Koontz, Dean - Children of the Storm

5/28/2018 Koontz, Dean - Children of the Storm

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Dean Koontz (Deanna Dwyer) Children of the storm

[Version 2.0 by BuddyDk august 3 2003]

[Easy read, easy print]

[Completely new scan]

[Some spelling errors has been left as is (This is an old book)]

NO HAVEN . . .

As she and the children stood by the windows, watching the sea whichglittered madly with reflected moonlight, Sonya felt more at peace than shehad for a long time. The solidity of Seawatch made her feel as if she were in afortress, sealed away from harm . . .

Alex destroyed that mood in a moment. Are you worried? he asked.Sonya did not look away from the sea. hy should ! be worried?"e won#t hurt you.She looked at Alex. "is eyes were $ery dark, almost too dark to see in the

meager light. ho won#t?"e scuffed his small feet on the carpet and looked back at the rolling sea.

The man.hat man?%ou know, said Tina. The man who says he is going to kill me and Alex .

. .

PUT PLEASURE IN YOUR READINGLarger type makes the diere!"e

This &AS% &%& &dition is set in large, clear type'at least () percent largerthan usual. !t is printed on scientifically tinted non*glare paper for better con*trast and less eyestrain.


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/"!+8& 9: T"& ST98;Dea!!a D2yer


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A A/&8 099irst+ imagine yo8d li.e to meet the rest of

the staff/:

6#f *orse+: ,onya said/

60his way+ then/:

68ll tag along+: "ill ?eterson whispered to her/

68d appre*iate it+: she said+ smiling than.flly at him/ ,he hoped the rest of the staff was more

li.e "ill than li.e &enry/

0hey followed the red'*arpeted *orridor to the rear of the hose+ went throgh a white+ swinging

door and into the .it*hen+ whi*h was flly twenty'fi!e'feet on a side and eAipped with all the latest

gadgets and *on!enien*es/ ll the applian*es were new+ white and *hrome+ the pots and pans all

*opper'plated/ n the middle of the room+ at a hea!y+ bilt'in table that *ontained a doble sin.+ awoman &enry8s age was grating a blo*. of swiss *heese into a large por*elain bowl/

,he loo.ed p+ her *hbby fa*e slightly red+ her dar. eyes ali!e and yong+ pt down the blo*.

of *heese and said+ 6Bho ha!e we here:

6,onya Carter+: &enry said/ 60he woman who8ll be ta.ing *are of the *hildren/: &e loo.ed at

,onya and said+ 60his is &elga+ the *oo./:

6lad to meet yo+: ,onya said/

6,ame here+ same here+: &elga said/ ,he had stood p+ from her tall stool+ as if this were a for'

mal meeting+ and ,onya *old see that the *hbbiness etended beyond her fa*e/ ,he appeared to be

the sort of *oo. who *onstantly sampled her own preparations/

60here8s not a *oo. in the islands *ompares to &elga+: "ill ?eterson said/ 60han. od for the

sea and the boat and all the other things to do arond here/ f there weren8t a lot of ways to eer*ise+

we8d all be as stot as &elga herself/:

0he *oo. blshed prodly and sat down again+ pi*.ed p the *heese and loo.ed at ,onya nder

her eyebrows/ 6$othing really that spe*ial+: she said+ shyly/

6&elga8s also too modest for her own good+: ?eterson said/

,he blshed e!en more and retrned to grating her *heese/

t that moment+ the ba*. door opened+ and a small+ tidy woman in her mid'fifties *ame in from

otside+ brshing her small hands together more as if to satisfy herself that some *hore was

*ompleted than to a*tally *lean them/ ,he appeared to be the sort of woman who wold ne!er ha!e

to wash her hands+ simply be*ase she was also the type of woman who wold ne!er get them dirty

in the first pla*e/ &er hair was nearly all white+ drawn ba*. from arond her sharp fa*e and tied in abn at the ba*. of her head/ ,he wore no lipsti*. or ma.ep+ bt had a flawless *ompleion for a

woman her age/ ,he wore a simple+ light ble dress that !agely resembled a niform+ and she

mo!ed with a sprightliness that ,onya had often seen in *areer nrses who en3oyed their 3obs and

were li.e new girls in the hospital after e!en thirty years of ser!i*e/

6y wife+: &enry eplained to ,onya/ nd the girl thoght that+ for a moment+ some of the old

man8s !inegar seeped away+ as if this woman *old sweeten him merely by her presen*e/ 0o his

wife+ he said+ 6"ess+ this is ,onya Carter+ the .ids8 tea*her/:

"ess *rossed the .it*hen and too. ,onya8s hands+ loo.ed p at her li.e some *on*erned mother

assessing her son8s fian*e/ ,he grinned+ glan*ed past ,onya at "ill ?eterson+ then ba*. at the girl+

and she said+ 6Bell+ 8m sre "ill *oldn8t be more pleased/: 0here was a tone of mis*hief in her

!oi*e/ 6fter all+ ntil now+ he8s had to ta.e the boat to adelope and e!en farther to loo. at


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pretty girls/ &e8ll be sa!ing himself the trip+ now/:

,onya felt herself blshing+ as &elga had blshed earlier+ and she wished she had a blo*. of

*heese to grate+ something to hide herself in/

"t if "ess were mis*hie!os+ she was also *onsiderate+ and she relie!ed ,onya8s

embarrassment as easily as she had *ased it+ by as.ing Aestions abot the trip down from the,tates/ >or se!eral mintes+ they stood there in the .it*hen+ tal.ing+ as if they had .nown ea*h other

for years and were only *at*hing p on things after a short separation/ &enry *ontined to soften

noti*eably arond his wife+ and ,onya felt *ertain that the *enter of the Dogherty hosehold was

probably not r/ Dogherty or rs/ Dogherty or either of their *hildren-bt was "ess/

6Bell+: &enry said after a few mintes+ 6she oght to meet the others/ nd then 8d gess she

wants to freshen p and rest after that trip/:

65eroy8s otside+ pat*hing the *on*rete at the pa!ilion+: "ess said/ 6 was 3st tal.ing to him/:

&enry lead ,onya and ?eterson otside+ onto the mat of togh tropi*al grass that *o!ered the

lawn li.e a flawless *arpet+ too. them down a winding flagstone wal.way toward an open'air pa'

!ilion down near the easterly bea*h/ 0he bilding was perhaps forty feet long and twenty wide+ with

pi*ni* tables and ben*hes arranged arond its waist'high rail walls/ 0he roof was shingled tightlybt la*ed o!er with palm fronds to gi!e the illsion of primiti!e *onstr*tion+ and the final effe*t

was e*eedingly pleasant/

6rs/ Dogherty li.es to sit here in the morning+ when its *ool and when the inse*ts are not ot/

,he reads a lot+: &enry informed them/

5eroy ills+ the handyman who was wor.ing on the pa!ilion floor+ stood o!er his most re*ent

pie*e of pat*hwor.+ wat*hing their approa*h+ smiling n*ertainly/ &e appeared to be in his mid dle

thirties+ small and dar.+ with an oli!e *ompleion that indi*ated talian or ?erto @i*an blood/ &e

was thin+ bt with a stringy toghness that made it *lear he was not a wea. man at all/

&enry made the introd*tions in a *lipped fashion and finished with+ 65eroy li!ed in "oston for

a time/:

6@eally: ,onya as.ed/ 6 went to s*hool there/:

5eroy nodded/ 60oo *old in "oston+ for me/:

6e+ too+: she said/ 6Bhat part of "oston are yo from:

6 part don8t li.e to remember+: 5eroy said+ still smiling neasily/ 6 ha!en8t li!ed there for

Aite a while now/ was r/ Dogherty8s handyman in $ew =ersey+ before we mo!ed here/:

6o were a handyman8 in "oston+ too: she as.ed+ trying to ma.e some pleasant *on!ersation/

0hogh he seemed ni*e enogh+ 5eroy ills was not parti*larly easy to engage in *on!ersation/

6es+ there too/:

68m a fmble fingers myself+: she said/ 6 admire someone who *an fi things/:

6f yo need something repaired+ almost anything+ 3st *all for me+: he said/ &e loo.ed at the

wet *on*rete at his feet/ 6$ow+ if yo8ll e*se me+ 8!e got to get ba*. to wor./:0heir *on!ersation had been a most mndane one+ yet it st*. with ,onya all the way ba*. to

the hose/ ills had been so n*ommni*ati!e+ e!en thogh &enry+ by mentioning "oston+ had

pro!ided them with a simple ta.e'off point for an e*hange of greetings/ #f *orse+ ills might

only be shy+ as &elga so ob!iosly was/ nd+ when all was said and done+ did she really .now

anything more abot the others than she did abot the handyman &elga was too shy to say m*h/

"ill ?eterson was tal.ati!e and open bt had not said m*h abot himself4 li.ewise+ "ess/ nd

&enry+ of *orse+ had said little be*ase+ as ?eterson had eplained+ he was ha!ing a bad day/ et / /

/ ills8 n*ommni*ati!e natre seemed different-as if he were being prposeflly se*reti!e/ ,he

had as.ed where he li!ed in "oston4 he had a!oided saying/ ,he had as.ed what he did there4 he

had s.ipped that sb3e*t too/ ,he realized+ now+ that he had been *ompletely *ir*itos in his

responses+ as if she had been Aestioning him rather than ma.ing polite *on!ersation/


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t the hose again+ she shrgged off the in*ident/ ,he was bilding pro!erbial montains ot of

molehills-all be*ase of the story ?eterson had told her on the way o!er from Pointe-a-Pitre.

Child mobsters+ threatening telephone *alls+ poison pen letters+ madmen'on'the'loose-none of

these things made for pea*e of mind+ and all of them ser!ed to set the imagination wor.ing o!er'

time/n the front foyer again+ "ill ?eterson said+ 6Bell+ 8ll lea!e yo to yor rest for now and see yo

at dinner/ o8ll meet the Doghertys then+ too/:

60hey eat meals with s: she as.ed+ srprised/

?eterson laghed/ 6t8s a demo*rati* hosehold+ all the way/ =oe Dogherty is in no way a snob+

and he rns a li!ely dinner table/ 5eroy+ yo and will eat e!ening meals with the family4 the

.it*hen staff+ whi*h has to be *oo.ing and ser!ing+ will eat separately+ of *orse/:

6,ee yo at dinner+ then/:

,he followed &enry p the wide *entral stair*ase to the se*ond floor+ along that main *orridor to

the far end where her room lay at the sotheast *orner of the great hose/

0he *hamber was painted a restfl shade of beige+ with an inlaid tea. *eiling/ Dar. ble *arpet+

the *olor of *lean seawater+ ga!e deli*iosly beneath her feet/ 0he frnitre was all hand'*ar!ed red*edar+ as &enry eplained/ t was in a ?olynesian mode+ with god fa*es hewn into most of the open

srfa*es and with holy symbols-fish+ sns+ moons+ stars+ lea!es-*t in between the fa*es/ t was

all hea!y and ri*h+ not in the least bit feminine bt ,onya li.ed it/ ,he had ne!er really been one for

frills+ la*es and satins+ bt preferred things that were different, niAe/ nd this was *ertainly as

different as she *old ha!e as.ed for/ fll bath+ in dar. bles and greens+ lay off her main room

and in*lded shower and sn.en tb/ &er *loset was nearly as large as a whole bedroom itself/

6ay help yo npa*.: &enry as.ed+ after bringing the last of her bags/

6$o than.s+: she said/ 68ll feel more at home if set things p myself/:

6Dinner at eight o8*lo*.+ then+: &enry said/ 6o8ll find the family in the front dining room/:

6>ine+: she said/ 60han. yo+ &enry/:

&e nodded+ and he left withot ma.ing a sond+ *losing the hea!y wooden door as softly as a

professional brglar stealing away from the s*ene of his *rime/

,onya went first to the single window in her room+ a large+ many'paned sheet of glass that ga!e

!iew of the ba*. lawn+ the flagstone path+ most of the pa!ilion at the foot of the hill and+ beyond

that+ the white bea*h and the endless ble'green sea/ t was a beatifl !iew+ and she .new she

wold ma.e it her first stop e!ery morning when she got ot of bed+ a Ai*. glan*e at those mar!el'

os s.ies+ at the palms and sand and the brea.ers rolling relentlessly in toward shore/ t was all so

*lean+ so ali!e+ so free of death/ #r it seemed to be/

,he remembered the man who had threatened to .ill the Dogherty *hildren+ and she wondered /

/ /

$et+ she went to her dresser and eamined her refle*tion in the o!ersized o!al mirror/ &er long+yellow hair had already been blea*hed a shade or two lighter by the tropi* sn+ and it wold be

nearly pre white in a few wee.s/ &er fa*e was pale+ bt that *old be *hanged in a few days/ >or

the most part she loo.ed fine+ e*ept for the weariness of all her re*ent tra!els+ whi*h showed in an

ndefinable film+ a thin mas. of ehastion/

brptly+ she realized that she had been loo.ing at herself only to dis*o!er what .ind of a

pi*tre she had presented to "ill ?eterson+ and she blshed anew+ thogh there was no one to see

her this time/ ,he felt li.e a silly yong girl str*. by a 3!enile infatation+ rather than li.e a

matre yong woman+ and she loo.ed away from her refle*tion+ afraid that she wold a**identally

*at*h her own eyes+ meet her own gaze and end p laghing at herself/

nstead+ she stdied the frame of the large mirror+ whi*h was also of red *edar+ *ar!ed to form

two long slim alligators/ 0heir s*aly tails to*hed at the base of the mirror+ hiding the strdy bra*es


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that atta*hed the pie*e to the top of the dresser+ while their wide and toothy moths met snot'to'

snot at the top of the mirror/ t was a beatifl pie*e+ of e*ellent *raftsmanship-bt it was also

somewhat sinister/

,he trned away from the mirror altogether and opened her first sit*ase+ plled ot the

*areflly folded *lothes and began to fill p the hangers in the enormos wal.'in *loset/ ,he wasnearly half finished with her npa*.ing when the .no*. *ame at her door+ lod and rapid and

insistent/ ,he finished slipping a dress onto another hanger and pt that away in the *loset before

she went to see who .no*.ed/

Bhen she opened the door+ she stepped ba*. slightly+ s*.ing in her breath+ wondering whether

she oght to slam the door sht again/ 0he man on the other side was positi!ely mena*ing better

than si feet tall+ so broad at the sholders that- had he been wearing a 3a*.et instead of a light'

weight white shirt-she might ha!e thoght he was wearing padding/ &is *hest was hge+ stoma*h

flat+ arms li.e those of a serios'minded weight'lifter-all *orded with ms*le+ thi*. and sinewy/

&is fa*e was broad+ his featres *rde enogh to be the preliminary wor. of a s*lptor ha*.ing at a

new pie*e of granite/ &is eyes were intensely ble and wat*hfl+ his nose twisted and gristly from

ha!ing on*e been bro.en and badly repaired/ &is lips were thin+ almost *rel+ and were not now*rled into either a smile or a frown+ bt held tight and bloodless and straight+ as if he were 3st

barely able to hold down his fry/ ,he *old not imagine what he *old be frios with her for/

6iss Carter:

&is !oi*e was hard+ raspy+ and-if a !oi*e *old be des*ribed by more than sond-*old

enogh to *hill her/

6es:

&er own !oi*e sonded small+ wea. and miserable by *omparison+ and she wondered if he *old

sense her n*ertainty and her fear/

6y name8s @dolph ,aine/:

6?leased to meet yo+: she said+ thogh she was not parti*larly pleased at all/

&e said+ 68m the *hildrens8 bodygard/:

6 hadn8t heard they had one+: she said/

&e nodded/ 60hat8s nderstandable/ 0he other members of the staff don8t .now me that well yet+

and sin*e they8!e all been together for years+ sort of fade ot of their minds/ only *ame on with

r/ Dogherty when he had to mo!e down here/ nd most of my time is spent with the .ids+ away

from the others/:

6Bell+ r/ ,aine+: she said+ 6 imagine yo and will be seeing Aite a lot of ea*h other/: 0he

prospe*t didn8t please her+ bt she tried to smile for him/

6es+: he said/ &e loo.ed at her *areflly+ as if s*rtinizing a possibly dangeros inse*t+ appar'

ently de*ided she had no sting/ 68d li.e to tal. with yo abot the *hidrens8 safety-some Do8s and

Don8ts+ if yo want to *all them that/: &e had mo!ed his lips+ bt he had still a!oided smiling orfrowning+ almost as if those epressions were *ompletely beyond him/ ,onya fond him too sober

and serios to be at ease with/

68m 3st npa*.ing-: she began/

6 won8t ta.e long/:

6Bell-:

6 want to get some things straight+ between s+ right from the !ery start/:

,he hesitated a moment more+ then stepped ba*.+ holding the door+ and said+ 6Come in/:

@dolph ,aine sat in the largest of the two easy *hairs in the room and nearly filled it to

o!erflowing/ &e gripped the *edar arms in his hands+ as if he were afraid the thing might start to fly

at any moment-or as if he thoght he might ha!e to get p in a great rsh and lan*h himself at

some enemy or other/


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,onya *hose the edge of the mammoth ?olynesian bed and said+ 6$ow+ r/ ,aine+ what shold

.now:

&e said+ 6o mst ne!er ta.e the .ids anywhere withot *alling me first/ %!ery time yo

!entre away from the hose+ yo mst be *ertain that am with yo/:

6,onds simple enogh/:6%!en if yo8re only ta.ing them ot to the pa!ilion+: he elaborated+ 6 want to go along/:

68ll remember that/:

6 feel they8re safe within the hose itself+ dring the daylight hors anyway+ bt ne!er feel

*omfortable when they8re otside/:

6 *an nderstand that/:

6%!en when they8re in the hose+: ,aine went on+ 68m right there with them abot half the time

-or 8m within sight of them+ or within earshot if they shold *all for me/:

,onya spposed ,aine8s diligen*e was admirable+ bt she wished that he woldn8t go on abot it

so+ for it only ser!ed to remind her what "ill ?eterson had told her on the boat+ earlier/ ,he was

trying to thin. abot the !itality of the Caribbean+ the bright ftre she had+ the good times that

awaited her/ ,he did not want to fa*e the fa*t that death might ha!e followed her from the north intothis snny land/

,he said+ 6@est assred+ 8ll not ta.e them anywhere withot yo/:

&is thin lips seemed to grow e!en thinner/ &e said+ 6 sleep net to their room+ and sally re'

main awa.e ntil for in the morning+ for it8s between two and for that most people *hoose to

brea. into a hose/ sleep from for ntil ele!en+ and 8m p and ready for dty by noon/ 8d appre'

*iate it if yo *old limit yor e*rsions+ away from the hose+ to the afternoons or e!enings/:

6$o troble+: ,onya said/

60han. yo/:

6nything else: she as.ed+ getting p+ trying to imply by her mo!ement that she wasn8t

anios to hear anything else+ e!en if he were not finished/

6#ne thing/:

60hat is:

&e hesitated+ loo.ed away from her for the first time and+ then+ gaming resoltion from some

sor*e she *old not gess+ loo.ed ba*. again and said+ 6#**asionally+ iss Carter+ yo might

thin. that it isn8t ne*essary to *all for me-so long as another member of the staff is with yo and

the *hildren/ want yo to nderstand that no one else *an ta.e my pla*e in this respe*t/ o mst

always *all for me+ no matter who on the staff offers to a**ompany yo in my pla*e/ nd if+ for

some reason+ am not a!ailable-shold it be my day off+ or shold be on the mainland for some

other reason+ yo mst *an*el yor plans and remain with the *hildren in the hose/:

,he felt that *hill along her ba*.bone again+ li.e a fingernail of i*e sli*ing her flesh/

6Do yo nderstand: he as.ed/6es/:

6 wold appre*iate it if yo didn8t tell the rest of the staff what ha!e 3st told yo/:

Hietly+ her !oi*e nearly a whisper+ thogh she had not meant for it to be so low+ ,onya said+

60hen yo don8t trst them:

6$o/:

6$one of them:

6$one/:

60hen yo thin. that those threats might ha!e been made by someone within the hosehold:

,aine stood p with flid gra*e+ li.e an n*rling *at despite all his ms*les/ &e towered o!er

her+ and he loo.ed *apable of handling anyone who might try to harm the *hildren/

&e said+ 6?erhaps/:


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,he said+ 6s there anyone yo sspe*t espe*ially:

6%!eryone/:

6%!en me:

6o too/:

,he said+ 6"t didn8t e!en .now the Doghertys when they were ha!ing all this troble/:&e said nothing/

,he was determined to press the isse/ 6Bell &ow *an yo thin. might be the gilty one:

6 did not say *old show how all the sspe*ts *ame to be sspe*ts in my mind/ y personal

form of 3dgment does not operate a**ording to the normal standards of law+ iss Carter/ n my

personal+ pri!ate+ mental *ort+ e!eryone is gilty ntil pro!en inno*ent/:

6 see/:

&e went to the door+ opened it+ trned and loo.ed at her with those pier*ingly ble+ ble eyes/

6,in*e yo will be nearly as responsible for the *hildren as me+ iss Carter+ sggest that yo

adopt my own pessimism/ 0rst no one bt yorself/:

6$ot e!en yo:

6$ot e!en me+: he said/&e stepped into the *orridor+ *losed the door and wal.ed Aietly away+ the deep'pile *arpet

soa.ing p his footsteps/

,onya had lost her enthsiasm for npa*.ing/


20/131

0&@%%

0he front dining room was flly forty feet long and twenty wide+ *ontaining an enormos *hina

*loset+ the longest dining table that ,onya e!er had seen+ and a liberal sprin.ling of obets d'art-

paintings+ metal s*lptres+ glass and marble figrines in both eAisite miniatres and larger sizes+

elaborately hand'*ar!ed *andlesti*. holders in !arios dar. woods-whi*h somehow made the

pla*e seem *ozier and less formal than its heroi* dimensions might otherwise ha!e made it/ 0he

table was set with epensi!e wedgewood *hina and de*orated with fresh floral *enterpie*es-min'

iatre pompoms+ blood roses+ *hrysanthemms- all against a royal ble linen table*loth that ga!e

the pla*e settings a *ool+ relaed feeling/

%ight diners+ well'spa*ed from one another+ sat arond the large table+ for members of the staff

and for of the family/ "ill ?eterson+ @dolph ,aine+ 5eroy ills and ,onya sat along both sides ofthe table+ in *ompany with le and 0ina Dogherty+ the two *hildren/ =oe Dogherty and his wife+

&elen+ sat at opposite ends of the table+ for an effe*t+ ,onya thoght+ that was almost baronial+

despite the friendly atmosphere and all that was done to ma.e her feel at ease/

=oe Dogherty was a tall+ lan.y+ easy'going man+ with a deep !oi*e that wold ha!e made him a

natral for the !oi*e'o!er in almost any tele!ision *ommer*ial/ &e had sandy'red hair that was fll

o!er his ears and *rling at his *ollar+ a splash of fre*.les a*ross his nose and *hee.s/ &is smile had

made her feel wel*ome immediately/

0he fa*t that ,onya had ne!er e!en met her new employer before a**epting the position and

ma.ing arrangements for the 3orney to the Doghertys8 pri!ate island was the single thing that

5ynda ,palding+ her roommate+ had fond the most ir.some/ 6&ow *an yo go that far to wor. for

people yo8!e ne!er e!en seen+ ne!er e!en talked to on the telephone+ ne!er written to &ow in theworld do yo .now if yo8re going to li.e them o probably won't li.e them/ nd e!en if yo

find that yo *an endre them+ how do yo .now they won8t ta.e an immediate disli.e to yo

,ppose+ after a *ople of days+ they de*ide that yo8re 3st not right for them or for their .ids+ or

something+ and they let yo go ll that time yo8ll ha!e wasted+ all that money for airplane fares+

ship fares;:

?atiently+ trying not to show her anger+ ,onya had said+ 6r/ Dogherty8s paying all my tra!el

epenses/:

6es+ bt that wasted time if they-:

68m sre+ if for some strange reason+ we don8t hit it off well+ r/ Dogherty won8t Aibble abot

paying my retrn fares and gi!ing me a handsome *he*. for se!eren*e pay/ o .eep forgetting+

5ynda+ that he8s a millionaire/:6 still thin. this is a mista.e/:

f ,onya had wanted to be trthfl with the ,palding girl+ she wold ha!e had to agree that the

whole sitation was 3st a bit nsal/ &owe!er+ she .new that a single agreement+ on e!en a matter

that was basi*ally in*onseAential+ wold only gi!e 5ynda more *onfiden*e+ more fel to *arry on

her pessimisti* tirades+ her heated role as a dobting 0homas/ nd ,onya had had Aite enogh of

these one'sided *on!ersations+ for they showed her more abot 5ynda ,palding than she really

wanted to .now/ ,o she worried in pri!ate/

=oseph Dogherty was an almns+ one of the most distingished almni+ of ,onya8s own

ni!ersity/ @eglarly+ he donated rather large sms of money to the s*hool to help in the

*onstr*tion of this s*ien*e lab+ or that stdents8 longe+ or this s*lptre garden/ / / / $atrally+

when he reAired a ttor for his two *hildren+ he preferred to hire someone who was also a gradate


21/131

of his alma mater+ and he trned the sele*tion of that someone o!er to Dr/ Balter 0oomey+ the Dean

of ,tdent ?ersonnel and a personal end of the Dogherty family/

Bhen she had been *alled to Dean 0oomey8s offi*e+ at the end of gst-she had been a fll'

year stdent+ finishing for years of wor. in only three years+ and she had ths been *ompleting her

ed*ation in gst-she had not .nown what to epe*t-bt she had *ertainly ne!er anti*ipatedthat the *onferen*e in!ol!ed an offer of employment from a millionaire;

68!e ta.en the liberty+: Dr/ 0oomey eplained+ on*e he had gi!en her the general otline of the

3ob and her potential employers+ 6of sending r/ Dogherty yor re*ords from the ni!ersity/ &e

has seen them+ gi!en his final appro!al/ f yo want the 3ob+ it8s yors/:

6"t he8s ne!er e!en met me;: she8d said+ in*redlos/

6r/ Dogherty8s a !ery bsy man+: 0oomey had eplained/ 6&e doesn8t ha!e time to inter!iew

potential employees/ nd he trsts my 3dgment+ for we8!e been friends for a good many years

now/:

6"t with all the people yo *old ha!e *hosen+ why *hoose me: ,onya as.ed+ beginning to be

e*ited+ bt still wary/

6Come+ iss Carter+: Dean 0oomey said+ smiling gently+ 6yo8re being far too modest/:6$o+ really+ -:

6>or one thing+ yo8!e got the highest grade a!erage in yor field+ in yor gradating *lass/ >or

another+ dring yor three years here+ yo8!e been *onstantly in!ol!ed in etra'*rri*lar a*ti!ities

drama *lb+ the *amps pea*e mo!ement+ the yearboo. staff+ the newspaper / / / o8re .nown as a

doer+ someone who a**omplishes things+ and yo8re also .nown as an optimisti*+ immensely

pleasant yong woman/:

,onya was flshed bright red+ and she did not ma.e any *omments/

6>rthermore+: 0oomey said+ 6o8!e got a degree in nrsing+ an e*ellent spare talent for a

go!ernness and ttor who will be spending m*h time with a*ti!e yong *hildren/:

,he had seen the logi* of that+ bt still she worried abot meeting her employers/ ,he needn8t

ha!e worried+ for they were Aite personable people+ the Doghertys/

$ow+ on Distingue, the roast had been ser!ed+ *omplete with si different !egetables+ all rather

eoti*+ and =oe Dogherty was Aestioning her abot her trip from "oston+ pn*tating her remar.s

with amsing ane*dotes abot his own eperien*es with airlines-lost baggage+ a martini that was

a**identally made *ompletely with !ermoth and no gin/

&elen Dogherty was more Aiet than her hsband+ thogh she was in no way aloof or snobbish/

,he was an e*eptionally lo!ely woman+ with high+ aristo*rati* *hee.bones+ a pert nose+ thin bt

somehow friendly lips+ a ri*h fall of abrn hair framing her deli*ate fa*e/ ,he was a slim woman+

one *learly born to position4 she mo!ed with a flid gra*e+ whether wal.ing to the table or merely

salting her potatoes+ that mst ha!e *ome+ in part at least+ from ha!ing been raised in the !ery best

pri!ate s*hools where a third of the *lassroom hors were spent in the establishment of goodmanners and habits of gra*ios elegan*e/

0he *hildren-nine'year'old le and se!en'year'old 0ina-sat side'by'side near their mother8s

end of the table+ on *shion'raised *hairs+ both dar.'haired+ dar.'eyed and beatifl/ 0hey were

dressed pretty m*h ali.e in simple+ ser!i*eable 3eans and lightweight tee'shirts+ *lean bt *ertainly

not formal/ #**asionally giggling+ offering their own obser!ations+ bt mostly Aiet+ they *omple'

mented the air of *asal formality-if there *old be s*h a thing+ a mitre of easiness and dis'

tan*e/ ?erhaps the distan*e+ the lingering note of formality was all in ,onya8s own mind4 after all+

she had ne!er been this *lose to a millionaire and his family+ and she *old not bring herself to thin.

of them as 3st a!erage fol.s/

6 hope "ill didn8t s*are yo too badly on the way o!er from Pointe-a-Pitre, =oe Dogherty

said/ 6,ometimes+ he thin.s theLady Jane is a ra*ing boat+ and he pts her throgh her pa*es/:


22/131

6t .eeps the engines in good *ondition to open her p now and again+: "ill said/ 6o8re 3st

too land'bond to appre*iate a good fast *abin *riser/:

=oe Dogherty grinned+ win.ed at ,onya/ 6 don8t thin. it8s my landlbber leanings that trn me

against speed boating/ $o+ instead+ thin. it8s 3st a *ombination of good *ommon sense and-:

6"ad digestion: "ill ?eterson sggested+ good'natredly/6$o+: Dogherty *h*.led/ 6ood *ommon sense and-a good strong fear;:

&elen laghed/ 60hat sms it p for me+ too/:

Cat*hing the spirit of nderlying hmor that eisted between the Doghertys and their help+

,onya said+ 6Bell+ he *ame ot here at top speed from adelope+ bt didn8t mind at all/:

6o see;: ?eterson *ried+ trimphant/

6 3st stood there by the wheel+ at the safety railing+ and didn8t faint on*e/ f yo don8t belie!e

me+ yo *an go loo. at the railing-and yo8ll see where my fingers bent it/:

6"etrayed+: ?eterson said gloomily/

6Did "ill ta.e yo on a tor arond the island+ before do*.ing: &elen as.ed/

6$o+: ,onya said/ 6 was anios to get here+ get to wor./:

60omorrow+ then+: &elen said/6y pleasre+: "ill said/

6 still *an8t get sed to the fa*t yo own a whole island+: ,onya said+ sha.ing her head/

>or the first time+ =oe Dogherty8s fa*e *loded+ and he loo.ed less than perfe*tly happy/ 6Be

don8t+ ea*tly+: he said/

6"t thoght-: she began/

6Be own most of it+: &elen eplained/ 6"t the "lenwell family has the *o!e at the far end of

Distingue, and they own the &aw. &ose whi*h o!erloo.s the *o!e/:

6 offered them an e*ellent pri*e+: Dogherty eplained/ 6>ar too e*ellent for people their age

to trn down/: &e laid down his for.+ wiped his moth with a ble linen nap.in/ 65ydia and Balter

"lenwell are in their se!enties+ far too old to li!e half an hor from the nearest amblan*e ser!i*e

and an hor or more from the nearest hospital/ 0heir *hildren li!e in =amai*a+ and p arond iami+

bt they steadfastly refse to lea!e &aw. &ose/:

6nd that8s the falt of Ken "lenwell+: "ill ?eterson said/ &e sonded as if he did not m*h li.e

Ken "lenwell/

6o8re right+ of *orse+: Dogherty said/ &e eplained 65ydia and Balter ha!e raised one of

their grand*hildren sin*e he was two years old/ 0he boy8s father was .illed at the otbrea. of the

Korean war+ and his mother+ not a "lenwell girl+ ne!er was !ery stable/ ,he had to be instittional'

ized when the *hild was two+ and she died at her own hand while in the-the home/:

adhouse, ,onya thoght/ ,he didn8t .now why Dogherty8s ephemism+ when spea.ing abot

a neighbor+ was so frightening/

6nd her son+ he8s in his mid'twenties by now+ Balter and 5ydia8s grand*hild+ has ta.en it in hishead to own &aw. &ose when they8re gone/ &e persades them to hold ot/ &ell+ he e!en per'

saded old Balter to *ome to me and try to by ot or three'Aarters of Distingue. ,eems Kenneth

wants to own the whole shebang some day/:

6Be don8t intend to sell+ of *orse+: &elen Dogherty said/

6#f *orse+: her hsband agreed/

,he said+ 6Be lo!e this hose-its old name was ,eawat*h+ whi*h is rather fitting when yo

*onsider it *ommands a !iew of the sea from three of its for sides-and we lo!e the island too/ t8s

s*h a Aiet pla*e+ so beatifl and *lean and fresh/ t8s li.e a mon.8s retreat+ in a way+ a pla*e to es'

*ape from-from the e!eryday *ares that plage the rest of the world/:

"t ,onya saw+ as the woman hesitated in the middle of her last senten*e+ that &elen Dogherty

did not *onsider ,eawat*h an es*ape from ordinary day'to'day *ares / / / $o+ more li.ely+ this


23/131

lo!ely+ wealthy woman saw it as an es*ape from the madman who had threatened the li!es of her

*hildren/ %!en as she spo.e+ she trned her head e!er'so'slightly to loo. pon her two *hildren+ as

if she wished to be *ertain that they were still beside her+ still *lose at hand+ still safe and not

snat*hed p and *arted away while her attention had been elsewhere/

,onya loo.ed at "ill ?eterson to see if he had noti*ed &elen8s in!olntary moment of fear/&e had/

&e win.ed at ,onya+ smiled+ as if he were trying to restore the mood of good'hmored ribbing

whi*h had dominated at the table ntil only a few moments ago/

,he did not win. ba*./

,he loo.ed at 5eroy ills+ his eyes on his plate+ Aiet and withdrawn+ shy-or giltily a!oiding

&elen Dogherty/ Bhi*h was it

,onya loo.ed away from 5eroy ills+ feeling *hilled and m*h too helpless in the fa*e of s*h

brooding e!il that she sensed all abot her+ and she loo.ed a*ross the table at the bodygard+ @'

dolph ,aine+ whom she was startled to see staring ba*. at her/ ,he blin.ed in *onfsion+ bt he did

not/ &e stared nwa!eringly+ nblin.ingly+ his broad forehead slightly frrowed as if he were

*on*entrating on some pzzle or other+ his intensely ble eyes+ li.e *hips of wet+ bright glassfloating in water+ lo*.ed on her own eyes+ held/

,he smiled at him+ e!en thogh her smile did not *ome natrally or e!en easily/

&e did not smile ba*./

,he loo.ed away from him+ flstered+ bt fond herself snea.ing another glan*e in his dire*tion

to as*ertain whether or not he was still so terribly interested in her/

&e was/

&e had not loo.ed away/

,he trned Ai*.ly toward &elen Dogherty+ then loo.ed at the woman8s hsband+ hoping

someone wold say something+ anything+ to brea. this sdden+ inepli*able+ male!olent spell whi*h

had des*ended on the entire *ompany li.e the tension in the air 3st before a ma3or smmer thn'

derstorm/

60hen+: =oe Dogherty said+ li.e a hea!en'sent breath of fresh air+ 6tomorrow yo8ll rela+ tor

the island+ get a little sn+ refresh yorself/ Bednesday8s soon enogh to begin the .ids8 lessons/:

,onya loo.ed at the *hildren+ and fond them loo.ing shyly at her+ loo.ing p nder the eye'

brows+ heads tilted+ tentati!e smiles on their small+ *herbi* fa*es/ s all *hildren did when fa*ed

with a new tea*her+ they wold be wondering what she was li.e+ whether she wold be stern or

friendly+ whether she wold li.e them or be indifferent/

6Bell+: she said to Dogherty/ 6 really had wanted to get started as soon as possible+ sir/:

6y name8s =oe+: he *orre*ted her+ ami*ably enogh/ 6Be go by first names arond here/ y

father and mother were stffy+ position'*ons*ios nou"eau ri#he, and won8t rn a hose where e!'

eryone goes arond in star*hed *ollars/:6=oe+ then+: she said+ smiling/ 68!e stdied the reAisites listed by the island go!ernment/ 8!e

seen the tests-or samples of them-the *hildren will ha!e to pass net spring in order to be

offi*ially raised in grade le!el/ 8m really !ery anios to begin/:

&e wa!ed her into silen*e+ not imperiosly+ bt good'hmoredly/ 60hese s*amps ha!e had an

etended !a*ation+ and it8s time they were made to wor./:

6hhh+: both .ids said+ in nison/

6Hiet in the peant gallery+: Dogherty said/ 0o ,onya+ he said+ 6&owe!er+ one etra day of

freedom will not set them ba*. any frther than they already are+ and 8m absoltely insistent that

yo settle into the rotine here onDistingue in a manner befitting the traditional leisrely ways of

the tropi*s/:

&appily+ ,onya said+ 6Bhate!er yo say+ =oe/:


24/131

0he *hildren *heered her/

6$atral'born goldbri*.ers+: Dogherty said+ affe*tionately/

,onya loo.ed p at ,aine again+ fond that he was still s*rtinizing her+ wat*hing her rea*tions

to e!erything that went on at the dinner table+ and+ in some mysterios way+ forming an opinion of

her+ ma.ing 3dgments+ de*iding 3st how far she *old be trsted/,he felt as if she were on trial+ and she realized that+ in ,aine8s mind+ she was/ ,he remembered

what he8d said abot not trsting anyone at all+ and she retrned his stare this time+ e!alating him

in the same way that he was smming her p/ n a moment+ he realized that the tables had trned

and that she was 3dging him/ &e smiled at her and retrned to his e*ellent food/


25/131

>#F@

fter spper+ le and 0ina+ at their father8s sggestion+ too. ,onya on a tor of ,eawat*h+ be'

ginning with the rest of the grond floor/ ,he learned that+ be*ase the sea lay so near beneath the

srfa*e of the island+ the hose had no basement4 s*h a sbterranean *hamber wold ha!e always

been filled with bra*.ish salt water/ Fnwillingly+ ,onya thoght of 5ynda ,palding8s many

warnings abot the power of the sea dring a hrri*ane / / /

,he had already seen the front dining room where they had 3st eaten+ and the ltra'modern

.it*hen where+ earlier+ &elga had been so determinedly grating that blo*. of *heese/ "t there was

more+ m*h more+ still to see/

*ross from the front dining room was a *ombination longe and drawing room+ with hea!y oa.

frnitre in a ,panish motif+ the biAitos red *arpet+ bla*. !el!et drapes+ a *ool and *alminggloom that warm+ indire*t lighting only partially dispelled/

6Bhen we ha!e gests+: le said+ ta.ing his role as gide Aite seriosly+ 6they sally *ome

in here/:

0ina+ his sister+ who was on the far side of le+ peered arond him and loo.ed shyly at ,onya/

6o8re not 3st a gest+ are yo:

6$o+: ,onya said/

6,he8s or new tea*her+: le eplained+ patiently/

6ood+: 0ina said/ ,he shoo. her head positi!ely+ her dar. hair bon*ing/ 6 thin. 8ll li.e yo/:

,onya *h*.led/ 6Bell+ 0ina+ 8ll do my best to ma.e yo absoltely sre of that/:

0hey went from the drawing room into the hobby room+ where there were wor.ben*hes littered

with all manner of *ameras+ *amera parts+ pro3e*tors+ tools+ s*raps of film and of white leader tape+editing eAipment and sta*.s of film *ans/

6Dad8s hobby is mo!ies+: le eplained/

0ina giggled/ 6&e ma.es some fnny ones/:

6nd mom8s a-still-photographer+: he said+ pronon*ing ea*h syllable of the last word with

the tmost *are+ as if he were reading it from a prepared inde *ard/ &e pointed to a door at the far

end of the room and said+ 60hat8s the dar.room+ where they de!elop the film/ t really is awfl dar.

-e*ept for these prple lights they ha!e/:

6Be8re not allowed in there+: 0ina said+ solemnly/

6o shold .now+: her brother said/

,he sighed/ 0o ,onya+ she said+ 6 went in on*e/ got span.ed/:

6Dad had a reel of film on the drying ra*.s/ t was spoiled+: the boy eplained/ 60hat8s the firstand last span.ing we e!er got/:

6"t we8re allowed ot here+: 0ina said+ pointing to a table flan.ed by two high stools/ 6le

ma.es his airplane models there+ and pt my pzzles together/:

$et+ they *ame into a small dining room+ less than half the size of the one in whi*h they had

earlier ta.en their spper4 here for or fi!e people *old dine *omfortably+ a !ery *ozy noo. not

meant to hold large dinner parties/ ost li.ely+ this was the brea.fast and ln*h room+ for meals

that might be eaten by two or three members of the hosehold+ at all different hors/

0he grond floor also *ontained a game room+ with a reglation size pool table+ a ping pong

table+ *olor tele!ision set+ shel!es of games and a lot of *omfortable+ beaten p old bla*. !inyl arm

*hairs/ Conne*ting with the game room was a library flly as large as the drawing room or the front

dining room+ all for walls bilt p with shel!es from floor to *eiling and at least ten or fifteen


26/131

thosand !olmes shel!ed neatly arond s*attered pie*es of s*lptre/ 0heroom also *ontained a

large+ dar. pine des. and a mat*hing *aptain8s *hair+ se!eral hea!ily'padded easy *hairs arranged

beside tall+ hea!y'loo.ing ltra'modern steel floor lamps/

#n the se*ond floor+ the stairwell di!ided the li!ing spa*e into two distin*t *lsters of rooms+ in

two long hallways/ 0he family8s bedrooms were to the left+ the staff8s to the right (e*ept for ,aine8sbedroom+ whi*h was in the family se*tion)/

0hey went p to the third floor+ whi*h was only half'sized+ dire*tly abo!e the family8s portion of

the se*ond le!el/

60his is father8s stdy+: le said/

6Be *an *ome p here+: 0ina eplained/ 6"t only when it8s absoltely ne*essary/: s le had

stmbled o!er the word 6photographer+: the little girl spo.e her pie*e as if Aoting her father/

=oe Dogherty8s stdy was *ertainly an impressi!e room as large as the drawing room down'

stairs+ airy and yet homey+ well'frnished+ *ontaining yet another two thosand boo.s of all types+

with a beamed *eiling and two long windows toward the front of the hose+ whi*h loo.ed ot on

palm trees+ white bea*h+ and the sea that *rled toward the land with *ontless+ white'edged tonges

of water/ #ne had the feeling that great de*isions had been made within the walls of this room+ thatenormos finan*ial isses were *onsidered and *areflly dealt with/ t the gadget'stdded des.+

Dogherty had added and sbtra*ted figres that ,onya .new she wold find meaningless be*ase

of their enormity/ t these windows+ perhaps+ he had stared at other #*ean+ gaining serenity and

perspe*ti!e with whi*h to o!er*ome his .nottier problems/

nd now as she and the *hildren stood by those same windows+ wat*hing the sea whi*h glittered

madly with refle*ted moonlight+ ,onya felt more at pea*e than she had for Aite a long time/ &er

parents had been dead for many years/ nd+ already+ it seemed that her grandmother had been dead

for as long+ for years instead of months/ nd what "ill ?eterson and @dolph ,aine had told her

abot the madman who8d threatened the Dogherty *hildren-all of that was li.e something she had

on*e read in a story+ not li.e something she had eperien*ed+ something that *old be real/ 0he

solidity of ,eawat*h made her feel as if she were in a fortress+ sealed away from harm+ in a great

bbble of safety passing throgh the riotos flow of time withot sffering any damage/

le destroyed that mood in a moment/

6re yo worried: he as.ed/

,onya did not loo. away from the sea/

,he said+ 6Bhy shold be worried:

6&e won8t hrt yo/:

,he loo.ed at le/

&is eyes were !ery dar.+ almost too dar. to see in the meager light of the des. lamp that was

*lear a*ross the room/

,he said+ 6Bho won8t:&e s*ffed his small feet on the *arpet+ and he loo.ed away from her as if he were embarrassed/

&e loo.ed ba*. at the rolling sea+ and he said+ 60he man/:

6an:

6es/:

6Bhat man:

0ina said+ 6o .now/ 0he man he says is going to .ill s+ me and le/:

6Bho says that:

0ina said+ 60he man/ &e says it himself/:

6$o one is going to .ill yo+: ,onya said+ firmly+ softly/ "t she didn8t really .now how she

*old be so sre of that/

0he pea*eflness of the night+ the sea and the palms had swiftly disappeared+ to be repla*ed by a


27/131

brooding male!olen*e+ li.e a large 3ngle *at waiting to spring on its prey/

6&e promised that he wold+: le said/

6Bell-:

6&e promised+ se!eral times+ that he8d get the both of s+ me and 0ina/: Criosly enogh+ the

boy did not sond frightened so m*h as intriged by the possibility of death/ ,he .new that yong*hildren were not as frightened by s*h things as adlts+ and that they e!en en3oyed !i*arios !io'

len*e in a way adlts had lost the taste for (witness their lo!e of gory fairy tales+ of %dgar llan ?oe

and similar ma*abre literatre)/ "t this seemed *ooly sinister+ this *asal a**eptan*e of their own

mortality/

6Bho told yo abot this: ,onya as.ed/ ,he had imagined that the worst of the sitation had+

!ery properly+ been hidden from the *hildren/

6$o one parti*lar+: le said/

6Be 3st listened arond+: 0ina piped p/

6Be heard things+: le said/

6Bhen no one .new we were listening+: 0ina added/ ,he sonded Aite pleased with their

stealth+6o shold both be pri!ate dete*ti!es-or spies+: ,onya told them+ trying to lighten the mood

again/

6nyway+: le said+ 6don8t worry abot him/ &e8s not interested in yo+ 3st in s/:

6Bell+ yo8re 3st as safe as am+: ,onya said/ 6r/ ,aine sees to that/:

6&e goes with s e!erywhere+: 0ina said/

6%a*tly/:

le shrgged/ 6@dolph *an8t do m*h if the man is really after s/ f he really wants s+ bad+

what *an @dolph do:

6 belie!e r/ ,aine *old handle anyone+: ,onya said/ 6nyone at all/: ,he smiled at them and

hoped her smile did not appear as phony as it really was/


28/131

>E%

0he man stood nder the la*y palm trees+ down near the that*h'roofed pa!ilion where &elen

Dogherty li.ed to go e!ery morning to sit and read while the sea mrmred gently behind her/ &e

was dressed in dar. *lothes+ and he was all bt in!isible in the deep prple shadows of the trees+

li.e a spirit+ a spe*ter/ 0he moonlight to*hed the lawn+ to*hed the top of the palm fronds abo!e

him+ bt did not to*h him+ as if it were afraid of him+ as if it were prposeflly a!oiding *onta*t

with him/

&e wat*hed the hose/

%spe*ially the *hildren8s windows/

5ight shone there/

&e hoped to get a glimpse of them *rossing the room+ a Ai*. flash of a small shadow / / / &efelt powerfl+ good and deadly when he wat*hed them withot their .nowledge/ ,*h *landestine

obser!ation made him feel that he really was in!isible+ that he *old mo!e against them whene!er

he felt li.e it/

,ome night+ not now bt soon+ when the room was dar. and the .ids were asleep+ when ,aine

was espe*ially la+ when e!eryone had all bt forgotten abot the threats / / /

/ / / then he wold stri.e;

&e wold be Ai*./

&e wold be *alm/

nd silent/

Hi*.+ *alm+ silent+ deadly/

&e wold ha!e to forget abot tortring them+ of *orse+ thogh that had been s*h an importantpart of his original plan+ before this+ before the family had mo!ed here to the island/ $ow+ in s*h

*lose Aarters+ the *hildren wold be able to smmon help rather Ai*.ly/ f he tortred them+ they8d

s*ream and s*ream and s*ream / / / nd they8d be heard+ and he8d be apprehended before he *old

es*ape/

,aine was not that la+ e!er/

#ne swift+ *lean *t+ from ear to ear+ opening their tender yong throats li.e ripe frits/

&e wold .ill the boy first+ withot wa.ing the little girl/ 0hen he wold *reep+ silently as wind+

to her bed+ where he wold open her throat as he had her brother8s+ swiftly+ *almly+ Aietly/ 0hen+

when there was absoltely no danger of their *rying ot for help+ he wold leisrely wor. on them

with the .nife / / /

$ow+ wat*hing their lighted room+ standing by the palms near the pa!ilion+ the man too. the.nife from his po*.et and opened it/

&e held it in front of him+ so that moonlight str*. his hand and glinted wi*.edly on the se!en'

in*h blade/

t was Aite sharp/

&e spent a good deal of time honing it/

&e ran a finger along the blade/

5o!ely/

t wold do the 3ob/

Bhen the time *ame/

,oon/


29/131

,I

60here it is-&aw. &ose;:

"ill ?eterson shoted o!er the roar of the Lady Jane's engines+ pointing with one hand while+

with the other+ he broght them rapidly arond the point ofDistingue, ot of the *almer waters in

the lee of the land and into the *hoppy wa!elets that ponded in toward the sheltered *o!e and were

bro.en p on the hoo.ing arms of bea*h/

,onya shielded her eyes from the glaring afternoon sn and stared at the old+ dar. hose that

loomed+ almost mena*ingly+ on the hill abo!e the *o!e/ ts windows were li.e bla*.+ blinded eyes+

its por*hes and bal*onies li.e nhealthy growths sproting from its weathered walls/ t was m*h

li.e ,eawat*h+ really4 bt where ,eawat*h loo.ed wel*oming and warm+ &aw. &ose seemed fore'

boding and *old/?eterson *t the engines ba*.+ bringing a *omparati!e Aietde to the open waters/

&e said+ 6r/ Dogherty wold li.e to own it/ &e8d remodel it and se it as a gest hose-

maybe as a retreat for friends and bsiness asso*iates/:

6re we going in to shore: ,onya as.ed/

6Bhat for:

&e seemed srprised that she had as.ed/

,he said+ 6 thoght we *old meet the neighbors/:

&is epression *hanged+ in the instant+ *loded+ his eyes narrowing to slits+ and he said+ 6o

woldn8t want to meet them/:

6re they really so bad as all that:

60hey8d gi!e yo a re*eption abot as *old and rde as yo8d be able to sr!i!e/ *on!ersationwith the "lenwells always lea!es me with i*i*les hanging from my earlobes and the end of my

nose/:

,onya laghed/

6@eally+: he said+ still somewhat serios/ 60he Doghertys and their people are not parti*larly

wel*ome at &aw. &ose/:

s they rea*hed the entran*e to the narrow *o!e and mo!ed a*ross its moth+ ,onya spotted a

tall+ !ery deeply tanned+ dar.'haired yong man+ perhaps ?eterson8s age+ standing on a small pier at

the throat of the *o!e+ wearing white sla*.s and a white tee'shirt/ &e appeared to be there for no

other prpose than to wat*h them as they ronded the tip of the island/

6Bho8s that: she as.ed/

6Bhere:,he pointed/

,he thoght ?eterson stiffened when he *aght sight of the dar. figre who stood so motionless+

bt she *old not be sre/

6t8s Kenneth "lenwell+: he said/

60he grandson:

6es/:

t that moment+ almost as if he had been listening to their *on!ersation despite the two hndred

yards of open water that separated them+ and despite the persistent growl of Lady Jane's engines+

Kenneth "lenwell *asally raised a pair of dar.+ hea!y bino*lars+ to get a better loo. at them/

0he sn glinted off the bino*lar lenses/

,onya+ embarrassed+ loo.ed swiftly away/


30/131

6"astard+: ?eterson snapped+ with feeling+ as if he thoght "lenwell #ould hear/

6*tally+: ,onya said+ 6we8re the ones who8re snooping/ sppose he has a perfe*tly legal right

to *ome ot on the pier and *he*. s ot/:

6&e already .nows who we are+: ?eterson said/

6&e doesn8t .now me/:60hen he does now/:

?eterson a**elerated+ broght the small*abin *riser p toward its top speed+ ar*hing slightly

ot toward the more open water+ bt hemmed in by sandbars+ he was nable to pll *ompletely

away as he might ha!e li.ed to/

s they rea*hed the far arm of white'white bea*h that formed half the little *o!e+ as land rose

p+ and palm trees+ to *on*eal them from "lenwell+ ,onya stole one Ai*.+ last loo. ba*.ward at

their mysterios neighbor/

&e appeared+ from a distan*e+ to ha!e the glasses trained dire*tly on ,onya8s eyes/ s a reslt+

she felt as if they were only in*hes apart+ as if they were on the pier together/ 0heir eyes had lo*.ed

in some inepli*able+ hypnoti* gaze+ and they *old not brea. free of ea*h other/

rising hillo*.+ and the thi*.ening stand of pines+ *t ,onya off from Kenneth "lenwell8ssteady gaze+ and she snapped awa.e li.e a girl *oming ot of a nap+ startled and ill'at'ease+ won'

dering what had *ome o!er her/

6Basn8t it his mother+: she as.ed ?eterson+ 6who was sent away to the-madhose:

6es/ nd if yo as. me+ thin. the madness was passed on from the mother to the son/:

6Bhy do yo say that:

?eterson frowned+ loo.ing at the *hoppy ble sea on the windward side of Distingue,bt it was

not the slightly angry waters whi*h had generated the frown/ &e said+ 6t8s hard to pin down/ "t if

yo e!er meet him+ yo8ll nderstand why said that/ &e8s-*old+ withdrawn+ !ery sober/ &e gi!es

yo the feeling- don8t .now how-that he8s only the form of a man+ that inside he8s *ompletely

hollow/:

6 see/:

,he trned to the lo!ely s*enery and didn8t as. any more Aestions/ ,he didn8t want to ha!e to

listen to any more answers/

5ater that afternoon+ when they went swimming off the point from ,eawat*h+ se!eral hndred

yards ot in the Caribbean+ sing the Lady Jane as their base+ ,onya eperien*ed the etremes of

rea*tion to her new *ir*mstan*e optimisti* en3oyment-and fearfl anti*ipation of disaster/

0he 3oy *ame from the simple a*t of floating and frolli*.ing on the brilliantly ble'green waters

of the Caribbean+ the sn beating down hot and steady+ the s.y high and wide and nbelie!ably

ble+ glls *ir*ling high o!erhead li.e monitors of their pleasre/ ?eterson had broght the Lady

Jane throgh the wide moth of a sbmerged *oral reef shaped li.e a semi*ir*le with its open fa*etowards shore/ 0his natral *res*ent formed a brea.water that *t the roiling wa!es and left only a

gentle in and ot swell that ,onya ga!e herself o!er to/ ,he lay on her ba*.+ gently mo!ing her

hands to .eep herself afloat+ sin.ing and rising+ bobbing at the di*tates of the gentle sea/ "ill floated

beside her+ bronze already bt growing e!en more tan+ an etremely handsome man+ !ery gay and

!ery !ital+ the perfe*t sort of man to be with on a day li.e this in a pla*e s*h as this/

0hen *ame the fear/

,omething brshed ,onya8s feet+ startling her into a sdden+ lod yelp+ so that she san.+

thrashed+ gained the srfa*e again/

6Bhat8s the matter: ?eterson as.ed/

6 fish+ gess+: she said/ 6t to*hed me+ and wasn8t epe*ting anything li.e that/: ,he

laghed+ bt stopped laghing when she saw that the in*ident did not amse him at all/


31/131

&e was staring intently at the water arond them+ as if he *old see down throgh the glaring

srfa*e/

6,har.s;: he snapped/

6Bhat:

"t she had heard/,he had heard too *learly/

6,wim for the boat+: he ad!ised/ 6a.e as m*h noise as yo *an/ >orget abot being a good

swimmer4 3st thrash the water to a boil/ $oise s*ares them off/:

n a minte or so+ they were both standing on the de*. of the Lady Jane, dripping saltwater on

the polished boards+ safe/

6 always thoght the reef formed a barrier against them+: ?eterson said4 wiping his fa*e with a

towel/ 6"t they mst ha!e *ome in from the landward side+ throgh the open end/:

,onya was shi!ering so badly that her teeth *hattered together li.e *lamshells/ 6Bold they

ha!e hrt s:

60hey might ha!e/:

6re they still there:&e pointed/

6 don8t see-:

nd then she did see the hard+ bla*. fin+ thrsting ot of the water li.e a .nife+ *ir*ling+ mo!ing

rapidly+ now lost in the glare+ now !isible again/

6&ow many: she as.ed/

6 saw two+: he said/

s she wat*hed the shar. *ir*le and *ir*le+ as if waiting for them to *ome ba*. into the water+

her 3oy e!aporated altogether/ t seemed+ to her+ that the shar. was a portent of things to *ome+ a

sign to beware-to be *atios/

0he sea no longer appeared to be as beatifl as it was only mintes ago / / /

0he s.y was far too bright/

0he sn+ instead of warming and tanning her+ seemed fier*ely+ nmer*iflly hot and she

realized+ belatedly+ that she might as easily brn as tan/

65et8s go in+: she said/

&e started the engines/

Dinner was e!en better Bednesday e!ening than it had been the e!ening before lobster tails

with sweet btter+ s*alloped potatoes+ pepper slaw+ se!eral !egetables+ fresh strawberries and *ream

for dessert/ Con!ersation at the table remained li!ely-a*tally+ now that e!eryone had grown a*'

*stomed to the new addition to the table+ it was li!elier than it had been the night before/

Fnfortnately none of it *old erase ,onya8s feeling of impending disaster/

,he retired to her room at nine'thirty+ *losed and lo*.ed her door+ and made ready for bed/ twas too early for sleep+ and her ner!es were too m*h on edge to permit her to trn ot the lights

3st yet/ ,he had broght se!eral paperba*. no!els with her+ and she propped herself p on pillows+

in the *enter of the ?olynesian bed+ and she began the best of the lot+ trying to get *aght p in the

story/

0wo hors later+ when she had read slightly more than half of the boo.+ she felt sleep steal in

behind her eyes and begin to tg insistently at her hea!y lids m*h li.e a *hild might tg at his

mother8s s.irts/

,he got ot of bed and trned off the lights+ stood for a moment in the *ool dar.ness+ listening

for something bt not .nowing what/

"efore getting nder the *o!ers+ she went to the window and loo.ed ot at the night sea and the

swaying palms / / / s before+ she was ta.en by the beaty of the s*ene+ and she might ha!e stood


32/131

there admiring it for a long while+ might ha!e seen nothing at all ot of the ordinary if the man

standing beneath the palms+ some distan*e from the hose+ had not *hosen that moment to stret*h

his legs/ &e leaned away from the bole of one of the largest palms and stepped ba*. and forth a few

times+ on a short path+ before ta.ing p his !igil again/

@dolph ,aine&e did not seem big enogh to be the bodygard+ thogh he was not a small man/ #r she didn8t

thin. he was/ n the deeps of the shadows+ howe!er+ little abot him was re*ognizable/

,he stood there+ for long mintes+ waiting for him to re!eal himself on*e more/ ,he was *onfi'

dent that he wold not see her+ for the room was dar. behind her/ 0hen+ with a start+ he stepped

from the tree and seemed to gaze p at her+ thogh his fa*e was in shadows+ and she *old only sp'

pose it was she who had attra*ted his sdden interest/ ,he realized that+ in the light of the large

moon+ her white pa3amas mst ha!e shown p li.e a signal flag/

0he stranger-if he was a stranger-trned away from her and abrptly wal.ed off into the

sentinel pines/

n an instant+ he was lost to sight/

,he stepped ba*. from her window+ as if what she had seen was part of an illsion and that+ ifshe trned away from the s*reen on whi*h it had been played-her window-it wold *ease to be

tre and real/ ,he wondered+ briefly+ ifshe shold report this to @dolph ,aine+ bt she de*ided that

she really had nothing to report+ nothing that meant anything/ ,he had seen a man standing in the

shadows of the palms+ near the hose+ wat*hing the hose at night/ nd he had gone away/ Bhat

good wold that information do anyone

$here had he gone?

Bho .new

$ho was he?

,he *oldn8t say/

$hat did she think he was doing there?

,he didn8t want to thin. what he might ha!e been doing there/ ,he had *ome here to get away

from gly thoghts+ old fears+ tension+ aniety/ ,he didn8t want to ha!e to fa*e anything li.e that/

nd sin*e she *old not answer any of the Aestions @dolph ,aine was most li.ely to as.+ she

*old see no sense in dredging p the mess/ ,he wold appear to be nothing more than a slightly

hysteri*al yong woman+ still pset o!er her en*onter with two shar.s dring the afternoon+

sleepy+ seeing things in the night+ illsions+ de*eptions of shadows/ ,he *old do no good what'

soe!er by *rying wolf at e!ery little in*ident that distrbed her+ for then+ if the real troble *ame+

she wold find them slow to rea*t to her *ries for help/

0hat was logi*al+ wise/

@efsing to *onsider the import of her obser!ation+ refsing to dwell on the memory any longer

at all+ ha!ing *on!in*ed herself that she was right to .eep her silen*e+ she went to the large bed andgot beneath the sheets+ snggled down and bried her bright+ blonde head in the flffy pillows/ ,he

wold sleep / / / sleep / / / 0hen e!erything wold be fine/ n the morning+ all of this sense of

onrshing troble+ this fearfl anti*ipation wold be gone/ n the morning/ t wold all be fine+ then/

=st fine/ ,he slept / / /

n the morning+ of *orse+ nothing had impro!ed/

t the ni!ersity+ a year earlier+ a boy named Daryl ?attersen+ whom she had dated for a while

bt abot whom she had ne!er been serios+ told her that he li.ed her so m*h *hiefly be*ase of

her ability to ignore all of the npleasant things in life/ 6 mean+: he told her+ 6yo don8t 3st grin

and bear it when troble stri.es/ o a*tally ignore it; o seem to forget abot the disaster two

mintes after it8s happened/ Bhen yo get a bad test grade+ 8!e seen yo toss the paper away and go


33/131

abot yor bsiness as if yo8d 3st gotten an /:

$atrally+ 5ynda ,palding+ ,onya8s roommate+ a pessimist from the word 6go+: did not loo.

pon this personality Air. as an attribte+ as Daryl did+ bt she saw it as a falt+ a wea.ness+ a

dangeros inadeAa*y that had to be wat*hed *areflly/ 65ife isn8t all roses+ ,onya+ as yo shold

.now by now/ o try too hard to be happy+ and yo wor. too hard to forget the things that8!emade yo nhappy/:

6y own pri!ate psy*hiatrist+: ,onya had said+ slapping her forehead with an open palm/

6,ee+ yo .now 8m telling yo the trth/ o8re trying to trn what say into a 3o.e+ so yo

won8t ha!e to thin. abot it/: 5ater+ she said+ 6o srrond yorself with friends who8re always

3o!ial and in a good mood4 sometimes+ yo ma.e friends with the biggest phonies on *amps+ 3st

be*ase they8re always smiling/:

6 li.e people that smile+: ,onya had said/

6"t no one shold be smiling all the time;:

0his morning+ onDistingue, ,onya had forgotten all of those e*hanges with 5ynda ,palding/

f she remembered anything+ it was Daryl8s sweet and *harming remar.s/

,till+ the air was filled with epe*tan*y+ tense+ waiting/n the net few days+ there was no lessening of that tension/ ,he began ea*h wor.day at ten+

with the *hildren+ going o!er their reading s.ills and seeing what she might do to impro!e them/

>ortnately+ both le and 0ina were e*eptionally bright stdents+ and they needed no en'

*oragement to do their wor.+ for they were as *rios as they were intelligent/ "y noon+ when they

too. a ln*h brea.+ the .ids were sally a good many pages ahead of the lesson whi*h she had

planned for them+ li.e two intelle*tal sponges soa.ing p all that she *old por before them/ fter

ln*h+ arond two o8*lo*.+ they began wor. on arithmeti* and spelling+ some geography and history

for le and some s.ill'games for 0ina/

>riday afternoon+ when they were stdying the map of the Fnited ,tates dring the geography

lesson+ le pointed to the eastern seaboard+ tra*ed the otlines of one state in parti*lar/ 60hat8s

$ew =ersey+: he said/

6es+ it is/:

6Bhere we sed to li!e/:

,onya frowned/ 6es/ o see how far away yo are from there:

6@eal far+: he said/

,he fond adelope for him and+ thogh Distingue was not on the map+ indi*ated their gen'

eral position in relationship to the larger island/

68m glad they s*ared s ot of $ew =ersey+: le said/

6#h:

6eah/ t8s prettier down here/:

65ots prettier+: 0ina added/68d hate to be .illed in $ew =ersey+: le said/ 6Down here+ it wold be better/:

,onya *hose not to Aestion this rather ma*abre statement+ bt went Ai*.ly on with the lesson+

drawing the boy8s attention to the Best Coast+ as far away from $ew =ersey as she *old lead him/

"y for'thirty ea*h afternoon+ finished with lessons+ they were ready for a swim+ a game of tag+

a wal. abot the island-always with @dolph ,aine in tow+ his brly arms+ li.e the arms of a go'

rilla+ swinging loosely at his sides+ his s*owl permanently in pla*e+ his broad fa*e *reased li.e ptty

that had been s*ored with a s*lptor8s blade/

&e *arried a holstered re!ol!er nder his left armpit/

,onya pretended not to noti*e/

nd still+ nothing ntoward happened/


34/131

onday afternoon+ when she had been onDistingue for nearly a wee.+ ,onya was gi!en the last

half of the day off+ for =oe Dogherty wanted to ta.e his .ids to adelope for a *ople of mo!ies

and-he told her+ shddering as if the prospe*t tterly repelled him-spper at their fa!orite greasy

hambrger emporim/ 6 thin. we set the best possible table here at ,eawat*h+: he told ,onya/ ,heagreed/ 6"t+: he said+ 6the .ids tell me that or food 8stin.s8 in *omparison to the hambrgers and

>ren*h fries on adelope/:

6"etter not let &elga hear them say that/:

6$e!er;: he !owed/ 68d rather lose my fortne than lose &elga and her *oo.ing;:

"e*ase "ill ?eterson was to ta.e the Doghertys to the main island+ and be*ase he wold wait

there for them+ ,onya was left to entertain herself for the remainder of the day/ "ill as.ed her to

*ome along and promised her a thorogh tor of Pointe-a-Pitre, bt she said she preferred this

*han*e to get familiar withDistingue.

t two o8*lo*. in the afternoon+ when she wold ordinarily ha!e been *oaing the *hildren into

getting settled for their se*ond stdy period+ ,onya set ot from ,eawat*h to wal. the length of the

island and then home again/ ,he wore white shorts and a lightweight yellow blose+ sandals that*onsisted of little more than a sole and a strap to hold them to her feet/ Despite the giant+ orange sn

and the *lodless hea!ens+ she felt *ool and happy+ loo.ing forward to the epedition/

,he lifted her long+ yellow hair and t*.ed it behind her ears+ to .eep it from blowing arond her

fa*e in the gentle breeze that *ame in from the open sea/ ,he felt fresh+ *lean and !ery ali!e/

,e!eral hndred yards from the hose+ she stopped at a trn in the bea*h to wat*h a be!y of sand

*rabs at play/ Bhen they saw her+ or sensed her+ they bolted p onto their tall+ mlti'fleed rnning

legs and+ loo.ing !ery silly+ s.ittered for *o!er+ dropping onto the sand and+ in an instant+

disappearing from sight/

,he stdied se!eral parrots that flitted from palm to palm+ birds =oe Dogherty had imported and

norished to gi!e the island a sense of *olor and life/

,he also stdied the arrangement of *o*onts at the *rown of a nmber of frit'bearing trees+

wondering if there was any *han*e of her *limbing the bowed bole and retrie!ing one of them/ ,he

de*ided against s*h a re*.less foray+ so long as she was on her own/

,he had gone almost two thirds of the island8s length when+ so sddenly that she let ot a ter'

rified sAeal+ someone stepped ot of the palms along the bea*h and said+ 6&ello+ there;:

6Bho-:

&e was tall+ abot "ill ?eterson8s age and size+ thogh his hair was dar.+ as were his eyes+ and

he was more thoroghly+ ri*hly tanned than "ill+ as if he had been born and raised in the open air+

nder *lear s.ies/ &e was not so handsome as "ill+ bt more rgged+ earthier in a way that made

him loo. somewhat older than he really was/

6Ken "lenwell+: he said+ stepping in front of her and grinning broadly/,he remembered the man whom she had seen when they too. a boat tor arond the island+ the

man standing on the "lenwell pier and wat*hing theLady Jane with field glasses/ ,o this was what

he loo.ed li.e *lose p/

6Do yo ha!e a name: he as.ed+ still grinning/

6#h+ of *orse;: she said+ embarrassed by her lapse/ 6o startled me so+ that sort of lost

tra*./:

6,orry abot that/:

68m ,onya Carter/:

6Bhat a lo!ely name;: he said/

60han. yo/:

6Bere yo *oming to see s:


35/131

&is teeth were e*eptionally white+ strong and broad+ li.e the teeth of a healthy animal/

6Fs:

6y grandparents and me+: he said/ 60he "lenwells Down at &aw. &ose:

6#h+: she said+ 6no/ $o+ was 3st ot for a wal., getting to .now the island/ m *lose to

&aw. &ose+ then:6Hite *lose+ yes/:

6 was en3oying myself so m*h+: she said+ 6that didn8t realize how far 8d *ome/:

&e stood before her+ his bare feet planted wide apart in the warm sand+ almost as if he were

there to stop her from pro*eeding any farther/ &e said+ 6Bell+ this ma.es two disappointments in

less than a wee./:

6#h:

6Bhen yo *ame arond the point inLady Jane, with ?eterson+ thoght yo were *oming to

pay s a !isit then/ "t yo went right on by+ lea!ing me disappointed/: &is grin no longer seemed

as pleasant as it first had4 it seemed positi!ely threatening/ #r was that her imagination es+ it

mst be that imagination+ eaggeration/ &e was still smiling4 he seemed personable and *harming/

60hat was yo on the pier+ with the bino*lars: she as.ed/6o .now it was/:

6 sppose do+ yes/:

6Bill yo a**ept my in!itation to !isit s: he as.ed+ loo.ing down on her/ &e was Aite tall/

68d li.e that/:

6$ow:

,he hesitated+ then said+ 6 don8t see why not/:

6Bonderfl;:

&e stepped ot of her way+ wal.ed p beside her and too. her arm+ as if he thoght she might

trn and rn nless he had a good hold on her/ &is grip was firm4 he appeared inordinately strong/

0hey wal.ed along the bea*h together/ >rom a distan*e+ they might ha!e loo.ed li.e any happy'

go'l*.y *ople/ Fp *lose+ the obser!er wold ha!e seen the lines of tension arond the girl8s eyes+

wold ha!e seen something-something not Aite identifiable+ bt nsettling+ in the big man8s dar.

fa*e/

6o li.e the island: he as.ed/

6t8s beatifl+: she said/

6t is that/ ,omeday+ hope to own it/:

6#h:

6Fnless+ of *orse+ yor employer+ Dogherty+ refses to sell his portion/ "t 8m *onfident that+

gi!en time+ he8ll *ome arond to my offer/ t8s more than adeAate/ &e *old trn a neat profit with

what 8m willing to go for it/:

6"t dobt he needs the money+: she said/ ,he didn8t .now why she felt li.e needling the man+bt she *oldn8t resist the *han*e/

6%!eryone needs the money-or thin.s he does/ illionaires are no different4 Dogherty is no

different/: s the bea*h trned and &aw. &ose *ame into !iew+ he let go her arm/ 6Bhat stri.es

yo most abotDistingue?

60oo many things to *hoose one+: she said/ 60he bea*hes are so pre white/:

60hat8s be*ase they8re white "ol#ani#bea*hes/ 0he sand was formed at the most terrifi* heat-

oh+ ten or twenty thosand years ago+ and maybe longer/ ,rely+ longer/:

6nd the palm trees+: she said+ motioning to the lo!ely green giants to their left where they

*losed in on &aw. &ose/ 6 wanted to *limb one of the *o*ont palms for some frit+ bt was

afraid that 8d fall and *oldn8t *all for help/:

6Be8ll get some *o*onts later+ together+: he said/


36/131

6 li.e the parrots+ too+: ,onya said/ Bhen she tal.ed+ she felt more at ease/ 60hey8re so pretty

and bright/ nd when they ma.e that *awing+ trilling noise+ they ma.e me thin. 8m in some old

mo!ie abot fri*a or ,oth meri*a/:

&e said+ 6 hate the parrots/:

6>or hea!en8s sa.e+ why: she as.ed/60he noise they ma.e is ra*os+ bothersome+: he said/

,he loo.ed at him+ saw that he was serios/ &is 3aw was set tight+ almost as if he were gritting

his teeth/

6"t-:

&e interrpted her 68d eterminate them if owned the island myself/:

60hey8re so pretty+: she insisted/

6"t they don8t belong+: he said/ 60hey8re not a natral lifeform to Distingue. Doghtery

imported them for his own amsement/:

6,o:

60hey simply don8t belong+: he repeated+ gi!ing ea*h word the same+ harsh for*e/

6"y that reasoning+: ,onya said+ 6yo *old arge for the etermination of the %eo%le onDisingue. Be aren8t indigenos to the island either/

Be don8t belong+ natrally spea.ing/ Bhy not eterminate s too:

6aybe yo ha!e something there+: he said/ &e grinned at her+ bt she *old not be *ertain if

the grin were genine/

6&ere we are+: he said+ ta.ing her arm again/ 6Bat*h yor step/:

&e lead her onto the front por*h of &aw. &ose+ opened the door+ and lead her into a gloomy

entran*e hall that smelled of frnitre polish and old la*e *rtains/


37/131

,%E%$

Kenneth "lenwell es*orted ,onya along the dimly lighted main hall to a set of sliding doors+

plled these open in one smooth mo!ement and shered her into a drawing room where the only

light was that whi*h somehow managed to brea. throgh the drawn hal!es of the hea!y+ ble !el!et

drapes-and that eerie ble light whi*h a bla*.'and'white tele!ision set pts forth/ 0he only signs

of life in that room+ at first+ were those glimpsed from the non'life on the tele!ision s*reen the

mo!ement of the a*tors+ *amera *hanges+ the tinny !oi*es and the melodramati* ba*.grond msi*

that rose and fell li.e the sea/

6randmother+ randfather+ 8!e broght *ompany/:

0he !olme on the tele!ision went down+ thogh not off altogether+ as someone with a remote

*ontrol de!i*e rea*ted to Kenneth8s statement/60his is ,onya Carter+: Kenneth said/

6 lo!ely name/: 0he !oi*e had been that of a woman+ bt thin and wea.+ almost a whisper/

60han. yo+: ,onya replied/

"y now+ she had lo*ated the old *ople/ 0hey sat in two ridi*losly o!erstffed *hairs+ abot

ten feet from the tele!ision set+ their feet propped p on ottomans+ tility tables beside them+ *o*.'

tails set ot on the tables/ rotesAely+ it seemed as if they were rooted to the spot+ that they had not

mo!ed in years/ 0hey wold remain there+ e!en as *orpses+ ntil they had rotted and trned to dst/

6"ring her *loser;: Balter "lenwell snapped/ 0he old man8s !oi*e was as brittle as his wife8s

was soft/ 65et8s see what manner of yong lady yo8!e got here;: 0hogh it seemed bo be meant

.indly+ ea*h thing he said sonded li.e an imperios *ommand made by a hmorless potentate/

6&ello+ r/ "lenwell+: ,onya said+ stepping into the light thrown by the tele!ision set/6Bell+ a pretty lady+: Balter said/

60han. yo/:

"oth the old man and the old woman were in their se!enties+ somewhat ema*iated+ their fa*es

lined so hea!ily that they reminded her of pie*es of tablet paper *rmpled in the fist and then *lm'

sily straightened ot again/ 0he ble light from the tele!ision did nothing at all to ma.e them loo.

yonger4 the nnatral *olor ga!e them the appearan*e of frozen bodies+ to*hed by a *oat of frost+

eyes glittering i*ily/

Kenneth had broght two *hairs+ one of whi*h ,onya too.+ grateflly/ Bith the tele!ision light

framing her+ almost silhoetting her+ she felt as if she were on display/

60ell Binnie that we8d li.e new refreshments+: 5ydia "lenwell said/

6Bill do+: Kenneth said/&e departed+ lea!ing ,onya alone with the old people/

6@efreshments will be simple+: 5ydia said/ 6$either of s is p to real entertaining any more/:

6,pea. for yorself+: Balter snapped/ 6 belie!e *old still en3oy a good dan*e or two+ a real

formal ball/:

6es+ yo might go to the ball in a *arriage+: 5ydia told him+ leaning forward in her *hair+ smil'

ing+ 6bt yo8d ha!e to *ome home in an amblan*e/:

Balter snorted/

,onya thoght the old *ople were merely amsing ea*h other+ and that the 3ibes were not meant

seriosly+ bt she *old not be *ertain+ and she felt ot of pla*e/

6&ow do yo happen to .now Kenneth: 5ydia as.ed/

,he had on*e been a !ery pretty lady+ ,onya *old see+ bt now her eyes loo.ed gray+ flat and


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dll+ her hair wiry and n.empt/ &er fa*e was *riss'*rossed with wrin.les+ and these were espe'

*ially *on*entrated arond the eyes and moth+ an nfortnate *ondition whi*h ga!e her the loo. of

a *nning weasel and the prsed lips of an habital gossiper/ t one time+ her Aestion wold ha!e

seemed li.e only a polite *on!ersational initiati!e+ bt now it sonded half'Aarrelsome+ nosey/

6 met him on the bea*h+: ,onya said/6adelope:

6Bell+ not ea*tly+: ,onya said/

Kenneth had *ome into the room again and ta.en his seat net to ,onya/ &e said+ 6Be met

otside+ a *ople of hndred yards from the hose+ 3st a half an hor ago/:

6Bhat do yo mean: 5ydia as.ed+ not *omprehending+ her prsed moth in a tight little bow/

6,he8s wor.ing for the Doghertys+: Kenneth eplained/

60hose people;: Balter snapped/

68m ttoring their *hildren+: ,onya said/

6&ow do yo stand to wor. for him: 5ydia as.ed/

6r/ Dogherty+ yo mean:

6#f *orse+ him/:6&e treats his people well/:

Balter snorted derisi!ely/ 6Be ha!en8t m*h in *ommon with the Dogherty family/:

6o might e!en say that we8re-at odds with them+: 5ydia added/

60he yong lady *an8t help abot that+: Kenneth said/ 6Be *an hardly blame her for what the

Doghertys ha!e done/:

$either of the old people said anything to that/

,onya felt distin*tly n*omfortable in that dar.ened room+ as if the walls were drawing *loser

and the air+ despite its *oolness+ was pressing down on her li.e a sentient being4 she imagined that

she *old feel walls and air hard against her ba*.+ on her sholders+ weighting down on her s*alp+

*rshing/ Bhy on earth had Kenneth "lenwell insisted on her *oming to the hose when he mst

ha!e .nown she wold not be m*h appre*iated by his grandparents

t that moment+ a woman in her sities+ dressed in a wrin.led maid8s niform+ pshed a ser!ing

*art into the drawing room/ Cps and sa*ers rattled on it/

0he maid-a rather dmpy woman with a wonded loo.+ wheeled the *art into the *enter of the

gathering+ trndling it a*ross one of ,onya8s feet and nearly *at*hing the other as well+ offering no

apology and gi!ing no sign that the in*ident had e!en transpired/

,he said+ 6rs/ "lenwell+ ain8t sed to ha!in8 gests at this hor of the day+ people to ma.e

ready for and what all/:

6Be8re not sed to ha!ing gests at any hor of the day+ are we+ &attie: Balter "lenwell

*a*.led/

6=st the same-: the maid began/6&ere we go+ &attie+: Kenneth said+ rising and ta.ing hold of the *art/ 68ll *arry on from this

point/:

Bithot a word+ bt with a Ai*. and nfriendly glan*e at ,onya+ the woman trned away from

the *art+ dsted her hands on her n*lean dress+ and waddled ot of the room/

Kenneth pored the brandy in the for snifters+ then the steaming *offee+ ser!ed e!eryone in

relati!ely short order/ 0hogh the rital had not ta.en more than three or for mintes+ ,onya felt as

if the maid had left the room hors ago/

6ny more threats o!er there: Balter as.ed+ after a terribly protra*ted silen*e while e!eryone

sipped alternately at their brandy and *offee/

6ny what: ,onya as.ed/ ,he had not been epe*ting him to spea. to her again+ and she hadn8t

been listening/


39/131

6Come on+ girl+ yo .now what mean; 0hreats; &a!e there been more threats against the

*hildren:

,he *leared her throat and said+ 6$o+ not any more/:

6o do .now abot the threats:

6#h+ yes+: she assred the old man/ 6 .now abot them/:60errible thing+: 5ydia said/

6es/:

6nd it8s most terrible+: Kenneth said+ 6be*ase it broght them here toDistingue months ahead

of s*hedle-and it8s .eeping them here for a lot longer than they sally stay/:

&e did not seem to realize or *are that his thoghtlessly antagonisti* *omments abot the

Doghertys pt ,onya on the spot/ ,he *old hardly+ after all+ 3oin in a *on!ersation denon*ing her

employer/

60hreatened to *t their throats+ didn8t he:

6 sppose+: ,onya said/

6&e did+: Balter said/ 6&e threatened to *t their throats from ear to ear/ "t there was more

than that/:68ll say there was;: 5ydia wheezed/

,he was leaning forward+ as if the tal. of blood had gi!en her more energy than she8d .nown at

one time in years/

60ortre and mtilate+: Balter said+ sha.ing his grisly old head+ his white hair bled by the tele'

!ision/ 60hreatened to tortre and mtilate them as well as .ill them/:

,onya swallowed all of her brandy+ trying to still her ner!es+ whi*h were as 3ittery as a *ongre'

gation of frogs/

6Bhat .ind of a man+ do yo sppose+ wold e!en #onsider doing something as nspea.able as

that: 5ydia as.ed ,onya/ >rom the old woman8s prsed lips and anios epression+ ,onya *old

only srmise that she was eager as a s*hoolgirl to meet this mar!elosly daring sol+ whoe!er-or

whate!er-he was/

6 don8t .now+: ,onya said/ 6 monster of some sort+ a-madman/: ,he too. a sip of her *offee/

6ore brandy+ ,onya: Kenneth inAired/

6$o/ $o+ than. yo/:

6 belie!e the man also threatened to disembowel them+: Balter said/ 6Didn8t he+ Kenneth: 0he

old man held his *offee *p in both sha.y hands/

6&e was not so *i!ilized as to word it that ni*ely+: Kenneth said/ 6&e promised+ instead+ 8to open

the .ids8 gts+8 Aite a more for*efl way of ptting it/:

0he walls drew nearer/

Despite the air'*onditioning+ ,onya was perspiring/

,he pt her *p down/6Borse than that+ thogh+: Balter said/ 60he man promised worse than that/:

60he eyes+: 5ydia added/ 6&e promised to do something with their eyes/ don8t remember 3st

what/:

"efore any of them *old tell her 3st what the man had threatened to do with the Dogherty

*hildren8s eyes+ ,onya said+ 6&ow did yo learn all of this:

6Ken told s+: 5ydia said/

6nd how did yo hear all this: ,onya as.ed the grandson/

&e smiled/ 6@dolph told me/:

6r/ ,aine:

6&e8s the only @dolph .now arond here/:

,onya was sho*.ed+ for ,aine did not stri.e her as the sort of man who wold go rnning to the


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neighbors+ blabbing the latest gossip-espe*ially to neighbors li.e the "lenwells+ when he .new

they did not li.e or asso*iate with the Doghertys+ his employers/ nd that meant that she had badly

mis3dged the brly bodygard-or it meant that Kenneth "lenwell was lying+ and that he .new

abot the natre of the threats throgh some other sor*e / / /

6o .now @dolph+ then: she as.ed/6Be8re friends/:

6>riends:

6Bhy sond so in*redlos: Ken as.ed her/ 6s there a law against it thin. he8s a !ery *apa'

ble+ admirable man/:

5ydia leaned far forward in her seat and said+ 6 .now what it was now;:

6Bhat are yo tal.ing abot: Balter snapped/

6Bhat that terrible man promised to do with their *hildren-he was going to *t ot their eyes+

he said/ 0a.e them right ot of their heads/ Basn8t that it+ Kenneth:

6es+ thin. so+: he agreed/

,onya stood so abrptly that she *aght the ser!ing *art with her hip and 3arred all the tensils

on it+ almost .no*.ing o!er the *t glass brandy de*anter whi*h the yongest "lenwell barely man'aged to *at*h before it tipped to the floor/

68m sorry+: she said+ somewhat breathlessly/ ,he wished that she *old *ontrol the tone of her

!oi*e+ for she .new that it *ontained a note of ob!ios pani*/ 6"t really mst go now/ 8!e things

to do ba*. at ,eawat*h and-:

68m sorry if we8!e frightened yo+: Kenneth said/

6$o+ no+ yo ha!en8t-:

,he trned+ aware that she was being rde+ bt really not *aring m*h after ha!ing endred the

past half hor with them+ and she made for the open door and the hallway where there was at least a

bit more light/

Bhen she opened the front door of &aw. &ose+ Kenneth was right behind her/

&e said+ 6o8re being silly+ yo .now/:

,he trned+ loo.ed p at him+ sAinting in the strong snlight/ 6#h &ow so:

6%!en if someone does intend to .ill the Dogherty .ids+ yo8re safe/ $o one has threatened yo

yet/:

,he nodded and went down the steps/

68ll wal. yo ba*.+: he said/

60hat8s not ne*essary/:

6$o troble/:

,he smmoned p all of her wits+ thin.ing fast+ and she said+ in as le!el and for*efl a !oi*e as

she *old manage 3st then+ 6$o+ r/ "lenwell+ really now/ ?lease don8t bother/ wold m*h

prefer to wal. home alone/ set ot+ alone+ to eplore Distingue. want to see it at my own speed+in my own fashion+ in order to get some emotional feel abot the pla*e/ 8m sre yo8ll agree that

that sort of thing is best done by oneself/:

&e grinned/

gain+ loo.ing p at him+ *aght by his dar. eyes+ she *old not be *ertain whether that grin

was prod*ed by high spirits+ or whether he was mo*.ing her/

6,it yorself+: he said/

60han. yo for the *offee and brandy+: she said/

6t was nothing/:

68m sorry if pset &attie8s s*hedle/:

&e *ontined to grin/ 6$ot at all/:

,he trned away from him and felt relie!ed when she *old no longer see his grin or his eyes/


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,he set off toward the bea*h+ went down the stone steps in the ban. at the end of the lawn+ too.

off her sandals and let the sand *reep between her toes/ Bhen she rea*hed the edge of the lapping

sea+ she trned toward ,eawat*h and wal.ed away from &aw. &ose at a Ai*. bt not abnormal

pa*e/

6Come again;: he

Documents

Koontz, Dean - Children of the Storm