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file:///E|/Funny%20&%20Weird%20Shit/75%20-%20Stephen%20King%20Books/Stephen%20King%20-%20Pet%20Sematary.htmthe-box in a skullcap; and then, instinctively, he looked around at where Rachel had been, by the bookon the stand—the afternoon shift was hers by default—but Rachel was gone.The afternoon viewing had been less crowded, and after half an hour or so, Louis had gone down to thefront row of seats and sat there on the aisle, aware of very little (only peripherally aware of the cloyingstink of the flowers) except the fact that he was very tired and sleepy. It was only partly the beer, hesupposed. His mind was finally ready to shut down. Probably a good thing. Perhaps, after twelve orsixteen hours of sleep, he would be able to comfort Rachel a little.After a while his head had sunk until he was looking at his hands, loosely linked between his knees. Thehum of voices near the back was soothing. He had been relieved to see that Irwin and Dory weren’t herewhen the four of them returned from lunch, but he should have known their continued absence was toogood to be true.“Where’s Rachel?” Louis asked now.“With her mother. Where she should be.” Goldman spoke with the studied triumph of a man who hasclosed a big deal. There was Scotch on his breath. A lot of it. He stood before Louis like a banty littledistrict attorney before a man in the bar of justice, a man who is patently guilty. He was unsteady on hisfeet.“What did you say to her?” Louis said, feeling the beginnings of alarm now. He knew Goldman had saidsomething. It was in the man’s face.“Nothing but the truth. I told her this is what it gets you, marrying against your parents’ wishes. I told her—”“Did you say that?” Louis asked incredulously. “You didn’t really say that, did you?”“That and more,” Irwin Goldman said, “I always knew it would come to this—this or something like it. Iknew what kind of a man you were the first time I saw you.” He leaned forward, exhaling Scotch fumes.“I saw through you, you prancing little fraud of a doctor. You enticed my daughter into a stupid, fecklessmarriage and then you turned her into a scullery maid and then you let her son be run down in thehighway like a . . . a chipmunk.”Most of this went over Louis’s head. He was still groping with the idea that this stupid little man couldhave— “You said that to her?” he repeated. “You said it?” “I hope you rot in hell!” Goldman said, andheads turned sharply toward the sound of his voice. Tears began to squeeze out of Irwin Goldman’sbloodshot brown eyes. His bald head glowed under the muted fluorescent lights. “You made mywonderful daughter into a scullery maid . . . destroyed her futuretook her away. . . and let my grandson die a dirty death in a country road.”file:///E|/Funny%20&%20Weird%20Shit/75%20-%20St...20Books/Stephen%20King%20-%20Pet%20Sematary.htm (194 of 333)7/28/2005 9:21:49 PM