Sue finished her cigarette and flicked the tiny bit left into the yard. Then she sat on the back steps and lit up a second. James wouldn't let her smoke inside, a good call, she knew—not with two boys to raise, one who'd left home for college and, the way things were going, would probably stay away forever. Teddy liked bright lights, music, people, and lively food, none of which you could find, in any desirable quantity, in Tippleton. The younger one—who knew? All he liked was shooting ball and reading books. Did you need to move away for those?
She could see the tiny playground just beyond the car port. Could see the firehouse beyond that, the street alongside, the handful of houses lining it having to deal with all that clatter sometimes. To her left just past her yard was a field. Who owned that lot? It had...
