revivalist fanatic.
And Bob Saywell, having rationalized his position sufficiently, revealed the single motive behind his entire strategy.
“Don’t you see?” he whispered, eyes blazing. “I can protect you! I can keep you safe! I won’t tell. No, sir! You can count on that!”
Ann, now with his hand on her, knew exactly what he wanted. There was no mistaking it in his eyes, the quiver of his face. “And why won’t you tell?” she asked, her voice going cold, despite the rising fear she felt of him.
“Why?” he breathed. “Because I’ll be nice to you and not tell. You see? And the reason I’ll be nice to you, is because you’ll be nice to me—”
Both hands now were on her, squeezing tighter—the fat, blubberlike face coming closer to hers.
“Oh, yes,” he whispered, “you will, won’t you? You’ll be just as cozy as a bug in a rug with old Bob Saywell! That fellow will never find you. No, sir. Not as long as you’re nice to old Bob Saywell. And you will be, won’t you!”
She twisted from his grip and brought the flat of her right hand sharply across his fat and quivering face with all her strength. The sound of the slap cracked like a small rifle report.
Bob Saywell’s face flushed. His eyes squeezed smaller, and he took a step back, still quivering.
“You’ll be sorry for that!” he whispered hoarsely.
“Get out of here,” she said, the anger sweeping through her. “Get out of here!”
Her anger seemed to frighten him, but he stood locked for a moment more, head pulled closer to his fat narrow shoulders. “I’m going to give you a little more chance, is what I’m going to do! And you’d better be smart enough to see that Bob Saywell is nobody to fool around with. Now you get over your snottiness with me, do you hear? You think twice before you ever do again what you just done. A little more chance, and that’s all. And then—”
He put his lips together, wheeled and walked out. The door slammed shut behind him. Ann, staring at the door, shook her head unbelievingly. She was in deadly danger, and what had this man just tried to do? She simply could not yet believe in the man’s utter hypocrisy, his utter blackness.
There was, then, the sound of a pickup truck coming into the barnyard.
As Ted Burley pushed his large-framed figure from his truck, his eyes caught the figure of Bob Saywell emerging from the farmhouse. He stared at Saywell with thin eyes.
Bob Saywell suddenly smiled. The rosy tint of rage remained in his face, but it seemed merely the effect of the winter wind.
He yelled immediately, “Hello, there, Ted! Glad to see you!”
Ted Burley nodded curtly.
“Just come back, Ted?” Bob Saywell said, hurrying up.
“Yes.” A frown cut between his heavy eyebrows. “Looking for me?”
Bob Saywell instantly saw the suspicion written into Ted’s face. And Bob Saywell rarely lost an opportunity.
“No, sir. Not this time, Ted. You didn’t hear about the missus fainting there in my store?”
“Fainting? No! Been gone all day.”
“Sure enough she did, Ted. Kind of gave me a worry there. So I went over to Graintown on business and coming back, passed your house. I thought I’d look in and see how she was. She appears to be fine now.”
“Don’t know what would make her faint.”
“Don’t think it was anything at all,” Bob Saywell said. “You know how women are. No, sir. She looks fit as a fiddle now. Just something a woman does now and again.”
Ted Burley nodded, still examining Bob Saywell intently.
“Tell you, though,” Bob Saywell continued, “you’d better talk to Dr. Hugh Stewart about it. He was the one who saw to her there in the store.”
Ted Burley’s frown deepened. “Saw to her?”
“He was in the store at the time. Did for her there on a table.” Bob Saywell grinned faintly. “Then he took her home.”
Ted Burley shook his head, anger and confusion obvious in his face. “He had to bring her home?”
“Well, I don’t
And Bob Saywell, having rationalized his position sufficiently, revealed the single motive behind his entire strategy.
“Don’t you see?” he whispered, eyes blazing. “I can protect you! I can keep you safe! I won’t tell. No, sir! You can count on that!”
Ann, now with his hand on her, knew exactly what he wanted. There was no mistaking it in his eyes, the quiver of his face. “And why won’t you tell?” she asked, her voice going cold, despite the rising fear she felt of him.
“Why?” he breathed. “Because I’ll be nice to you and not tell. You see? And the reason I’ll be nice to you, is because you’ll be nice to me—”
Both hands now were on her, squeezing tighter—the fat, blubberlike face coming closer to hers.
“Oh, yes,” he whispered, “you will, won’t you? You’ll be just as cozy as a bug in a rug with old Bob Saywell! That fellow will never find you. No, sir. Not as long as you’re nice to old Bob Saywell. And you will be, won’t you!”
She twisted from his grip and brought the flat of her right hand sharply across his fat and quivering face with all her strength. The sound of the slap cracked like a small rifle report.
Bob Saywell’s face flushed. His eyes squeezed smaller, and he took a step back, still quivering.
“You’ll be sorry for that!” he whispered hoarsely.
“Get out of here,” she said, the anger sweeping through her. “Get out of here!”
Her anger seemed to frighten him, but he stood locked for a moment more, head pulled closer to his fat narrow shoulders. “I’m going to give you a little more chance, is what I’m going to do! And you’d better be smart enough to see that Bob Saywell is nobody to fool around with. Now you get over your snottiness with me, do you hear? You think twice before you ever do again what you just done. A little more chance, and that’s all. And then—”
He put his lips together, wheeled and walked out. The door slammed shut behind him. Ann, staring at the door, shook her head unbelievingly. She was in deadly danger, and what had this man just tried to do? She simply could not yet believe in the man’s utter hypocrisy, his utter blackness.
There was, then, the sound of a pickup truck coming into the barnyard.
As Ted Burley pushed his large-framed figure from his truck, his eyes caught the figure of Bob Saywell emerging from the farmhouse. He stared at Saywell with thin eyes.
Bob Saywell suddenly smiled. The rosy tint of rage remained in his face, but it seemed merely the effect of the winter wind.
He yelled immediately, “Hello, there, Ted! Glad to see you!”
Ted Burley nodded curtly.
“Just come back, Ted?” Bob Saywell said, hurrying up.
“Yes.” A frown cut between his heavy eyebrows. “Looking for me?”
Bob Saywell instantly saw the suspicion written into Ted’s face. And Bob Saywell rarely lost an opportunity.
“No, sir. Not this time, Ted. You didn’t hear about the missus fainting there in my store?”
“Fainting? No! Been gone all day.”
“Sure enough she did, Ted. Kind of gave me a worry there. So I went over to Graintown on business and coming back, passed your house. I thought I’d look in and see how she was. She appears to be fine now.”
“Don’t know what would make her faint.”
“Don’t think it was anything at all,” Bob Saywell said. “You know how women are. No, sir. She looks fit as a fiddle now. Just something a woman does now and again.”
Ted Burley nodded, still examining Bob Saywell intently.
“Tell you, though,” Bob Saywell continued, “you’d better talk to Dr. Hugh Stewart about it. He was the one who saw to her there in the store.”
Ted Burley’s frown deepened. “Saw to her?”
“He was in the store at the time. Did for her there on a table.” Bob Saywell grinned faintly. “Then he took her home.”
Ted Burley shook his head, anger and confusion obvious in his face. “He had to bring her home?”
“Well, I don’t
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