Drought by Graham Masterton

downtown area, he saw more black smoke rising into the hazy late-afternoon sky.
    He came up the driveway with a five-gallon water container swinging from each hand. As he did so Peta opened the front door and said, ‘Thank God.’
    She was wearing a pink strapless top and white shorts. She was small and skinny, but very pretty in a Scandinavian way, with denim-blue eyes and little ski-jump nose with freckles across it. Every time Martin saw her he wished that they could get back together again, or try to, at least; but he still wasn’t sure that he had exorcized his djinns, and that he wouldn’t end up hurting her. It wasn’t that Peta didn’t trust him. He didn’t trust himself.
    â€˜Water, thank God,’ she repeated, as he stepped inside the house. ‘Ella’s no better at all.’
    â€˜Did you call Doctor Lucas?’
    â€˜The line’s always busy and I can’t get through. I tried the medical center’s website but that seems to be frozen. You press to make an appointment but nothing happens.’
    Martin carried the water containers into the kitchen and lifted them on to the table. ‘OK if I go in and see her?’
    â€˜Of course, yes. Did you see Tyler? Is he all right? What’s happening? They said they were going to send him to the West Valley Detention Center. I mean, who is he supposed to have killed?’
    Martin walked down the corridor to the door of Ella’s bedroom. Before he opened it, he said, quietly, ‘Tyler is charged with shooting Mr Alvarez at Dan’s Food and Liquor while he was robbing his store. He’s also charged with raping his daughter Maria.’
    Peta pressed her hand against her mouth in shock. Then, ‘He
raped
Maria Alvarez?’ she said. ‘He
raped
her? The police told me that they were charging him with killing a man but I thought it was maybe some kind of an accident. But Tyler wouldn’t
rape
anybody!’
    â€˜He says he was forced to. He says a gang broke into the store and shot Mr Alvarez and then they all took it in turns to rape Maria and they forced him to do it, too, otherwise they threatened to shoot her, too.’
    â€˜Oh my God. Oh, Martin.’
    Martin put his arms around her and held her close. ‘Listen,’ he said, ‘Tyler swears that he didn’t shoot Mr Alvarez and my lawyer thinks he can get him off of that charge. The CSIs tested his hands for gunpowder residue and if he didn’t fire it then they’ll be able to tell for sure. As for rape, he only did it because he feared for Maria’s life and his own life, too. Maria’s not talking yet, but when she does, you’ll see, he’ll get off that, too.’
    Peta shook her head. ‘It’s still like a nightmare. I just can’t believe that it’s true.’
    Martin gave her another hug, and then he pointed his finger at Ella’s door and said, ‘OK to go in?’
    â€˜Sure. Of course. I’ll bring her a drink of water.’
    He tapped lightly on the door but when there was no answer he opened it and went inside. The cream cotton blinds were pulled right down but even so the bedroom was still glowing with sunlight. Martin saw Ella’s reflection first in her dressing-table mirror, so that she looked like a framed picture of herself. Her eyes were closed and she was lying in bed propped up on pillows, covered by only a single sheet. Her cheeks were flushed, and her long mousy-brown hair was bedraggled and damp. She looked so much like her mother had looked when he had first met her that it was hard for him to believe that she didn’t remember all the things that he and Peta had done together: walking in the mountains, dancing and playing pool in the downtown nightclubs, or simply sitting together by the pool, staring at each other, and each one of them thinking how lucky they were.
    Martin sat down on the chair next to Ella’s bed and took hold of her hand. It