Thad, what are you hiding from me? ”
“Jill, don't— ”He tried to move her away, but she pushed him aside and looked down. “It looks like a — Oh, oh, it's a …it's a …”
“It's part of a human arm and a hand … a woman's hand. Now are you satisfied? ”he barked angrily.
Chapter 7
O H, GOD! OH, GOOD LORD — ”Jill stumbled away. Her hands reached for Thad, clutching his shirt. With her eyes tightly closed, she could still see the long, white, slightly curled fingers at the end of the pale stump of a forearm. “Thad! I'm going to be sick.”
“I'm here, honey. Take deep breaths. That's my girl. Open your mouth and breathe in deep.”
Thad wrapped her in his arms, cupped her head with his hand and held her tightly and protectively against him. She clung to him, her arms around his waist, her face buried in his shoulder. She trembled and little mewling sounds of horror came from her.
“Is it…was it…? ”
“No doubt about it, sweetheart. It's what we think it is, ”he whispered close to her ear. “I'll take you back to the hotel, then bring the sheriff out here.”
“Maybe … it isn't real. Maybe it's one of those things from a store window, ”she said hopefully.
“It's real, honey. It's the arm of a woman or a child.”
“A child? Oh, my goodness! Could the dog have gotten it out of a graveyard? ”
“The graveyard is on the other side of town.”
“Is there more … of the body? ”
“That's up to the sheriff to find out.” With his arm wrapped tightly around her, they started toward town. Thad turned and spoke sharply to the dog. “No! Goddammit! Drop it.” Holding tightly to Jill's hand, he grabbed the dog by the hair on the back of her neck and shook her until she dropped the thing she carried. Then he dragged her along until she went on ahead of them.
“Oh, I hate that dog! She was going to …eat it.” Jill held tightly to Thad's arm.
“Don't blame the dog, honey. It was just food to her, and from the looks of her she's been hungry.”
“Arms don't come off like … that, do they? ”The words stumbled from her trembling lips.
“No. It appears to me that it's been cut off. Don't think about it.” He increased the pace until she was almost running to keep up with him.
“Slow down, ”Jill gasped. “I've got to get my breath.”
“Sorry. I forget that your legs aren't as long as mine.” Thad stopped and put his arms around her. She leaned against him, welcomed his strength and wound her arms around him. He was so dearly familiar. She felt safe and protected in his arms.
“Hey, now. Am I such an ugly fellow, that it takes something like this to get the prettiest girl in town to put her arms around me? ”
“Stop teasing, Thad Taylor.” Jill buried her face in the curve of his neck.
“I'm not teasin 'about some of it.”
“Just give me a minute.”
“Darlin', take all the time you want.”
“Oh, you! ”She pulled away to look up at him, expecting to see a teasing grin on his face, but it was cold sober. “I'm all right now.”
Back at the hotel, he stopped at the steps leading to the porch. With his hands on her shoulders he looked down into her face.
“Stay in the lobby with Elmer and his wife. I'll go down and talk to the sheriff and be back as soon as I know something.”
“Thad, it's so… awful. She was murdered, wasn't she? ”
“We don't know that, honey. But I don't think that what we saw came from a graveyard.”
“You'll come back? ”
“As soon as I can. Go on in. Don't say anything to anyone until we find out more about it.” He hugged her to him, then held her away so that he could look into her face. “I hate to leave you, but I'd better go on down to the jail and tell the sheriff.”
“I'll be all right. Go and do what you have to do.”
“That's my girl.” He framed her face with his hands, placed a brotherly kiss on her forehead, then gently pushed her up the steps and onto the porch.
Thad waited until Jill
“Jill, don't— ”He tried to move her away, but she pushed him aside and looked down. “It looks like a — Oh, oh, it's a …it's a …”
“It's part of a human arm and a hand … a woman's hand. Now are you satisfied? ”he barked angrily.
Chapter 7
O H, GOD! OH, GOOD LORD — ”Jill stumbled away. Her hands reached for Thad, clutching his shirt. With her eyes tightly closed, she could still see the long, white, slightly curled fingers at the end of the pale stump of a forearm. “Thad! I'm going to be sick.”
“I'm here, honey. Take deep breaths. That's my girl. Open your mouth and breathe in deep.”
Thad wrapped her in his arms, cupped her head with his hand and held her tightly and protectively against him. She clung to him, her arms around his waist, her face buried in his shoulder. She trembled and little mewling sounds of horror came from her.
“Is it…was it…? ”
“No doubt about it, sweetheart. It's what we think it is, ”he whispered close to her ear. “I'll take you back to the hotel, then bring the sheriff out here.”
“Maybe … it isn't real. Maybe it's one of those things from a store window, ”she said hopefully.
“It's real, honey. It's the arm of a woman or a child.”
“A child? Oh, my goodness! Could the dog have gotten it out of a graveyard? ”
“The graveyard is on the other side of town.”
“Is there more … of the body? ”
“That's up to the sheriff to find out.” With his arm wrapped tightly around her, they started toward town. Thad turned and spoke sharply to the dog. “No! Goddammit! Drop it.” Holding tightly to Jill's hand, he grabbed the dog by the hair on the back of her neck and shook her until she dropped the thing she carried. Then he dragged her along until she went on ahead of them.
“Oh, I hate that dog! She was going to …eat it.” Jill held tightly to Thad's arm.
“Don't blame the dog, honey. It was just food to her, and from the looks of her she's been hungry.”
“Arms don't come off like … that, do they? ”The words stumbled from her trembling lips.
“No. It appears to me that it's been cut off. Don't think about it.” He increased the pace until she was almost running to keep up with him.
“Slow down, ”Jill gasped. “I've got to get my breath.”
“Sorry. I forget that your legs aren't as long as mine.” Thad stopped and put his arms around her. She leaned against him, welcomed his strength and wound her arms around him. He was so dearly familiar. She felt safe and protected in his arms.
“Hey, now. Am I such an ugly fellow, that it takes something like this to get the prettiest girl in town to put her arms around me? ”
“Stop teasing, Thad Taylor.” Jill buried her face in the curve of his neck.
“I'm not teasin 'about some of it.”
“Just give me a minute.”
“Darlin', take all the time you want.”
“Oh, you! ”She pulled away to look up at him, expecting to see a teasing grin on his face, but it was cold sober. “I'm all right now.”
Back at the hotel, he stopped at the steps leading to the porch. With his hands on her shoulders he looked down into her face.
“Stay in the lobby with Elmer and his wife. I'll go down and talk to the sheriff and be back as soon as I know something.”
“Thad, it's so… awful. She was murdered, wasn't she? ”
“We don't know that, honey. But I don't think that what we saw came from a graveyard.”
“You'll come back? ”
“As soon as I can. Go on in. Don't say anything to anyone until we find out more about it.” He hugged her to him, then held her away so that he could look into her face. “I hate to leave you, but I'd better go on down to the jail and tell the sheriff.”
“I'll be all right. Go and do what you have to do.”
“That's my girl.” He framed her face with his hands, placed a brotherly kiss on her forehead, then gently pushed her up the steps and onto the porch.
Thad waited until Jill
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