Iron Road: A Raymond Chandler Moment.

“Mrs. Keunecke,” Nancy said. She wasn’t shouting. Anybody walking on the sidewalk might have overheard her, but there wasn’t anybody on the sidewalk, not in February before school let out. “Surely you’ve heard about me. I’ve lived in this town most of my life. People know me. I’m no lady, Mrs. Keunecke. I’m rough and rowdy and I like boys too much. I’ve busted more windows, on purpose, than you have fingers. I’ve been sneaking cigarettes since I was thirteen. I broke a boy’s arm when I was fifteen. I’m nosy, and I’m stubborn, and I’m mean. I don’t care what happens to you, and I will make sure you lose your job if you don’t open this door.”

“Are you threatening me?”

Some people are just slower than others, Nancy thought. “Yes, m’am.”

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