BY THE TIME I was ready to leave Ruthie was beyond rattled by Knox's barking. As she started her car, she wailed, "He hates me!" over the sounds of an alternative band singing about a ghost. The haunting notes fit my mood with eerie accuracy.
Although Dad had asked me to stay home and look after Knox, it had sounded more like a request than a command, so I didn't feel too bad for leaving. Besides, Dad's friends lived in Salinas, and whenever he visited them, he was gone all day. I'd probably get home before him. Going to see Dr. Frankler was important.
"You need to get ahold of yourself," I told Ruthie with a frown. "Because I have a lot of crap to tell you and it's not for the faint of heart."
Ruthie made a pouty face by sticking out her bottom lip. "By the way," she said. "You've bee
