and felt for the knife until
he found it.
"No — no! I — I
didn't tell them a thing about you. Honest." Mike had been the
farthest thing from her mind hours earlier. "They'd already heard
that you'd escaped from the state penitentiary."
"Yeah, but they
didn't know where I'd gone after that."'
"The police chief
said he thought you'd come back to St. Simons Island."
"The island's a
big place — miles long. You narrowed it down too much." He smiled
at her with a twisted sort of smile as he brushed the back of his
hand against her cheek. "But maybe you can make up for it. You can
put out for me the way you put out for my kid brother. Start acting
nice instead of telling the cops wild stories about me in the movie
theater."
He started to slobber
all over her. He yanked at her T-shirt and tugged at her jeans,
trying to work the button loose.
"Good thing my
contacts could tell me where you were headed. I knew right where to
come to find you after I took the little girl."
"No!" She
struggled. Now he was tugging at her underpants. Nobody had treated
her like this before. She couldn't allow it, certainly not in front
of Little Katie. She screeched at the top of her lungs and madly
pummeled Mike as hard as she could.
Mike fell back,
groaning. She'd kicked him in a sore spot.
"You bitch! Can't
you stop caterwauling?" He clutched himself. "Maybe I ought to
make sure of that." Mike threatened her with his knife. "Maybe I
ought to cut out your tongue."
She shrank away even
as she straightened her pants and buttoned her jeans.
A demonic smile
spread over his face. "Better yet, I'll cut out the baby's
tongue. That'll shut the brat up for good. And it'll put the fear
of God into you."
Mike reached for
Little Katie, who was innocently sucking on TR Bear.
Bianca let out a
blood-curdling cry and lunged at Mike.
Mike stopped cold. He
never touched Little Katie. His hand spasmed. The knife fell to the
ground. He looked up and stared at seemingly nothing. His eyes got
bigger and bigger.
"I — I hear
footsteps. Is this some kind of trap?" Mike's eyes got wild. He
looked at Bianca accusingly as if she had betrayed him. "Jesus! You
must have called the cops again."
He didn't wait for
an answer. Mike darted away from her and Katie into the fog and
shadows.
Bianca picked up
Katie and stepped forward into the mists. She kept on creeping about
from tombstone to tombstone. Katie contentedly sucked on TR Bear. The
toddler seemed unconcerned with what was going on as long as she had
Bianca to hold her and her favorite stuffed bear to occupy her.
Someone lurched out
of the mists. Bianca gasped.
"It's me!"
Harry announced.
She breathed more
easily. In this fog she couldn't see two feet ahead of herself.
Everyone looked like a ghostly wraith until they were nose-to-nose.
She touched the
bruises on his face. He had marks everywhere. He even had a black
eye.
Harry hugged her.
"I've been so worried. I heard you screaming. Then I heard Mike
running away. I've been looking for you ever since. Can't see my
own hand in front of my face in this fog."
She took some Kleenex
out of her jeans pocket and wiped the dirt off his cheek. Then she
kissed him on the lips.
He kissed her back.
"What did you do to Mike? How did you get rid of him?"
"He heard footsteps
and got scared. He thought it was a trap."
"Look, this isn't
the place for a big long conversation. We'd better scram, too,"
Harry remarked.
She soon discovered
that Harry couldn't walk as fast as she could. He was limping
badly. His left ankle was sprained from his fight with Mike. That
probably accounted for his not finding her more quickly despite the
yelling and shouting and the fact that Christ's Church Cemetery was
only a few acres in size.
"Here, let me help
you!" She tried to get him to lean against her shoulder.
"I'm OK!" he
protested indignantly. He grimaced in pain as he tried to put some
weight on his ankle.
"I thought we
agreed to help each other," she reminded him.
He
he found it.
"No — no! I — I
didn't tell them a thing about you. Honest." Mike had been the
farthest thing from her mind hours earlier. "They'd already heard
that you'd escaped from the state penitentiary."
"Yeah, but they
didn't know where I'd gone after that."'
"The police chief
said he thought you'd come back to St. Simons Island."
"The island's a
big place — miles long. You narrowed it down too much." He smiled
at her with a twisted sort of smile as he brushed the back of his
hand against her cheek. "But maybe you can make up for it. You can
put out for me the way you put out for my kid brother. Start acting
nice instead of telling the cops wild stories about me in the movie
theater."
He started to slobber
all over her. He yanked at her T-shirt and tugged at her jeans,
trying to work the button loose.
"Good thing my
contacts could tell me where you were headed. I knew right where to
come to find you after I took the little girl."
"No!" She
struggled. Now he was tugging at her underpants. Nobody had treated
her like this before. She couldn't allow it, certainly not in front
of Little Katie. She screeched at the top of her lungs and madly
pummeled Mike as hard as she could.
Mike fell back,
groaning. She'd kicked him in a sore spot.
"You bitch! Can't
you stop caterwauling?" He clutched himself. "Maybe I ought to
make sure of that." Mike threatened her with his knife. "Maybe I
ought to cut out your tongue."
She shrank away even
as she straightened her pants and buttoned her jeans.
A demonic smile
spread over his face. "Better yet, I'll cut out the baby's
tongue. That'll shut the brat up for good. And it'll put the fear
of God into you."
Mike reached for
Little Katie, who was innocently sucking on TR Bear.
Bianca let out a
blood-curdling cry and lunged at Mike.
Mike stopped cold. He
never touched Little Katie. His hand spasmed. The knife fell to the
ground. He looked up and stared at seemingly nothing. His eyes got
bigger and bigger.
"I — I hear
footsteps. Is this some kind of trap?" Mike's eyes got wild. He
looked at Bianca accusingly as if she had betrayed him. "Jesus! You
must have called the cops again."
He didn't wait for
an answer. Mike darted away from her and Katie into the fog and
shadows.
Bianca picked up
Katie and stepped forward into the mists. She kept on creeping about
from tombstone to tombstone. Katie contentedly sucked on TR Bear. The
toddler seemed unconcerned with what was going on as long as she had
Bianca to hold her and her favorite stuffed bear to occupy her.
Someone lurched out
of the mists. Bianca gasped.
"It's me!"
Harry announced.
She breathed more
easily. In this fog she couldn't see two feet ahead of herself.
Everyone looked like a ghostly wraith until they were nose-to-nose.
She touched the
bruises on his face. He had marks everywhere. He even had a black
eye.
Harry hugged her.
"I've been so worried. I heard you screaming. Then I heard Mike
running away. I've been looking for you ever since. Can't see my
own hand in front of my face in this fog."
She took some Kleenex
out of her jeans pocket and wiped the dirt off his cheek. Then she
kissed him on the lips.
He kissed her back.
"What did you do to Mike? How did you get rid of him?"
"He heard footsteps
and got scared. He thought it was a trap."
"Look, this isn't
the place for a big long conversation. We'd better scram, too,"
Harry remarked.
She soon discovered
that Harry couldn't walk as fast as she could. He was limping
badly. His left ankle was sprained from his fight with Mike. That
probably accounted for his not finding her more quickly despite the
yelling and shouting and the fact that Christ's Church Cemetery was
only a few acres in size.
"Here, let me help
you!" She tried to get him to lean against her shoulder.
"I'm OK!" he
protested indignantly. He grimaced in pain as he tried to put some
weight on his ankle.
"I thought we
agreed to help each other," she reminded him.
He
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