Robin rubbed his chest, hoping to distract him from whatever bad images had seized his sleeping mind. The sound of his breathing didn’t change. He still slept. Robin listened, ready to wake him if he should whimper again.
Was he dreaming of Poppinsack’s fall?
She wished she could make it go away for him. Kiss him and make him well.
If love could only cure him…
But he was doomed to live with the guilt. He had his burden, and Robin had hers.
Thank God we told each other, she thought.
She had loved him before, but the sharing of their awful secrets had been like a fire that fused their souls to one another.
She remembered herself in the spa with him, clutching his racked body tight against her while she sobbed, their tears mingling, and how she had felt as if they were one person, and how they had kept crying while they kissed.
As her mind lingered on the memories, she slipped into sleep.
Tanya shut off the headlights. Darkness collapsed over the road ahead. She swung onto a narrow driveway that rose in front of the car like a dim gray path through the woods. She shifted to a lower gear, but didn’t accelerate, apparently to prevent a swell of engine noise that might warn of their approach.
“Are you sure they’re here?” Jeremy whispered.
“They’re here,” Tanya said. “It was supposed to be me.”
“Huh?”
“We had it all planned. His folks are gone till Wednesday. I was going to stay with him.”
“Gosh.”
“The rotten shit.”
“He must be crazy, dumping you for that girl.”
“Bad mistake. He’s gonna find out how bad.”
They came to the top of the slope. The house beyond the clearing was a vague shape of steep roofs. All its lights were out. Moonlight gleamed on some of the windows. It looked gloomy and abandoned.
Jeremy hoped it was abandoned.
He felt sick with dread.
He had to stand by Tanya, no matter what, but it would be so wonderful if they got into the house and nobody was there.
He rubbed his sweaty hands on the legs of his corduroys, but they were encased in the gloves and stayed wet.
It’ll be all right, he told himself.
She’d said she would take care of Nate. Jeremy only had to worry about the girl. That shouldn’t be a problem. He’d taken on two of them in front of the Oddities—and loved it. Here was his chance to fight the banjo girl.
So strange. After his first encounter with her on the boardwalk, he’d imagined how it would be.
Tanya seemed to be breathing life into his wildest dreams, making them real with her dark magic.
I don’t want to fight that girl, he thought. I don’t want it real.
He trembled with fear, trembled with a sharp ache of desire.
Please, let nobody be home.
The car glided to a stop in front of the house’s porch. Tanya shifted to Park and set the emergency brake. The engine rumbled quietly as she opened her door and climbed out. Jeremy almost reminded her to turn it off, but realized she had no key.
He got out. He moved on shaky legs to the front of the car while Tanya removed something from the backseat. She came toward him carrying a paper sack at her side.
“What’s in that?” he whispered.
“Stuff,” she said. “You’ll see.”
He followed her up the porch stairs to the front door. With a key from her sweatshirt pocket, she unlocked it.
At least we don’t have to break in, Jeremy thought.
Tanya swung the door open. Inside was darkness.
They entered the foyer, and she shut the door without making a sound.
Jeremy heard only the drumming of his heart. It pounded so hard he thought he could feel the blood surging through his vessels.
Tanya squatted down. She set the bag on the floor. When she reached into it, there came a quiet metallic rattle. Jeremy recognized the sound and thought of the old bum. In the faint light from the windows he saw Tanya’s arm come out and lift toward him. He saw the dangling bracelet of a handcuff. She gave the cuffs to him and slipped a second pair into her sweatshirt pouch.
She pulled a hammer out of the bag and handed it to Jeremy.
He felt his breath squeeze out. His stomach knotted. Icy fingers seemed to clench his scrotum.
She took out a hatchet for herself and stood up, leaving the bag on the floor.
Jeremy whispered in a choked voice, “We aren’t going to kill them, are we?”