'He says he wants to help us. He says he hates his brother, Hank, and wants to help us kill him.'

'That's right,' Jim said. 'He's crazy 'n mean.'

Finley smirked. 'And you want to kill him, huh?'

'Sure do.'

'When did this urge suddenly come upon you?'

'Huh?'

'How come, all of a sudden, you feel like wasting the bastard? Seems as if you would've had plenty of opportunities before now. I mean, he's your brother. I assume he lives with you. If he's all that bad, why haven't you ever nailed him in his sleep, or something?'

Jim lowered his head. 'Hank ain't normal,' he muttered. 'He don't sleep like regular folks. He don't shut his eyes. Can't. Ain't got no eyelids.'

'He what?' Vivian blurted.

'Bom that way.'

'Bullshit,' Finley said. 'No eyelids? Gimme a break.'

'That's how come I can't do nothing to him when he's asleep. He'll be snorin' away, and starin' right at me, 'n they're the awfulest eyes. They're blue in the middle, this real clear blue, but where they're white on other folks, they're red on him. Like they got blood in 'em.'

'My God,' Vivian murmured.

'He's making this up,' Finley said.

'Ain't neither. The worst thing is, he has me lick 'em.' Vivian gaped at Jim. 'His eyes?'

'I can't get anywhere near him but what he makes me lick his eyes. Every day. Every night. They's dry 'n sticky, 'n the way they slide around on my tongue... It's enough to make ya sick. But he beats on me if I don't'

'No wonder you want to kill him,' Vivian said.

Abilene felt sick. This was the man who'd forced Helen into the shower room, who'd ripped her with a knife, who'd probably raped her?

Did he make Helen lick his eyes?

She suddenly felt too hot in the water. She pushed herself up and sat on the ledge and crossed her legs. The hot air felt almost cool after the greater heat of the water.

'That's about the most disgusting thing I ever heard,' Cora said.

'It's just awful, bein' his brother. The only good thing's when I can get away from him. But sometimes, he don't let me go. Cause he can't go out, hisself. Not in the daytime. And he don't wanta be left all alone. So I gotta stay with him in die cabin. And he won't allow no light in. We got the windows covered, and the door shut, and it's just so dark and smelly in there, and he's always wantin' me to lick him. And then when I do, he gets all carried away, 'n...'

'Wait,' Cora said.

'... does stuff to me.'

'What kind of stuff?' Finley asked.

'Don't wanta tell.'

'Wait,' Cora said again. 'He can't go outside in daylight?'

'Hurts his eyes too bad.'

'So he isn't going to show up here? Not until after dark?'

'No. Huh-uh.'

'Thank God for that,' Vivian muttered.

The news cheered Abilene. If it's true, she thought, we can relax for a while. We'll be safe till after the sun goes down. 'What is it, about three now?' she asked.

'Three or four. I'd think,' Cora said.

'Shouldn't be really dark until about nine.'

'Gives us plenty of time to get ready for him.'

'We could go to him,' Finley said. 'Stage a little surprise attack.'

'Yeah, right. I'm not walking anywhere. The three of you want to go off after him and leave me here?'

'Forget it,' Vivian said.

'Where's your place?' Finley asked.

'Other side a the lake.'

'And he's there alone?'

Jim nodded.

'What about the rest of your family?' Vivian asked him. 'All the others. Don't you have... a lot of kinfolks?'

'Just me and Hank.'

'We heard it was a whole bunch that attacked the lodge that night. You said your brother was there.'

'Yeah. We had us a right big family, back then. The rest of 'em, they all died off. The fever got 'em. Now there's only just us two. Wish the fever'd gotten Hank. Him 'n me was spared, though.'

'Too bad about that,' Finley said.

'So he's the only one we'll have to deal with,' Cora said. 'And not till after dark. This is looking better and better.'

'Waiting's gonna be a bitch,' Abilene said.

'It'll give us time to get ready for him.'

'We should probably eat and rest up,' Vivian suggested.

'Is the sun over the yardarm yet?' Finley asked.

'We oughta lay off the booze,' Cora said.

'A couple of drinks can't hurt.' Finley grinned up at Jim. 'How about you? You look like a guy who could use a libation.'

'He can't drink with his hands tied,' Abilene said. 'Somebody could hold the glass for him. How about it, fella? Do you like tequila?'

'I don' know.'

'Good stuff. It'll put hair on your chest.'

His chest was darkly tanned. It was smooth and hairless. You don't need any hair on your chest, Abilene thought. And she remembered that she'd spoken those very words. Only last year.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR.

CORA'S CHOICE.

They gathered in San Francisco exactly one year after the Big Apple adventure. But they hadn't come to see the city. This was Cora's turn to choose, and she had no interest in exploring urban attractions.

They took connecting rooms at a Quality Inn on Van Ness, had pizza delivered, drank margaritas and ate while they talked about all that had happened since they'd been together for Cora's wedding.

Abilene showed off the engagement ring that Harris had given her.

Helen announced that she'd met a terrific guy named Frank.

Vivian told them about being signed to do ads for Tipton shirts.

Finley recounted tales of her adventures as the assistant director for Zombie Zone. Then she said, 'I've got something interesting I want you to see.' She got busy hooking up her camcorder to the room's television.

'Your movie?' Helen asked.

'Hold your water. You'll see.' Done with the wiring, she slipped a tape cassette into her machine. 'I meant to have this for last year's reunion, but didn't get around to it.' She turned on the TV, then fingered the Play button on her camcorder.

On the screen appeared Finley wearing her old gorilla head and a green silken evening gown. 'Greetings,' she said, her voice muffled by the mask. 'Fill your glasses, sit down, shut up and get ready for fun. What you're about to see is a documentary laboriously pieced together by the Finman from hours upon hours of tape. This is the authorized, uncensored version of what I like to call, Daring Young Maids.'

'Oh, no,' Vivian muttered.

'It all begins on a hot September evening...'

It began with Finley showing herself in a mirror just inside the restroom of Hadley Hall. She wore the gorilla head, a tank top and shorts. She was holding the video camera to an eyehole of the mask. She vanished from the screen as the camera swept across sinks and toilet stalls. Abilene heard faint, hollow-sounding voices. Watched a shaky, jumping view of the dressing-room entrance as Finley approached it, entered, and turned toward the shower room. Then she glimpsed Helen, herself, Vivian and Cora, all naked in the steam, shocked and wet and shouting as the camera rushed by. Cora lunged forward, reached out, fell. Her rump slapped the tiles. Her feet flew into the air.

'Beaver shot!' Finley blurted through the laughter of the others.

Then Abilene was in front of the camera, blocking Finley's escape.

'Ooo, you look pissed!' Helen gasped.

Abilene's breasts filled the TV screen.

'Hot stuff, huh?' Finley said.

'Bitch,' Abilene said when the camera lowered to show her belly and pubic curls.

And everyone cracked up as her voice came from the television snapping, 'You bitch!'

She suddenly vanished. Walls, ceiling, floor. Then Helen straight ahead, face grim, huge breasts swaying as she swung a fist. Quick tumbling views of tile and girls. A jolt. Then a steady view of bare feet. Mine, Abilene realized.

The laughter in the motel room stopped when Cora slammed Finley against a wall of the shower room and punched her in the belly.

'You gals were not very nice to me,' Finley commented.

'You got off easy,' Cora told her.

'All my friends thought you over-reacted, when I showed this at a party last month.'

'You what'.' Vivian blurted.

Abilene felt her skin go hot. She saw Helen turn a bright shade of red.

Cora scurried across the bed and got a head-lock on Finley.

'Just kidding! Hey! Nobody's seen it.'

Cora released her.

'Touchy, touchy,' she said. 'Come on, you're missing the epic. Settle down.'

'We oughta burn the epic,' Cora suggested.

'This is just a copy.'

'Hey, quiet,' Vivian said. 'Get a load of this.'

On the TV screen, Vivian was talking to a guy in the doorway of the Sig house.

Finley rushed forward and pushed a button on her camera. Vivian, Cora, Abilene and Helen, all in evening gowns and carrying beer bottles, stepped quickly backward - away from the frat house door and up the walkway.

They started forward again, moving at a normal speed but staggering and weaving as if drunk. Finley returned to her seat on the corner of the bed.

'We looked pretty sharp,' Abilene said.