air she’d missed while lying dead.
Almost dead.
The moisture on her skin glistened and sparkled in the sunlight. Here and there, it trickled downward.
Pete stepped closer to her. He crouched next to Jeff.
The woman on her hands and knees was slightly upslope from him.
He could see the goosebumps on her skin.
He watched a drop of water dribble down the side of her left breast. It slid to the tip of her nipple and stayed there, trembling.
“You’re safe now,” Jeff told her. “You’ll be all right. We’ll take care of you.”
Her head moved slightly up and down—a nod?
The drop of water lost its hold on her nipple and fell to the ground.
“We need to get her an ambulance,” Pete said.
“Good luck, man. All you’ll get is a busy signal.”
“Sure.”
“I’m telling you. But go ahead if you don’t believe me. You’ll find out.”
He didn’t want to go. If he left, he might miss something.
Might?
At the very least, he would lose his chance to watch her for a few more minutes. But who knows what else might happen? She might decide to lie down on her back for a little more rest. She might stand up and stretch. She might start talking.
Pete didn’t want to miss anything.
“Maybe she doesn’t need an ambulance,” Jeff said.
“Are you kidding? Look at her. She should be in a hospital.”
“We could take her to one in your car,” Jeff suggested. “It’d be quicker that way.”
“I don’t know,” Pete said.
His heart started pounding faster.
We’d have to pick her up. Put our hands on her body. On her bare skin. Touch her. Hold her.
Feel her.
“It probably would be quicker that way,” Pete agreed. “Yeah. That’s not a bad idea. It’s worth a try, anyway.”
The woman gasped out a low, whispered word.
“What’d she say?” Pete asked.
“I didn’t—”
“Doh!”
“Dough?” Jeff asked.
They both leaned closer to her and lowered their heads.
“Doh-nn.”
“Don’t?” Pete said.
“Don’t what?” asked Jeff.
“Tuh…Tuh-ch.”
“Touch?” Pete asked.
“Don’t touch?”
“Meeee.”
Chapter Thirty-four
“We just want to help you,” Jeff said.
“Don’t…touch.”
She wasn’t unconscious before, Pete thought. She was wide awake and paying attention. Knows everything we said and did. Now she’s got us figured for a couple of creeps…or perverts.
Burning with shame, he wanted to run away from her.
But he remained by her side.
“We just want to help you,” Jeff explained. “We want to take you to a hospital.”
“No.”
“What do you want us to do?” Pete asked.
In the silence following his question, he half expected her to answer, “Go to hell.” Or, “Fuck off.” Or, “Eat shit and die.”
When she finally spoke, she said, “Waht.”
“What?” Jeff asked.
“Waht-urr.”
“Water!” Pete blurted, vastly relieved.
“I’ve got the hose right here.”
“Dring.”
“I’ll go get a glass or something,” Pete said. “Right back.”
She didn’t respond.
Pete stood up and stepped backward down the slope.
“Everybody stay right where you are, okay? Nobody move.”
“We’ll be right here,” Jeff said.
“Don’t do anything.”
Jeff smirked at him.
Pete whirled around, rushed down to the wall and climbed it. At the top, he looked back. Jeff, kneeling, blocked his view of the woman’s shoulders and head. But he could see the rest of her. She was still on her hands and knees, her body gleaming and dripping.
He hated to leave them.
Hated to miss out on even a few minutes by her side.
Envying Jeff, he sat down on top of the wall, pushed himself off, and dropped. He landed on the hot concrete. Instead of running around the pool, he dived in. The cold shocked him for a moment, then felt good. As he glided below the surface, he realized his trunks had been jerked down around his knees. He pulled them up, then swam to the other side. He almost lost his trunks again when he climbed out. Pulling them up, he ran to the back door of the house. He skidded it open and rushed in.
Though dripping wet, he ran straight across the living room carpet.
By the time he entered the kitchen, his feet were dry but water continued to spill from his trunks and roll down his body.
What’ll I get her? he wondered.
She asked for water, but maybe she’d rather have a Coke or a beer or…
Just get her a glass! We can fill it from the hose.
What about ice cubes?
“Good,” he muttered.
He grabbed a tumbler down from the cupboard, hurried over to the refrigerator and tugged open the freezer compartment. He reached into the ice-cube container, grabbed a handful of cubes and dumped them into the glass.
Now what? he wondered.
Try the phone?
He stepped over to the wall phone…and stared at it.
If I get through and they send an ambulance, they’ll take