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Authors: Steve Hamilton
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reaction. Or that he was tired of all the social obligations in the city. Or that he just liked roughing it up here in the woods without any servants. That sounds silly, I realize. Of course, I know it’s the Indian casinos that keep him up here. If they closed them, he’d be gone the next day. Although that reminds me of a question I wanted to ask you. If the casinos are legal up here, why was he betting with a bookmaker?”
“These casinos only have table games and slot machines. There’s no sports betting. For that, you have to deal with a bookmaker.”
“I understand now,” she said. “See, already I’m glad you came out to visit me. Edwin refuses to talk about these things with me.”
“Mr. Uttley mentioned a dream that you had…”
“Yes,” she said. “The dream. I hope you won’t find this too terribly absurd when I tell you.”
“Of course not,” I said.
“Saturday night,” she said. She looked out the window as she began to relate her dream in her slow, steady voice. “It was the night that he found that man, as it turned out, although I certainly didn’t know that at the time. In the dream, I saw blood. I saw a great deal of blood. I was absolutely terrified, because I have to tell you, I have this
thing
about blood. Just the sight of it, even my own blood if I prick my finger in the garden, I just can’t bear it. In the dream, there was so much of it. It seemed to be more blood than one single body could hold. I was floating over it, you know how it is in a dream. And then suddenly, I flew away from the blood and I was in a forest. I was moving down a road with trees on each side. Or rather, I was watching as something else was moving down the road. It was a car, rolling slowly down the road. It was the most vivid thing I have ever seen in a dream. That car just rolling smoothly down the road. But it was dark. The car didn’t have its lights on. It was traveling down the road with just the faintest moonlight to show the way. I tried to look into the windshield to see who was driving that car. But I couldn’t see. It was too dark. And then I realized that I had been on that road before. It was the road that leads to this house.”
She stopped and looked at me. “Mr. McKnight,” she said. “When Edwin called me and told me what had happened, I begged him to leave this house. But he wouldn’t. He said I was being foolish. So I did the only other thing I could do. I drove all the way up here myself. Can you believe that? My driver had the day off, so I got the car out and came all the way up here. I haven’t driven a car in ten years. I don’t even have a license anymore. But I knewthat I had to come up here and try to get Edwin and Sylvia out of this house.”
“They wouldn’t leave, I take it.” I could see Edwin staying, but why would Sylvia want to stay here? God knows she hated this place.
“No, they didn’t believe me,” she said. “I guess I can’t blame them. But then, last night…”
“Last night? What happened last night?”
“I was staying in one of the guest rooms, but I couldn’t sleep. I kept walking around down here, looking out the windows. I think I finally fell asleep on the couch here for a while, but then a little while later I woke up again. I thought I had heard something outside. So I went to the back door, where you can see the road. And, I don’t know, I thought I might have seen something. A car.”
“What kind of car was it?”
“Oh, I couldn’t tell. I’m not even sure it was there. I might have just imagined it.”
“Mrs. Fulton, what time did this happen?”
“It was just after two o’clock.”
The phone call came at three, I thought. And the man did say that he had been watching Edwin. “Did you do anything?” I asked. “Did you call the police?”
“No, I didn’t,” she said. “When I looked again, it was gone. I mean, if it had even been there in the first place.”
“Did you tell Edwin about it?”
“Yes. He
“These casinos only have table games and slot machines. There’s no sports betting. For that, you have to deal with a bookmaker.”
“I understand now,” she said. “See, already I’m glad you came out to visit me. Edwin refuses to talk about these things with me.”
“Mr. Uttley mentioned a dream that you had…”
“Yes,” she said. “The dream. I hope you won’t find this too terribly absurd when I tell you.”
“Of course not,” I said.
“Saturday night,” she said. She looked out the window as she began to relate her dream in her slow, steady voice. “It was the night that he found that man, as it turned out, although I certainly didn’t know that at the time. In the dream, I saw blood. I saw a great deal of blood. I was absolutely terrified, because I have to tell you, I have this
thing
about blood. Just the sight of it, even my own blood if I prick my finger in the garden, I just can’t bear it. In the dream, there was so much of it. It seemed to be more blood than one single body could hold. I was floating over it, you know how it is in a dream. And then suddenly, I flew away from the blood and I was in a forest. I was moving down a road with trees on each side. Or rather, I was watching as something else was moving down the road. It was a car, rolling slowly down the road. It was the most vivid thing I have ever seen in a dream. That car just rolling smoothly down the road. But it was dark. The car didn’t have its lights on. It was traveling down the road with just the faintest moonlight to show the way. I tried to look into the windshield to see who was driving that car. But I couldn’t see. It was too dark. And then I realized that I had been on that road before. It was the road that leads to this house.”
She stopped and looked at me. “Mr. McKnight,” she said. “When Edwin called me and told me what had happened, I begged him to leave this house. But he wouldn’t. He said I was being foolish. So I did the only other thing I could do. I drove all the way up here myself. Can you believe that? My driver had the day off, so I got the car out and came all the way up here. I haven’t driven a car in ten years. I don’t even have a license anymore. But I knewthat I had to come up here and try to get Edwin and Sylvia out of this house.”
“They wouldn’t leave, I take it.” I could see Edwin staying, but why would Sylvia want to stay here? God knows she hated this place.
“No, they didn’t believe me,” she said. “I guess I can’t blame them. But then, last night…”
“Last night? What happened last night?”
“I was staying in one of the guest rooms, but I couldn’t sleep. I kept walking around down here, looking out the windows. I think I finally fell asleep on the couch here for a while, but then a little while later I woke up again. I thought I had heard something outside. So I went to the back door, where you can see the road. And, I don’t know, I thought I might have seen something. A car.”
“What kind of car was it?”
“Oh, I couldn’t tell. I’m not even sure it was there. I might have just imagined it.”
“Mrs. Fulton, what time did this happen?”
“It was just after two o’clock.”
The phone call came at three, I thought. And the man did say that he had been watching Edwin. “Did you do anything?” I asked. “Did you call the police?”
“No, I didn’t,” she said. “When I looked again, it was gone. I mean, if it had even been there in the first place.”
“Did you tell Edwin about it?”
“Yes. He
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