾中隐隐约约看不清。
• If you move your eyes and your head,the picture will blur.如果你的眼睛或头动了，图像就会变得模糊不清。

7 bent   

n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的

参考例句：

• He was fully bent upon the project.他一心扑在这项计划上。
• We bent over backward to help them.我们尽了最大努力帮助他们。

8 rammed   

v.夯实（土等）( ram的过去式和过去分词 )；猛撞；猛压；反复灌输

参考例句：

• Two passengers were injured when their taxi was rammed from behind by a bus. 公共汽车从后面撞来，出租车上的两位乘客受了伤。
• I rammed down the earth around the newly-planted tree. 我将新栽的树周围的土捣硬。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 plaques   

（纪念性的）匾牌( plaque的名词复数 )； 纪念匾； 牙斑； 空斑

参考例句：

• Primary plaques were detectable in 16 to 20 hours. 在16到20小时内可查出原发溶斑。
• The gondoliers wore green and white livery and silver plaques on their chests. 船夫们穿着白绿两色的制服，胸前别着银质徽章。

10 growled   

v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说

参考例句：

• \"They ought to be birched, \" growled the old man. 老人咆哮道：“他们应受到鞭打。” 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He growled out an answer. 他低声威胁着回答。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

12 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

13 sparse   

adj.稀疏的，稀稀落落的，薄的

参考例句：

• The teacher's house is in the suburb where the houses are sparse.老师的家在郊区，那里稀稀拉拉有几处房子。
• The sparse vegetation will only feed a small population of animals.稀疏的植物只够喂养少量的动物。

14 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

15 scattered   

adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的

参考例句：

• Gathering up his scattered papers,he pushed them into his case.他把散乱的文件收拾起来，塞进文件夹里。

16 novice   

adj.新手的，生手的

参考例句：

• As a novice writer,this is something I'm interested in.作为初涉写作的人，我对此很感兴趣。
• She realized that she was a novice.她知道自己初出茅庐。

17 flipped   

轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥

参考例句：

• The plane flipped and crashed. 飞机猛地翻转，撞毁了。
• The carter flipped at the horse with his whip. 赶大车的人扬鞭朝着马轻轻地抽打。

18 sling   

vt.扔；悬挂；n.挂带；吊索，吊兜；弹弓

参考例句：

• The boy discharged a stone from a sling.这个男孩用弹弓射石头。
• By using a hoist the movers were able to sling the piano to the third floor.搬运工人用吊车才把钢琴吊到3楼。

19 pastor   

n.牧师，牧人

参考例句：

• He was the son of a poor pastor.他是一个穷牧师的儿子。
• We have no pastor at present:the church is run by five deacons.我们目前没有牧师：教会的事是由五位执事管理的。

20 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

21 reclaim   

v.要求归还，收回；开垦

参考例句：

• I have tried to reclaim my money without success.我没能把钱取回来。
• You must present this ticket when you reclaim your luggage.当你要取回行李时，必须出示这张票子。

22 scrambling   

v.快速爬行( scramble的现在分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞

参考例句：

• Scrambling up her hair, she darted out of the house. 她匆忙扎起头发，冲出房去。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She is scrambling eggs. 她正在炒蛋。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 velvet   

n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的

参考例句：

• This material feels like velvet.这料子摸起来像丝绒。
• The new settlers wore the finest silk and velvet clothing.新来的移民穿着最华丽的丝绸和天鹅绒衣服。

24 rusty   

adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的

参考例句：

• The lock on the door is rusty and won't open.门上的锁锈住了。
• I haven't practiced my French for months and it's getting rusty.几个月不用，我的法语又荒疏了。

25 blurt   

vt.突然说出，脱口说出

参考例句：

• If you can blurt out 300 sentences,you can make a living in America.如果你能脱口而出300句英语，你可以在美国工作。
• I will blurt out one passage every week.我每星期要脱口而出一篇短文！

26 blurts   

v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He blurts out all he hears. 他漏嘴说出了他听到的一切。 来自辞典例句
• If a user blurts out an interesting idea, ask "What problem would that solve for you?" 如果用户不假思索地冒出一个有趣的想法，则询问他：“这可以解决哪些问题？” 来自互联网

27 hiss   

v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满

参考例句：

• We can hear the hiss of air escaping from a tire.我们能听到一只轮胎的嘶嘶漏气声。
• Don't hiss at the speaker.不要嘘演讲人。

28 tug   

v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船

参考例句：

• We need to tug the car round to the front.我们需要把那辆车拉到前面。
• The tug is towing three barges.那只拖船正拖着三只驳船。

29 steer   

vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶

参考例句：

• If you push the car, I'll steer it.如果你来推车，我就来驾车。
• It's no use trying to steer the boy into a course of action that suits you.想说服这孩子按你的方式行事是徒劳的。

30 syllable   

n.音节；vt.分音节

参考例句：

• You put too much emphasis on the last syllable.你把最后一个音节读得太重。
• The stress on the last syllable is light.最后一个音节是轻音节。

31 manure   

n.粪，肥，肥粒；vt.施肥

参考例句：

• The farmers were distributing manure over the field.农民们正在田间施肥。
• The farmers used manure to keep up the fertility of their land.农夫们用粪保持其土质的肥沃。

32 muse   

n.缪斯（希腊神话中的女神），创作灵感

参考例句：

• His muse had deserted him,and he could no longer write.他已无灵感，不能再写作了。
• Many of the papers muse on the fate of the President.很多报纸都在揣测总统的命运。

33 addicts   

有…瘾的人( addict的名词复数 )； 入迷的人

参考例句：

• a unit for rehabilitating drug addicts 帮助吸毒者恢复正常生活的机构
• There is counseling to help Internet addicts?even online. 有咨询机构帮助网络沉迷者。 来自超越目标英语 第3册

34 overdone   

v.做得过分( overdo的过去分词 )；太夸张；把…煮得太久；（工作等）过度

参考例句：

• The lust of men must not be overdone. 人们的欲望不该过分。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The joke is overdone. 玩笑开得过火。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

35 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。

36 bruises   

n.瘀伤，伤痕，擦伤( bruise的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• He was covered with bruises after falling off his bicycle. 他从自行车上摔了下来，摔得浑身伤痕。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The pear had bruises of dark spots. 这个梨子有碰伤的黑斑。 来自《简明英汉词典》