A moment later, I had the aluminum pole overhead, ready to strike. Lucia saw me, stared up with glassy eyes, and once again made a whistling noise because she couldn’t scream. Perhaps she feared I intended to hit her. That’s exactly what I didn’t want. So I waited for the chimp to extend his arm before I slammed the pole down. Unlike my distant aunts, Hannah and Sarah, I’ve never chopped wood for a living. But I have used an axe. I swung so hard, my feet came off the floor-and was rewarded by a screech from the other side of the door, then a furious baritone chatter that warned of revenge. Yet the chimp refused to let go of the woman’s hair.
I swung again… and again-finally, the animal’s hand retreated. Stupidly, I tossed the pole away and used both hands to grab Lucia’s waist and tried to push her out of danger. The smart thing to do would have been to reposition myself and pull, but I didn’t. Nor did I consider the length of a chimpanzee’s arms.
When I believed we were safe, I started to say, “I’ve got to roll you on your stomach because-”
That’s as far as I got. On my buttocks, I felt a tentative weight, then the chimp latched onto my belt. With my left hand, I reached back and clawed at his hairy wrist while I searched my right pocket for the box cutter. Before I could use it, I was yanked backward; I sledded across the tile and slammed into the door. My tailbone absorbed most of the impact. Pain radiated into my spine and caused the box cutter to spin to the floor. I was dazed, but the razor was still within reach. I grabbed it and slashed blindly. The chimp shrieked… Then I was free, lying on my side.
I rolled, and kept rolling, until I knew I was safe. When I looked up, Lucia was still in danger, so I lunged, grabbed her ankle, and pulled her away, too.
“Open your mouth!” I yelled. “Wider.”
She made a gagging noise but did it. I couldn’t see, but my fingers soon found the dart lodged in her throat. Gently, I jockeyed it free. It came out as two slivers. The point was sharpened like a needle, blackened as if it had been scorched.
“Did I get it all? Swallow. Open your mouth again-let me see.”
“He… would have killed me.” Her voice was raspy, but at least she could speak. “Why… why did you…?”
I steadied her head with my hands and for the first time noticed the pendant hidden beneath her dress: a silver ram’s head mounted on a pentagram. I knew its meaning but let it go. “We both need a doctor. What kind of poison is on those darts?”
Lucia shook her head. “Can’t move. Am I bleeding?”
Her spine was broken, I realized. “I need the key to the front door. I’ll call an ambulance. Tell me about the poison while I look for the key.”
The woman’s eyes glazed, but deep, deep within was a glittering awareness. “No,” she said.
I felt like shaking her. “I need to know what kind of poison. If I die, you’re going to die, too.”
Lucia’s eyelids fluttered to beckon me closer. “Go to hell… stupid girl.” Those were her last words before she died.
I tried CPR. Her lips smelled of moss when I blew air into her lungs. Out of a sense of duty, I kept at it, but was preoccupied with my own fear. Had the poison killed her or a broken neck? The spot on my wrist was red but no longer burned. If poison was circulating through my system, the effects were mild. A mild euphoric edge, if anything. Unlike Lucia, I had pulled the dart free instantly.
She’s beyond help, I decided. Find the key-run.
But where was the key? In Lucia’s robe-had to be-but the robe had been ripped off and was piled at the foot of the door. Before risking that, I hoped the key was somewhere on her body. As I searched, the metal slot opened. The chimp’s eyes peered through: two oyster-sized orbs of glowing amber. They swept the room… found the dead woman, then focused on me. Intelligent eyes. Eyes that noted details of my face, the color and size of me.
Oliver is brilliant, Theo had bragged. Or was I dealing with the female chimp? The snake pole and bamboo tube were within my reach. I grabbed the bamboo, yelled, “Get away-Savvy!” and hurled the thing.
It wasn’t the female chimp. The metal lid slammed shut, then levered upward. The chimp thrust his hand through and flipped a middle finger in reply. He grunted-UNT… UNT… ITCH!-a series of baritone belches intended to be understood. Then added, “OWL-A-BER!” to correct me. He glared at me for several seconds and then went to work on the door’s hinges, prying and pounding with a tool of some kind.
I understood more than the foul names he’d called me. I had to escape or a killer that Theo claimed was half chimp, half ape would soon force his way into the room.
The key… Where is that key?
My eyes settled on the robe piled within easy reach of the door.
THE GLOVES near the milking table were made of leather and wire mesh. They extended above my elbows. I wore them to cross the room, even though the bucket I carried was hooked to the end of the snake pole.
The door had been loosened by the chimp’s pounding. It crossed my mind that he was so busy, he might not notice if I tiptoed close enough to snatch the robe. I didn’t have the courage to try, though, couldn’t bear the thought of his hands on me again, so I stuck with my plan. It was a variation of something I’d thought about earlier, a way to surprise Theo.
When I was closer, I lowered the bucket to the floor and removed my left glove. I dropped the glove into the bucket, then watched and waited.
Coral snakes are shy. They live underground. Even when hunting, they prefer cover, which is why they are seldom seen. The snake I had captured used its tongue to find the glove’s opening. Soon, two feet of segmented colors-black, yellow, and red-disappeared inside as if slurped down a drain.
Now came the dangerous part. Using my right hand, I lifted the glove from the bucket and folded the wristlet closed. At the same time, I slipped my left hand under the glove to provide support, but also to appear as if I was wearing it. I took a big breath… then walked toward the door and pretended to have courage. “Hey… Hey, you-Oliver! I heard those names you called me.”
The silence on the other side was abrupt. The metal lid opened. Amber eyes blinked with what resembled surprise. I hollered, “I’ll shoot you if you cross me again!” then extended the left glove as if it were a weapon.
Never have I seen anything move so fast as the hand that snatched the glove from me. I had intended to offer brief resistance. Impossible. The glove disappeared through the slot before I could jump back. Then I did jump back and immediately grabbed the aluminum pole with its dull hook.
I heard a series of sniffs and guttural belches… then a grunt of surprise. After a beat came a roar that would have sent me running if I’d had someplace to run. While Oliver thrashed and roared, I rushed the door and used the hook to snag Lucia’s robe.
I didn’t look back until I was near the computer screens. My attention seesawed between the robe and the chaotic noise in the next room and the security cameras. In the kitchen, Gail and her skinny teenage friend laughed while the plump witch gestured-but Theo was gone. Nor was he in view of the other cameras stationed around the property. Most likely he was returning to the serpentarium.
The key… Lucia had to have hidden it somewhere.
The robe contained several pockets. I found a bamboo quiver with a few darts left, a cigarette lighter, and a quarter-sized bag of powder. I placed it all near the box cutter, then turned the robe inside out, my hands shaking.