Vera grunted in disgust, shaking her head resolutely and returning her gaze to the road. What a monstrous idea! Seducing a little girl, a child almost. She refused to let herself think about it. What was she looking for, trouble? A poor homeless hitchhiker: How awful! It made her feel like some lecherous old man, the type that hung around schoolyards and led children into debauchery. Only a lecherous old woman was even worse…
"Uh, ma'am?"
"Oh, you're awake. But you needn't call me ma'am. My name is Vera, remember? Did you have a nice nap?"
"Uh-huh. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to doze. I'm supposed to stay awake and be good company for you."
"It's all right. No apology necessary."
Even though the girl's eyes were open, there was no change in her posture; the alluring leg-show remained uncovered. Now the display seemed purposeful rather than careless, and Vera wrinkled her brow in perplexity. No, this wasn't exactly a picture of childish innocence that she was seeing. More like a calculated coyness, surely. Or was that just her own overstimulated imagination?
Food for thought, anyway. Up until now she had peeked at that bare flesh and felt the desire and analyzed only herself, strictly introspective in attitude. But the time for introspection had run its course, apparently. The situation had altered somewhat, giving her the right to take a more objective view. The kid might have been feigning sleep just to exhibit her body, allowing it to be looked over and sized up without embarrassment. And if so, then what about the rest of her story? That tale of the drunken stepfather sure sounded phony. Lurid, really, the kind of melodramatic thing a young mind would invent as a cover-up for something else. Even that mention of the aunt in California had been brief and indefinite enough to be spurious.
Vera shrugged. It was none of her business, of course. Except that the youngster's odd behavior was making it so. There was more to this "homeless waif than met the eye. Although what met the eye was certainly plenty provocative in itself…
In front of her, the windshield blurred suddenly as a spatter of fat raindrops struck. It took her by surprise, coming from out of nowhere, just a big blob of water at first. But more followed, soon becoming a pattern as the car moved into it. She turned the wipers on and her vision cleared as the blades came to life and clicked into monotonous motion.
"Hey, is that rain? Funny. I could have sworn the stars were out just a little while ago."
"Uh-huh. Must be a squall, Judy. I didn't expect it myself, either. I'm not fond of driving on a wet pavement. You're dressed for it, though, in case it gets chilly. That trenchcoat should keep you nice and warm. Lucky girl… "
"Yeah. Lucky, that's me." The accompanying giggle was shrill and humorless. "Oh sure, nice and warm."
As the tinny laugh was choked off, Vera flashed a quizzical glance in time to see the pretty face go momentarily grim. She watched the road after that, adjusting the windshield wipers busily. But now she was more conscious than ever of her young companion. That mirthless snicker, almost a sound of derision. The sullen expression, the oddly sarcastic tone of voice. Why? What had brought it on? Something about the raincoat?
It took a while to sink in. And a few more sidelong peeks in that direction. Then stark realization came with a wallop, an impact that set her taut nerves atwang. Although she still couldn't quite make herself believe it. Imagination again? Underneath the coat was the kid naked!
Try as she might, Vera couldn't recall having seen any other garment. Nary a scrap of fabric, above or below. A blouse or dress or sweater would have been visible at the top. Even the smallest miniskirts would have obstructed the view of that bare thigh. But there was nothing like that, nothing at all. Just the tightly belted trenchcoat and those simple leather sandals.
Well, maybe there were some bits of underwear inside, hidden from sight. Bra and panties, quite likely. But anything more substantial would surely have showed; the light from the dashboard was bright enough to reveal that much, at least. Nude, then? Or nearly so? Incredible as it seemed, she could no longer doubt it. Her highway pickup was wearing damn little if anything beneath that coat.
Desire flared anew, hot, lustful, a thing of torment. A thing of need. Vera felt her insides churn with excitement. What kind of girl would be out at night dressed like that? Not an innocent one, oh no, not any more innocent than the deliberately bared thigh or the obviously contrived sob-story about a drunken stepfather and an aunt in faraway California. This was no Little Miss Muffet who would rise up shrieking in alarm at the approach of some predatory spider. No indeed, this kid had probably abandoned the sanctity of her tuffet ages ago.
The rain was coming down harder. Vera hit the window buttons, running the glass panes up tight into their insulated channels. It affected the air circulation immediately, walling off outside drafts and permitting an interior humidity to build up. She could smell the girl now. And herself, too. Odor mingled with odor, musky, ruttish, intoxicating, cunty…
A battery of lights blazed up ahead, vaguely recognizable even from that distance. And then the familiar restaurant sign. A big place bus stop, cafeteria, gasoline pumps, motel cabins she had stopped off there before on her comparatively frequent trips between Malvern and Springfield. It loomed out of the dark downpour like an oasis in the dry desert. A wet but very welcome oasis at the moment for reasons that she refused to admit even to herself. No matter. Weren't there some other, more legitimate reasons to pull in?
"Oh, good. I know this place. Let's see now, do we need gas? Umm, no, I guess not. But the food isn't bad here, if I remember rightly. Are you hungry, my dear? I'm going to stop and rest for a few minutes until the rain lets up, anyway. And meanwhile we'll grab a bite to eat."
"I I'm not very hungry."
"No? Just a sandwich and coffee, then. I insist. And it's my treat, of course."
"Well, uh, maybe a little something. Is it a drive-in?"
"Drive in? With carhops carrying trays out, you mean? I'm afraid not, Judy, we'll have to go inside for service. But don't worry, I'll park right up close and we can make a dash for "
"No. Thanks just the same, I'd rather skip it. You go. I'll just sit and wait in the car."
"Come now, that's silly."
"Please. I'd rather. If you don't mind."
For a while, Vera focused her attention on maneuvering off the highway and into the parking area. Then, cutting the engine at last, she pondered momentarily and got the full significance of this stubborn and somewhat irrational show of reluctance. Her pickup was afraid to enter the restaurant! Whatever the reason…
Because of the way she was dressed? Possibly. But she could keep the trenchcoat on without looking conspicuous. So it had to be more than that. Whatever the reason, the kid seemed desperately anxious to avoid the public eye. No doubt about it, she just didn't want to be seen.
And the reason, the only plausible reason? Vera went hot in delicious anticipation, despite the clammy atmosphere. This cute little youngster was evidently on the run. Some sort of fugitive. The stepfather yarn might even be true, in that case, but it didn't alter the immediate situation at all. Judy Jones was stuck. Afraid of being recognized, she couldn't risk an appearance outside the car. Nor would she dare try to hitch another ride anywhere near this brightly lit place of business. If ever a kid needed a helping hand, this one did, yes indeed and wasn't she lucky to have found someone with just the hand to offer? Wasn't it a bit of luck for both of them?
On the pretext of peering out, Vera leaned over and patted the bare knee casually. "This nasty rain. If it doesn't let up soon, I might just spend the night here. The cabins are supposed to be quite comfortable. They're out back private, you know? Oh well, we'll see. I can't make decisions on an empty stomach. Sit tight, honey, I'll rustle us up some food. Here goes… "