seriously, then broke into mischievous laughter. “No way. I knew who it was all the time.”
“Who?”
“That crazy Kelly in a rubber mask. He’s always doing crazy things. Probably climbed up on the roof and thought he could scare me. Crazy.”
“What would he be doing up so late?” Mrs. Jensen said with stern disapproval.
“He gets to stay up as late as he wants to,” Joey said. “I’m as old as he is and don’t even get to stay up and watch ‘Kojak.’ “
“It does you a lot more good to get your sleep than staying up to watch junk like that. Or playing dumb tricks like your friend Kelly.”
“I’ll tell Mom,” Joey said. “She’ll buy me a mask, a horribler one than Kelly’s even, then I’ll go to his house and really scare him.”
“I don’t think you’d better tell your mother about it,” Mrs. Jensen said.
“Why not? She’ll buy me a mask. I know she will.”
“Maybe so, but your mother’s not been feeling too well, and I don’t think it would do her any good to hear about faces at the window and such foolishness.”
“Awww.”
“You want her to get well, don’t you?”
“Sure.”
“Then don’t go bothering her with this kind of stuff.”
“Oh, okay.”
Joey jumped up from the table and ran outside, slamming the door firmly. Mrs. Jensen looked after him with a worried frown, then shook off the thought and got busy picking up the dishes.
Chapter 10
ROOM 9 IN THE Evergreen Motel was cool and dim in the pale light that filtered in through the curtains. Roy Beatty sat beside the bed, holding the hand of the woman who lay among the twisted sheets.
“I was worried when you didn’t come home last night,” he said.
Marcia rolled her head on the pillow and looked at him. There were shadows around her deep green eyes, but they shone as brilliantly as ever.
She said, “I’m all right now. It was frightening when it happened. Last night was the first time I wasn’t prepared for it. It must have been the excitement of being so close, of seeing at last what we are going to do. I could not control the change.”
Roy stroked a strand of black hair from her forehead. “My poor Marcia.”
“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “There is a patch of trees near their house. I was able to reach them and stay there until daylight. No one saw me, except perhaps the boy, and I don’t think he knew what he was seeing.”
“Maybe we should forget about this. Go away from here. For your sake.”
“Forget about it?” Marcia sat straight up in bed, and it seemed to Roy that he could see the strength flow into her body. “Never! I have not waited this long, come this far, only to turn back. As for what happened to me last night, I will take care to see that it does not happen again. I will keep a tighter hold on my emotions.”
Roy sighed and nodded his head slowly. He stood up and walked over to the window where he pulled aside the curtain and looked out over the asphalt of the parking lot. The Evergreen was not on one of the main highways which ran through Seattle, and in the middle of the week there was little business. There were only three cars parked outside, the white Ford which Roy had rented, and two others. They looked cold and abandoned in the misting rain.
“If it’s going to rain, I wish to Christ it would really rain,” he said irritably. “This everlasting drizzle is driving me up the wall.”
“We won’t have to be here much longer,” Marcia said. “Your Karyn is frightened and worried now. The way we want her.”
“Why do you keep calling her my Karyn?”
“I’m sorry. It was just an expression. I won’t do it any more if it annoys you.”
“Well, it does. Anyway, what’s the need for all this?” Roy continued to stare out the window. “Why don’t we do what we came to do and get it over with?”
Marcia slipped out of bed. and came over to stand beside him. She took his broad hand in hers and held it against her smooth, naked hip.
“Who?”
“That crazy Kelly in a rubber mask. He’s always doing crazy things. Probably climbed up on the roof and thought he could scare me. Crazy.”
“What would he be doing up so late?” Mrs. Jensen said with stern disapproval.
“He gets to stay up as late as he wants to,” Joey said. “I’m as old as he is and don’t even get to stay up and watch ‘Kojak.’ “
“It does you a lot more good to get your sleep than staying up to watch junk like that. Or playing dumb tricks like your friend Kelly.”
“I’ll tell Mom,” Joey said. “She’ll buy me a mask, a horribler one than Kelly’s even, then I’ll go to his house and really scare him.”
“I don’t think you’d better tell your mother about it,” Mrs. Jensen said.
“Why not? She’ll buy me a mask. I know she will.”
“Maybe so, but your mother’s not been feeling too well, and I don’t think it would do her any good to hear about faces at the window and such foolishness.”
“Awww.”
“You want her to get well, don’t you?”
“Sure.”
“Then don’t go bothering her with this kind of stuff.”
“Oh, okay.”
Joey jumped up from the table and ran outside, slamming the door firmly. Mrs. Jensen looked after him with a worried frown, then shook off the thought and got busy picking up the dishes.
Chapter 10
ROOM 9 IN THE Evergreen Motel was cool and dim in the pale light that filtered in through the curtains. Roy Beatty sat beside the bed, holding the hand of the woman who lay among the twisted sheets.
“I was worried when you didn’t come home last night,” he said.
Marcia rolled her head on the pillow and looked at him. There were shadows around her deep green eyes, but they shone as brilliantly as ever.
She said, “I’m all right now. It was frightening when it happened. Last night was the first time I wasn’t prepared for it. It must have been the excitement of being so close, of seeing at last what we are going to do. I could not control the change.”
Roy stroked a strand of black hair from her forehead. “My poor Marcia.”
“It doesn’t matter,” she said. “There is a patch of trees near their house. I was able to reach them and stay there until daylight. No one saw me, except perhaps the boy, and I don’t think he knew what he was seeing.”
“Maybe we should forget about this. Go away from here. For your sake.”
“Forget about it?” Marcia sat straight up in bed, and it seemed to Roy that he could see the strength flow into her body. “Never! I have not waited this long, come this far, only to turn back. As for what happened to me last night, I will take care to see that it does not happen again. I will keep a tighter hold on my emotions.”
Roy sighed and nodded his head slowly. He stood up and walked over to the window where he pulled aside the curtain and looked out over the asphalt of the parking lot. The Evergreen was not on one of the main highways which ran through Seattle, and in the middle of the week there was little business. There were only three cars parked outside, the white Ford which Roy had rented, and two others. They looked cold and abandoned in the misting rain.
“If it’s going to rain, I wish to Christ it would really rain,” he said irritably. “This everlasting drizzle is driving me up the wall.”
“We won’t have to be here much longer,” Marcia said. “Your Karyn is frightened and worried now. The way we want her.”
“Why do you keep calling her my Karyn?”
“I’m sorry. It was just an expression. I won’t do it any more if it annoys you.”
“Well, it does. Anyway, what’s the need for all this?” Roy continued to stare out the window. “Why don’t we do what we came to do and get it over with?”
Marcia slipped out of bed. and came over to stand beside him. She took his broad hand in hers and held it against her smooth, naked hip.
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