*Mine, too,' he said.

*Huh?'

*My lucky day. Meeting you. I'm not in the habit of picking up strangers, you know.'

*I didn't know that.'

*Too dangerous.'

*Why'd you pick me up?'

*You don't look dangerous,' he said. *Not dangerous at all, just very lonely and helpless.'

*I'm not all that helpless.'

*Glad to hear it.'

*You might be right about the lonely, though. You're lonely too, aren't you?'

*Sometimes.'

The waitress arrived. He ordered the fried chicken for Tina and a patty melt for himself. Tina asked for a c.o.ke, and Roger ordered coffee.

When the waitress was gone, Tina said, *Do you really think I'm pretty?'

*Very.'

Leaning across the table, she whispered, *What about my figure?'

*From all appearances, it's in fine shape.'

She nodded in agreement, sat back, and grinned mysteriously. *Know something?' she whispered.

*What?' His mouth was dry.

*Make a guess.'

*Beauty is truth, truth..

*No. Guess again, silly. Guess what I'm wearing under this flimsy little dress.'

He smiled. *I don't know. What?'

*Skin. Nothing but skin.'

*Fancy that,' Roger said, and took a drink of water.

22.

*Stop!' w.i.l.l.y shouted.

Marty's feet slapped into the water, splashing its coolness high against her body. She waded out until it reached her thighs, then gulped in a deep breath and dived. She stayed below, swimming furiously, until her lungs couldn't hold the air any longer. Then she blew it out in a gush of bubbles and skimmed to the surface. Air! It was fragrant with the night smells of the woods along the sh.o.r.e.

When her breathing became more regular, she trod water and listened. It was difficult to hear much beyond her small area of swirling water and thudding heartbeat and breathing, but she heard enough to know that w.i.l.l.y wasn't swimming after her.

Not on the water's surface.

She squinted at the sh.o.r.e, hoping to see him, but only spotted the top of his car. A chill scurried up her back. Suddenly, she half expected a cold hand to clutch her ankle and drag her down. She thrashed out, flattening into a crawl as her legs rose to the surface. She kept her face down for speed. Her legs kicked, tight and fast. Her arms darted forward, reaching her cupped hands far out and sweeping them down through the water.

She swam hard until she heard w.i.l.l.y's voice from far away.

*Hey out there!' he called.

She said nothing.

*I'd come out and join you, but I haven't got time.'

He doesn't know how to swim?

Either that, or he's just chicken.

*You better come back. Right now.' He said nothing for a while. Then he called, *Did you hear me? Come outa there!'

She continued to tread water and say nothing.

*Look, you better come out.'

Marty could hardly see him. He probably couldn't see her at all.

If he can't see me, he can't shoot me.

Probably wouldn't be able to hit me, anyway. Not with that pistol.

Marty didn't know a lot about handguns, but she knew they were meant for nearby targets. If you wanted to shoot someone this far away, you should be using a rifle.

And maybe he's scared to fire because of the noise.

*I don't see you coming in,' w.i.l.l.y yelled.

And he wouldn't, either.

I'll just wait him out.

*By the way,' he called, *I guess I forgot to tell you something about your p.r.i.c.k boyfriend. I didn't kill him. All I did was bonk him on the head.'

Marty's mind seemed to freeze.

*He's in the trunk of my car.'

She couldn't think.

*So you better come in now, or I'm gonna open up the trunk and shoot him in the eye.'

Marty b.u.t.toned her blouse as she waded out of the lake. When she reached sh.o.r.e, w.i.l.l.y clutched her upper arm and pulled her to his car.

*I want to see Dan,' she said.

*f.u.c.k you.'

He opened the pa.s.senger door and shoved her in. The seat felt scratchy against her naked b.u.t.tocks. w.i.l.l.y shut the door.

She sat up straight and arranged the front of her sopping blouse so it covered her lap.

w.i.l.l.y climbed in and shut the door. *I like your outfit,' he said.

*b.a.s.t.a.r.d.'

*You wouldn't call me that if you knew the great little place I'm taking you to. Nice little cabin off in the middle of the woods. Stocked up with the best canned food you ever tasted. I fixed the place up real nice for you. It's got real cla.s.s. Great spot for a honeymoon.'

*What?'

*Honeymoon,' he repeated. *You know. No, I reckon you don't- you still living with your mommy and daddy like a little kid. How come you aren't married, huh? Never found the right man? Guess I set too high of a standard and none of these p.r.i.c.ks can live up to me. That right?'

*Go to h.e.l.l.'

*Anyway, I don't aim to marry you. Thought we'd have us a honeymoon without. We're gonna have a great old time.'

*Eat s.h.i.t and die.'

*That's no way to talk after all my kindnesses to you and Danny. I could've killed him if I'd wanted. And I could've blown your head off.'

*You tried.' She wiped a drop of water off her chin.

*Not hardly. I tried to miss you, that's what I tried to do.'

*Sure.'

*I'm a dead-on shot. You might find that out, sometime, if you give me much more grief.'

A car swung into the parking lot. Marty watched it creep along. It stopped beside them, only a few yards away from her door.

The driver glanced at her, then took off his gla.s.ses and turned his back. He scooted toward the girl in the pa.s.senger seat.

*Aren't we lucky?' w.i.l.l.y said. *Hope the girl ain't a pig.' He reached under his seat and picked up Dan's revolver.

*What are you going to do?'

*Just gotta get you something to wear.' He climbed out, shut his door quietly, and walked around the front of his car, the revolver swinging at the end of his lanky arm.

Inside the other car, the couple were embracing, unaware of w.i.l.l.y's approach.

*Watch out!' Marty yelled. *Get out of here!'

The girl with her back to the pa.s.senger door saw w.i.l.l.y approach the driver's window. She stopped moving. For a moment, the boy continued to squirm against her. Then he looked over his shoulder.

*Oh, h.e.l.lo,' he said. He sounded embarra.s.sed and very young.

*Out of the car.'

*Yes, sir.' The boy fumbled along the top of the dashboard and found his gla.s.ses, then looked down at his open shirt.

*Get out,' w.i.l.l.y commanded.

*Just aa'

The girl said something to him.

The boy reached for the ignition.

w.i.l.l.y stuck the gun muzzle against the boy's ear. *Out. Now.'

*What do you want?' The kid no longer sounded embarra.s.sed; he sounded terrified.

*You'll see.' w.i.l.l.y opened the door for them, and the interior light came on.

Marty saw how young they were. Sixteen, maybe. The girl might've been even younger - fourteen, fifteen?

The boy climbed out of the car. His fingers moved quickly to b.u.t.ton his shirt as if it were very important.

*You, too.'

The girl pressed her back against the pa.s.senger door.

*w.i.l.l.y!' Marty said. *Let her alone.'

*Shut up.'

*Do you want money?' the boy asked.

*Yeah. Good idea.'

The boy reached into his rear pocket. He slid out a wallet. Marty could see his hand shaking.