Page 41 of Sins of the Heart

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through on her threat. Give the weasel a gold star.

Her movements slow and nonthreatening, Roxy

turned back to the kid, reached into her pocket and

withdrew a small, floppy stuffed toy. A cat, threadbare

and well loved. “Your mom sent this. To keep you

company till you get home. She said its name is

Flopsy.”

“Notit,” Dana whispered. She reached, retreated,

then finally took the cat, snatching it close to embrace

against her chest.“Her.”

“Okay. Her,” Roxy agreed softly. “You stay here a

minute, Dana. I’m gonna close the door again for just

a minute—”

“No!”

“It’ll be okay. You have Flopsy.”

Dana didn’t look convinced.

The bed creaked as Marin shifted, and Dana’s eyes

rolled with fright.

Keeping her movements slow and easy, Roxy

reached into the small, black backpack she had slung

over her shoulder and drew out an iPod attached to a

set of noise-canceling headphones. She was nothing if

not prepared. She’d had Dana’s mom load up the kid’s

favorite songs anticipating exactly this occasion. There

were things she needed to say to Mr. Marin…things

she definitely didn’t want Dana to hear.

The kid was watching her, eyes dipping to the bright

pink iPod with the white cat stickers on the back, then

back to Roxy’s face.

“Your mom sent this.” Roxy reached out and carefully settled the headphones on Dana’s ears.

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