Silent Killer Page 0,105

about half out of my mind wanting you.”

“Oh, Jack.”

She all but flung herself at him, flying straight into his waiting arms. “I don’t care anymore if it’s the right time, if I’m ready, if I’ll regret it in the morning, if all you want is sex. I just plain don’t give a damn.”

Her face glowed with the brightness of her smile, and that beautiful smile lit up his whole world, a world that had shrunk to include only the two of them.

Jack lifted her off her feet and up into his arms. He practically ran toward her bedroom. The door stood wide open. A single bedside lamp glowed dimly. The covers had been turned down, and her bed welcomed them.

When John Earl went into the kitchen for a late evening snack, intending to cut himself a piece of Ruth Ann’s homemade pecan pie, he was surprised to find his mother-in-law sitting at the table, a mug of hot tea cupped in her hands. She glanced up at him as he entered the kitchen, and they exchanged weary smiles. Faye knew that he tolerated her presence in their home for Ruth Ann’s sake. He tried not to blame her for what had happened to Ruth Ann, but if Faye had stood up to her husband…If, if, if.

“You’re up late,” John Earl said.

“I was restless,” Faye replied. “Those sleeping pills don’t help much any more. I thought some tea might help. What about you? I thought you and Ruth Ann went to bed right after we got home from church.”

“She did. She’s been asleep for more than half an hour. But I couldn’t get that delicious pecan pie off my mind, so I sneaked back down here for a piece.”

“Why don’t you sit down and let me get you some pie and fix you a cup of tea to go with it?” Faye suggested.

“Thanks. That would be nice.”

Just as Faye downed the last drops of her tea and scooted back her chair, the sound of agonized screams echoed down the back stairs and into the kitchen.

“My God, that’s Ruth Ann.” Faye started toward the stairs.

John Earl moved quickly and dashed ahead of her. He took the steps two at a time and reached the partially open bedroom door before Faye was halfway up the stairs.

John Earl flung open the door and ran into the room. There in the semi-darkness he saw Ruth Ann thrashing about in their bed, her eyes closed, her dark hair disheveled, her arms flinging back and forth as if she were fighting off an attacker. Dear Lord, help her. His poor, sweet Ruth Ann could not escape the nightmare that had haunted her all their married life. It had taken years for the nightmares to subside from a few times each week to only occasional unwanted visits. But recently, with two more clergymen murdered—burned to death—those old dreams had resurfaced.

John Earl hurried to his wife, called her name as he sat on the edge of the bed and reached down to pull her gently into his arms. “Wake up, Ruth Ann. It’s all right. You were only dreaming.”

She beat on his chest, whimpering incoherently.

“It’s John Earl, sweetheart. Open your eyes. You’re safe. No one can hurt you.”

When he heard movement behind him, he glanced over his shoulder and saw Faye standing just inside the doorway. He shook his head.

“Can you understand what she’s saying?” Faye asked, a concerned look in her sad eyes.

“No, not this time.” He gave his mother-in-law a warning glare, silently cautioning her. The three of them knew the truth, knew what Ruth Ann had endured at the hands of her cruel father. If not for their daughters overhearing her and asking questions, it wouldn’t matter what she said in the throes of her subconscious nightmare memories.

“I’ll go to my room and leave her to you,” Faye told him. “In the past, whenever I’ve tried to calm her, I’ve only made matters worse. She needs you. Only you.”

He ignored Faye’s final comments and focused all his attention on his wife. It took several more tries, with him saying her name and reassuring her that she was safe, before she opened her eyes and recognized him. When she did, she gazed at him like a lost child, tears trickling down her cheeks.

“I’m having those dreams more often,” she said. “They’re getting worse. And they seem so real. It’s as if I’m reliving what happened over and over again.”

He took both her hands in his. “I wish