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suburbs, but away from the rush of downtown,
about ten minutes by car. Apparently, he hadn't wanted to hunt in
his own backyard, though I doubted he thought the prey would ever
turn out to have the kind of claws that Hannah and I were prepared
to turn on him.
"I'll keep checking in and
see if he's moved. Let me know when you get to him," she
said.
I agreed and hung up, and
then the hunt was on.
Hannah called a cab, and I
played around on the computer. "The address is a rundown little
house on a rundown looking street," I said. I looked up the address
of the nearest police station from there.
The cab pulled up, and
Hannah dragged me out of the apartment. Her hands were hot and
sweaty, and I thought that mine must be as well. I stared out the
car window and tried to slow my racing mind, unable to concentrate
on any single thought until we passed a sports supply store. "Pull
over!" I called. Hannah waited with the cab while I ran in, and
when I showed her what I'd bought, she grinned and kissed
me.
Hannah had asked the
driver to drop us off at a corner near the rapist's address, and we
called Sharon as soon as the driver pulled away.
"He's still inside," she
promised us. "Good luck, girls."
And then, we were on our
own. I squeezed Hannah's hand, and then set off toward the house,
my heart pounding in my throat. My mouth was dry, and I longed to
turn to Hannah and clutch her to me, but she had hung back,
according to plan, and was well out of my reach.
I took a deep breath, my
pulse pounding in my ears, and then walked up to the front door and
knocked. So much blood rushed to my limbs to support the urge to
flee that I thought I was going to faint, but the sight of the
rapist as he swung the door open was enough to quell the
sensation.
His face registered shock,
then anger, and I heard a low buzz as he spoke. I shook my head and
stepped back, and his face went red with rage as he stepped out
after me, his voice rising. I hummed softly, tunelessly, and my own
voice drowned him out.
Then something in his face
went slack and his mouth fell shut. He turned to glance beyond me,
and Hannah stepped up to my side, her hands curling around my arm.
I sighed and went light-headed again, this time with relief as I
turned to her. Her lips were moving steadily, and her eyes were
clear and bright with power.
I smiled as I reached up
and pulled the swimmer's wax from my ears. "—would love for you to
just be calm and quiet," she was saying. "Can you tell me if anyone
else is in the house?"
"No one," he answered,
sounding calmer than I had ever heard him so far. I shuddered at
her voice and Hannah did the same, but she continued the patter in
her steady, cool tone.
"Thank you; I'm so glad
you're able to help me! We'd like to take you for a drive. Do you
have a car or something that we can drive?"
She kept up the flow,
steady and melodious as he led us to his beater. I was so
hypnotized myself that she had to ask me very politely to drive to
the police station before she returned her attention to him, and I
happily complied, wanting nothing more than to please
her.
Her voice had started to
go rough by the end of the short drive, but we had agreed that we
were in serious trouble if he broke her spell, so she went on
without pause. Even in the slightly hazed state she had put me in,
I burned with pride for her. Or maybe I was even more proud because
I was under her spell. Who could say?
We led him into the police
station, Hannah drawing him along behind her like a pied piper with
her evil mouse, and she sent me to the desk to tell the
receptionist that we wanted to report a crime. I smiled when I saw
that Jack was the one they sent out. "I think it would be lovely if
we all went to one of your interrogation rooms together," she said,
"and we can all talk this out."
Chapter 10
Jack was more than happy to lead us deeper into the station,
though Hannah may have had something to do with that. Hannah gently
asked the
about ten minutes by car. Apparently, he hadn't wanted to hunt in
his own backyard, though I doubted he thought the prey would ever
turn out to have the kind of claws that Hannah and I were prepared
to turn on him.
"I'll keep checking in and
see if he's moved. Let me know when you get to him," she
said.
I agreed and hung up, and
then the hunt was on.
Hannah called a cab, and I
played around on the computer. "The address is a rundown little
house on a rundown looking street," I said. I looked up the address
of the nearest police station from there.
The cab pulled up, and
Hannah dragged me out of the apartment. Her hands were hot and
sweaty, and I thought that mine must be as well. I stared out the
car window and tried to slow my racing mind, unable to concentrate
on any single thought until we passed a sports supply store. "Pull
over!" I called. Hannah waited with the cab while I ran in, and
when I showed her what I'd bought, she grinned and kissed
me.
Hannah had asked the
driver to drop us off at a corner near the rapist's address, and we
called Sharon as soon as the driver pulled away.
"He's still inside," she
promised us. "Good luck, girls."
And then, we were on our
own. I squeezed Hannah's hand, and then set off toward the house,
my heart pounding in my throat. My mouth was dry, and I longed to
turn to Hannah and clutch her to me, but she had hung back,
according to plan, and was well out of my reach.
I took a deep breath, my
pulse pounding in my ears, and then walked up to the front door and
knocked. So much blood rushed to my limbs to support the urge to
flee that I thought I was going to faint, but the sight of the
rapist as he swung the door open was enough to quell the
sensation.
His face registered shock,
then anger, and I heard a low buzz as he spoke. I shook my head and
stepped back, and his face went red with rage as he stepped out
after me, his voice rising. I hummed softly, tunelessly, and my own
voice drowned him out.
Then something in his face
went slack and his mouth fell shut. He turned to glance beyond me,
and Hannah stepped up to my side, her hands curling around my arm.
I sighed and went light-headed again, this time with relief as I
turned to her. Her lips were moving steadily, and her eyes were
clear and bright with power.
I smiled as I reached up
and pulled the swimmer's wax from my ears. "—would love for you to
just be calm and quiet," she was saying. "Can you tell me if anyone
else is in the house?"
"No one," he answered,
sounding calmer than I had ever heard him so far. I shuddered at
her voice and Hannah did the same, but she continued the patter in
her steady, cool tone.
"Thank you; I'm so glad
you're able to help me! We'd like to take you for a drive. Do you
have a car or something that we can drive?"
She kept up the flow,
steady and melodious as he led us to his beater. I was so
hypnotized myself that she had to ask me very politely to drive to
the police station before she returned her attention to him, and I
happily complied, wanting nothing more than to please
her.
Her voice had started to
go rough by the end of the short drive, but we had agreed that we
were in serious trouble if he broke her spell, so she went on
without pause. Even in the slightly hazed state she had put me in,
I burned with pride for her. Or maybe I was even more proud because
I was under her spell. Who could say?
We led him into the police
station, Hannah drawing him along behind her like a pied piper with
her evil mouse, and she sent me to the desk to tell the
receptionist that we wanted to report a crime. I smiled when I saw
that Jack was the one they sent out. "I think it would be lovely if
we all went to one of your interrogation rooms together," she said,
"and we can all talk this out."
Chapter 10
Jack was more than happy to lead us deeper into the station,
though Hannah may have had something to do with that. Hannah gently
asked the
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