On an entirely normal, beautiful fall day in Chester’s Mill, Maine, the town is inexplicably and suddenly sealed off from the rest of the world by an invisible force field.
Авторы: King Stephen Edwin
think.’
For a moment none of them answered, and that scared her more than Anything. Then Joe kissed her on the cheek and said,’It’ll work.’
‘You’re sure?’
‘Yeah.’
She could always tell when he was lying—although she knew the talent might leave her when he was older—but she didn’t call him on it this time. She just kissed him back, her breath warm and somehow fatherly with beer. ‘Just as long as there’s no bloodshed.’
‘No blood,’ Joe said.
She smiled. ‘Okay; that’s good enough for me.’
They sat there in the dark a while longer, saying little. Then they went inside, leaving the town to sleep under the pink moon.
It was just past midnight.
BLOOD EVERYWHERE
1
It was twelve-thirty on the morning of October twenty-sixth when Julia let herself into Andrea’s house. She did it quietly, but there was no need; she could hear music from Andi’s little portable radio: the Staples Singers, kicking holy ass with ‘Get Right Church.’
Horace came down the hall to greet her, wagging his rear end and grinning that slightly mad grin of which only Corgis seem capable. He bowed before her, paws splayed, and Julia gave him a brief scratch behind the ears—it was his sweet spot.
Andrea was sitting on the couch, drinking a glass of tea.
‘Sorry about the music,’ she said, turning it down. ‘I couldn’t sleep.’
‘It’s your house, honey,’ Julia said. ‘And for WOK, that really rocks.’
Andi smiled. ‘It’s been uptempo gospel ever since this afternoon. I feel like I hit the jackpot. How was your meeting?’
‘Good.’Julia sat down.
‘Want to talk about it?’
‘You don’t need the worry. What you need is to concentrate on feeling better. And you know what? You look a little better.’
It was true. Andi was still pale, and much too thin, but the dark circles under her eyes had faded a little, and the eyes themselves had a new spark. ‘Thanks for saying so.’
‘Was Horace a good boy?’
‘Very good. We played ball, and then we both slept a little. If I look better, that’s probably why. Nothing like a nap to improve a girl’s looks.’
‘What about your back?’
Andrea smiled. It was an oddly knowing smile, without much humor in it. ‘My back isn’t bad at all. Hardly a twinge, even when I bend over. Do you know what I think?’
Julia shook her head.
‘I think that when it comes to drugs, the body and the mind are co-conspirators. If the brain wants drugs, the body helps out. It says, «Don’t worry, don’t feel guilty, it’s okay, I really hurt.» It’s not exactly hypochondria I’m talking about, nothing so simple. Just…’ She trailed off and her eyes grew distant as she went somewhere else.
Where? Julia wondered.
Then she came back.’Human nature can be destructive. Tell me, do you think a town is like a body?’
‘Yes,’Julia said instantly
‘And can it say it hurts so the brain can take the drugs it craves?’
Julia considered, then nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘And right now, Big Jim Rennie is this town’s brain, isn’t he?’
‘Yes, hon. I’d say he is.’
Andrea sat on the couch, head slightly lowered.Then she snapped off the little battery radio and got to her feet. ‘I think I’ll go up to bed. And do you know, 1 think I might actually be able to sleep.’
‘That’s good.’ And then, for no reason she could have articulated, Julia asked: ‘Andi, did anything happen while I was gone?’
A.ndrea looked surprised. ‘Why, yes. Horace and I played ball.’ She bent down without the slightest wince of pain—a movement she would only a week ago have claimed was impossible for her—and held out one hand. Horace came to her and allowed his head to be stroked. ‘He’s very good at fetching.’
2
In her room, Andrea settled on her bed, opened theVADER file, and began to read through it again. More carefully this time. When she finally slid the papers back into the manila envelope, it was close to two a.m. She put the envelope into the drawer of the table next to her bed. Also in the drawer was a.38 pistol, which her brother Douglas had given her for her birthday two years ago. She had been dismayed, but Dougie had insisted that a woman living alone should have protection.
Now she took it out, popped the cylinder, and checked the chambers. The one that would roll under the hammer when the trigger was pulled for the first time was empty, as per Twitch’s instructions. The other five were full. She had more bullets on the top shelf of her closet, but they would never give her a chance to reload. His little army of cops would shoot her down first.
And if she couldn’t kill Rennie with five shots, she probably didn’t deserve to live, anyway.
‘After all,’ she murmured as she put
