they had to figure the cops would be showing up in five or ten minutes. They didn’t want to be around when the cops arrived.”
“I guess not,” Andy admitted.
“Which means they’re gone, right?”
“I guess so.”
“They’re gone.”
“Okay.”
“So let’s get out of here.”
He shook his head and hugged her very hard.
“Andy.”
“What if they’re waiting for us?”
“They aren’t. Come on, we just went through this.”
“Maybe they all took off like you said, but maybe they left just one guy behind to hide and wait for us and ambush us when we come out?”
Jody hadn’t thought of that. “That’s crazy,” she said.
“Yeah.”
She could see the ax man crouching in the dark. Waiting. Knowing she and Andy would be drawn up the hill by the promise of safety in the hands of the police.
They knew it’d be awfully tough to find us down here.
One guy could stay behind easily enough. The rest of them drive off, and he stays. Millions of places to hide. He hides and waits and just when we think it’s all over he jumps us and that’s all she wrote.
Oh, man. It made sense..
“I don’t know,” she whispered.
“Remember what you said to Mable?” He must’ve detected that Jody was starting to see the matter his way. His voice sounded quick, almost eager, and he relaxed his hold on her. “You said they had to kill us because we’re witnesses.”
“Yeah. I know.”
“They aren’t gonna just let us get away. They’ll leave a guy behind to jump us the minute we show ourselves. I know they will.”
“I guess ... they might.”
Right now, she thought, there must be bunches of cops up there. Cops and firemen. We’ll be fine once we get to them. If we wait too long, though, they’ll be gone. Then we’ll be on our own.
“I don’t know what to do,” she muttered.
“Let’s just stay here.”
“We can’t stay here forever.”
“Till morning. If we wait till morning, nobody can sneak up on us. We can see him coming, you know?”
“He might see us before we see him. And by then, the cops and firemen might not be around anymore.”
“We oughta wait till morning.”
“I don’t know.”
“Let’s stay.”
“I’ve gotta think about it.”
Andy snuggled against her.
She stroked his hair and caressed his back and tried to think. She wanted very badly to be with the cops who were probably all over the place in front of the Clark house. As much as she wanted that, however, she hated to do what would be necessary to make it happen.
Waiting for dawn would be a mistake, though.
She asked herself what her father would do in a situation like this. And the answer came fast.
She didn’t have to wait long for Andy to fall asleep. As soon as his breathing changed and his body relaxed against her, she began to ease away from him. She moved very slowly. She paused often. At last, their bodies were untangled. She rolled over, got to her hands and knees, and stood up.
Andy lay on his side, head cushioned on one bent arm, his other arm resting along his side, his legs back.
Definitely asleep, Jody told herself.
But she feared that he might wake up the instant she looked away—as if her gaze was the only power that kept him sleeping. So she watched him while she crept sideways.
What if this is the last time I see him alive?
What if I come back with a cop and he’s dead, all bloody and hacked and ...
He’ll be okay.
She began to climb straight up the slope.
After making up her mind to go for the police by herself, she had considered the best way to do it. The sensible course would’ve been to make a major detour—head off to one side or the other, or actually move away from the hillside, climb whatever fences might be in the way, and cut through someone’s yard to whatever road might be down here.
A lot of directions to choose from. One crazy lunatic, left behind to finish the job, couldn’t cover every place.
A detour might be safer than the direct route, but it
“I guess not,” Andy admitted.
“Which means they’re gone, right?”
“I guess so.”
“They’re gone.”
“Okay.”
“So let’s get out of here.”
He shook his head and hugged her very hard.
“Andy.”
“What if they’re waiting for us?”
“They aren’t. Come on, we just went through this.”
“Maybe they all took off like you said, but maybe they left just one guy behind to hide and wait for us and ambush us when we come out?”
Jody hadn’t thought of that. “That’s crazy,” she said.
“Yeah.”
She could see the ax man crouching in the dark. Waiting. Knowing she and Andy would be drawn up the hill by the promise of safety in the hands of the police.
They knew it’d be awfully tough to find us down here.
One guy could stay behind easily enough. The rest of them drive off, and he stays. Millions of places to hide. He hides and waits and just when we think it’s all over he jumps us and that’s all she wrote.
Oh, man. It made sense..
“I don’t know,” she whispered.
“Remember what you said to Mable?” He must’ve detected that Jody was starting to see the matter his way. His voice sounded quick, almost eager, and he relaxed his hold on her. “You said they had to kill us because we’re witnesses.”
“Yeah. I know.”
“They aren’t gonna just let us get away. They’ll leave a guy behind to jump us the minute we show ourselves. I know they will.”
“I guess ... they might.”
Right now, she thought, there must be bunches of cops up there. Cops and firemen. We’ll be fine once we get to them. If we wait too long, though, they’ll be gone. Then we’ll be on our own.
“I don’t know what to do,” she muttered.
“Let’s just stay here.”
“We can’t stay here forever.”
“Till morning. If we wait till morning, nobody can sneak up on us. We can see him coming, you know?”
“He might see us before we see him. And by then, the cops and firemen might not be around anymore.”
“We oughta wait till morning.”
“I don’t know.”
“Let’s stay.”
“I’ve gotta think about it.”
Andy snuggled against her.
She stroked his hair and caressed his back and tried to think. She wanted very badly to be with the cops who were probably all over the place in front of the Clark house. As much as she wanted that, however, she hated to do what would be necessary to make it happen.
Waiting for dawn would be a mistake, though.
She asked herself what her father would do in a situation like this. And the answer came fast.
She didn’t have to wait long for Andy to fall asleep. As soon as his breathing changed and his body relaxed against her, she began to ease away from him. She moved very slowly. She paused often. At last, their bodies were untangled. She rolled over, got to her hands and knees, and stood up.
Andy lay on his side, head cushioned on one bent arm, his other arm resting along his side, his legs back.
Definitely asleep, Jody told herself.
But she feared that he might wake up the instant she looked away—as if her gaze was the only power that kept him sleeping. So she watched him while she crept sideways.
What if this is the last time I see him alive?
What if I come back with a cop and he’s dead, all bloody and hacked and ...
He’ll be okay.
She began to climb straight up the slope.
After making up her mind to go for the police by herself, she had considered the best way to do it. The sensible course would’ve been to make a major detour—head off to one side or the other, or actually move away from the hillside, climb whatever fences might be in the way, and cut through someone’s yard to whatever road might be down here.
A lot of directions to choose from. One crazy lunatic, left behind to finish the job, couldn’t cover every place.
A detour might be safer than the direct route, but it
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