“If I leave the house you’re calling the police?” he asked. “I don’t want to do that, Blue,” Carter said. “But you’ll be leaving me with no choice.” “Good luck calling the police without any phone cords,” Blue said. He pulled his hands out and for a moment Patricia thought he held spaghetti noodles, and then she realized he was holding the cords to their telephones. Before the sight had fully registered, he ran out of the den and she and Carter trotted after him, getting to the front hall just as the door slammed. By the time they were on the porch, Blue had vanished into the twilight murk.