"All right," she said.
"Samantha, don't let him do this! You can stop him!" the little one cried out. Samantha kissed Joseph on the neck again and then went down to the living room to watch TV.
A knock on the door startled her enough that she fell off the couch. She turned off the television, hoping whoever was at the door would go away. She imagined the sheriff waiting there, ready to bust down the door and haul her and Joseph away for drugging Mr. Pryde and tying up the kids.
The knocking continued, growing more frantic. A woman's voice called out, "I know you're in there. I see your cars."
Before long, Samantha knew the racket would disturb Joseph and then there would be hell to pay. She hurried to the front door, peeking through the curtain to see not the sheriff but an old woman in a dingy brown overcoat. Samantha opened the door enough to fit her head through. "Who are you?" she asked.
"Well, aren't you a rude one. I've been living in these parts since your grandmother was in diapers I bet. I don't remember seeing you before. Are you a friend of Mr. Pryde's?"
"Yes. He's sleeping right now so you'll have to come back later," Samantha said. With the door open, the old lady's mildew stench almost made Samantha's eyes water.
"That's fine. I'm not here to see him. There was a girl who came by my place earlier. A big girl." The old lady held an arm out on either side to mimic the girl's shape. "She said she was staying up here. I went by the sweet shop earlier and thought I'd drop off some fudge for her." The old lady held up a white paper sack.
"You can give it to me and I'll make sure she gets it."
"Where is she that she can't even come to the door and say hello to an old woman who did her a favor by driving her into town? She seemed like such a darling girl too."
"She's not feeling good right now. When she's better I'll let her know you stopped by."
"I should have known. She didn't look well earlier with her face so red and sweaty. In that case, I'll go whip up some chicken soup for her. Much better for a sick girl than candy." The old lady stuffed the bag of fudge into her overcoat and then turned to leave. That's when a scream came from upstairs. From the shrillness of it, Samantha guessed the fat girl had woke up at last. The old lady spun around, sticking her foot in the doorway before Samantha could shut the door. "What's going on in there?" she asked.