"Well, the handprints..."

"I told you how that happened."

"Okay."

"What's the matter with you?"

"Sorry," she said.

"You should be. You oughta be ashamed of yourself for even thinking I'd do something like that."

"Yeah, well." Sounding a little as if she might start to cry, she said, "I didn't want to have bad thoughts about you. I just want us to be friends."

"Why would you want that if you think I'm the sort of guy who would... fool around with Simone like you said?"

"But you didn't, right? You just... she got that way because you had to strangle her."

"That's right."

"Okay."

"It's the truth."

"Okay."

The quick crunching of leaves and twigs warned him of someone's approach. He glanced back and found Bret hurrying closer. "What're you talking about?" he asked.

"Nothing," Mandy said.

"Tell me."

"None of your business." She raised her arm and pointed down the path. "Just slow down and stay back there with Rhonda." Sudden concern in her voice. "Where'd she go?"

Hunter halted and turned around and gazed into the darkness. He saw blurs of gray and black, pale moving bits of moonlight, and no sign of Rhonda.

"Oh, my God," he muttered.

They stood together, looking down the empty path.

"Where is she?" Mandy asked.

"She was right behind me," Bret said.

"RHONDA!" Hunter shouted.

No answer came. Hunter heard only the wind.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX.

"She's gotta be there!" Bret started to take off down the path but Mandy lurched forward and clamped a hand on his shoulder and jerked him to a stop. "Let go!"

She kept her grip on him.

"Mandyyyy!"

"Quiet."

"RHONDA!" Hunter shouted again. "Where arc you?"

"We've got her now."

Hunter whirled around, raising his sword. A few yards ahead of him, a vague shape stood on the path. The shape of a woman with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, powerful-looking arms and legs, Mostly a dim gray blur of bare skin with dark smears here and there she was too obscured to recognize except for her voice.

Hunter knew the voice.

"Eleanor?"

"Miss me?" she asked.

He shrugged.

"I'm sure you did. I missed you. And now I've come back for you."

"Where's Rhonda?" he asked.

"We have her."

"Let her go."

"I don't think so."

He shook the sword at her. "I'll chop your head off."

"I don't think so."

"Let Rhonda go!"

"Drop the sword."

Eleanor's hands seemed to be empty. She wore no belt around her waist. She seemed to have no weapon at all, and to be wearing nothing except a pair of sneakers.

"Let her go or I swear I'll kill you."

"Fain!" she called. "He doesn't want to drop the sword."

A moment later, someone cried out in pain. The agonized voice came from somewhere down the path, not very far away. It sounded like Rhonda.

"Rhonda!" Bret shouted.

Mandy kept a tight grip on her brother's shoulder.

After the outcry came sobbing sounds.

"Drop the sword, Hunter."

He lowered it. "You didn't have to hurt her."

"Drop it. Right now."

Go for her! Take her out!

Though he could no longer hear Rhonda sobbing, the pain in her sharp outcry still filled his head.

I can't.

He let go of the sword. It fell into the dry leaves of the path.

"Where'd you get the robe?" Eleanor asked.

"Bryce."

"And Rhonda... Simone's robe?"

"Yeah."

"And what became of Bryce and Simone that their robes became available?"

"I... took care of them."

"Did you now?" She sounded amused. "Good for you. Took care of them, and then put on their robes and here you are, trekking, through the woods. On your way to the graveyard?"

Hunter nodded.

"What did you think you'd do, infiltrate us?"

"That was the idea."

"Lame."

"Yeah, well..."

"Take it off."

"I'm not wearing anything."

"Wonderful. That'll make two of us. Take it off."

It's all right, he told himself. It's so dark nobody'll be able to see much anyway.

Still, he shook with strange tremors as he unfastened the cloth belt. The robe blew open. He slipped it off his shoulders and let it fall behind him. The wind felt warm and dry on his moist skin.

"Ah-ha," Eleanor said.

He looked down at himself. The night wasn't as dark as he'd hoped.

"Now the knife," Eleanor said.

He reached down for it.

"Not just the knife. The whole works. The belt, the sheath... Just unbuckle the belt and let it all drop."

He lowered his hands to the buckle.

"OW!" Mandy blurted. "You little...!"

Turning, Hunter glimpsed Mandy hopping on her left leg, clutching her right shin. Bret must've kicked her. Released, he sprang toward Hunter.

"Stop it!" Eleanor shouted.

Bret hurled himself against Hunter's back. As the boy collided with him, he felt the pistol get snatched from under the back of his belt.

Oh, my God!

Eleanor yelled, "Stop!"

Jerking his head around, Hunter caught a glimpse of Bret vanishing into the trees.

"Get back here!" Mandy shouted.

"Don't move!" Eleanor yelled at her. "Bret! Come back here this instant, you little shit!"

Hunter heard Bret racing through the crunchy leaves.

Suddenly, the sounds stopped.

"Fain!" Eleanor shouted. "Did you get him?"

"No!" came a voice from somewhere down the trail. "But I've still got the girl."

"Bret, come back here right now or Rhonda's gonna get it!"