Ronnie tried to keep his legs from shaking. "It was—Daddy, you won't make trouble, will you?"
"This is between you and me, son. We don't care about anyone else."
"Well, it was Kenny Davis. He—"
Dad's fingers tightened on Ronnie's arms. "Kenny Davis!" he spat. "The boy's no good. His father never had a job in his life. Nobody'd even offer him a job. Why, the whole town knows he's a Reader!"
Mom stepped forward. "David, you promised you'd be sensible about this. You promised you wouldn't get angry."
Dad grunted. "All right, son. Go ahead."
"Well, one day after school Kenny said he'd show me something. He took me to his house—"
"You went to that shack? You actually—"
"Dear," said Mom. "You promised."
A moment of silence.