couldn’t tell by looking, though.
This may sound funny, but I hoped he hadn’t done it.
Judy didn’t deserve that kind of treatment. She was a beautiful, fine, sweet girl, and I liked her. I never saw her as my enemy. Only as my problem.
She could “finger” me.
So she had to go.
But not like this?
I hated it to be like this.
But in part of my mind, I knew it was perfect! This was like a best-case scenario. I wouldn’t be murdering her at all. And therefore, nobody could ever pin it on me. They’d nail this bastard for it, or nobody. And they’d likely figure he’s the one who chopped Tony into little pieces, too.
Because of this guy, whoever he might be, suspicion would never fall on me. I ought to be cheering him on.
But I couldn’t.
I didn’t want him to rape her, kill her, touch her.
Weird, huh?
I’m not sure how to explain it. Maybe I’m not even sure why I felt that way. It wasn’t that I wanted to save her, or spare her the pain, or anything like that.
I mean, I did and I didn’t.
I would’ve loved to spare her, but she had to go.
The thing is, I had to be the one to do it.
Not this guy, whoever he might be.
Not this stranger, this interloper, this thief.
She was mine, not his.
20
CHOICES
Opening her eyes, Judy stared straight at me. I caught my breath. My heart pounded faster.
Can she see me?
I didn’t think so. I was well hidden in the bushes.
If I can see her, she can see me.
Maybe so, I thought. But I still doubted that she’d spotted me. She didn’t react, just stood there the same as before, stretched tall, her skin agleam in the firelight.
I raised the pistol and took aim.
Judy still didn’t react, so she was obviously unaware of me and the gun.
I aimed for her heart.
She was about twenty-five or thirty feet away. That’s farther than it sounds, when it comes to hitting a target with such a small handgun.
I could certainly hit her. But where wasn’t certain at all.
Shooting for her heart, I might just as easily hit her in the neck or shoulder or breast or stomach. I might only nick her in one side or the other.
The chances of killing her with the first shot were slim.
It might take three or four rounds to do the job.
Then what would I have left for the guy who’d brought her here?
And where the hell was he, anyway?
Asleep in the tent? Maybe. Or maybe wandering the woods to gather firewood.
Or sneaking up on me.
When that little idea popped into my head, I got goosebumps again. They went scurrying everywhere. I brought the gun back close to my body and dropped onto one knee. Twisting from side to side, I checked behind me.
Nothing but darkness.
And I couldn’t even see the darkness very well. The campfire had ruined my night vision.
My hearing was okay, though. I heard nobody trying to sneak up on me.
Doesn’t mean he isn’t.
I turned forward again and studied the campsite. Judy’s head was now bowed and her eyes seemed to be shut. Maybe she’d fallen asleep or passed out.
Other than that, everything looked the same.
I stared at the tent. It was about as high as my chest (if I’d been standing up) and maybe seven or eight feet long. Big enough for one or two guys sleeping lengthwise. No light seemed to be on inside it. With that kind of material—nylon, I guess—the light would’ve seeped right through. From where I stood, I couldn’t see whether or not the front was open.
The longer I watched the tent, the more certain I felt that Judy’s attacker must be inside. Cozy in his sleeping bag, and fast asleep. After all, he’d had a long and busy night. And that’s what guys do after they’ve screwed you—they sleep.
If he was asleep in the tent, I could do whatever I pleased.
But what should I do?
1. Kill them both?
2. Kill him and rescue Judy?
3. Avoid him and rescue Judy?
4. Avoid him and kill Judy?
5. Avoid them both, go home, and hope for the best?
Other possibilities entered my mind. Most of them involved trying to capture the guy, and what I might do with him afterward. Or what Judy and I might do to him. Or what the three of us might do together.
That stuff didn’t seem practical, though.
Too risky.
Basically, I had only the five realistic choices. I gave them a lot of thought. Each had merits and disadvantages. After