You don’t lock a man out of his own house.
You just don’t do that.
Not unless you want trouble.
Boyle stuck the working end of the knife into the passenger seat and ran the blade across the upholstery, first one way, and then the other. “How’s that for an ex-per-ience, bitch? Huh? That good enough for you?”
He did the same thing to the back seats, then took a photograph out of his shirt pocket and set it up on the dashboard where it wouldn’t be missed. The photo was of Garrett and Christy. It had been taken at the old place, in the living room, the night that Garrett had graduated from the sixth grade. The kids were sittin’ in front of the fireplace, smiling like they’d just lifted a couple of candy bars from the corner market. Their mama was supposed to be sittin’ next to them, but that part of the picture was lying in the trash where it belonged.
“They’re mine now. Ain’t it a kick how things come around?”
The kids… they were up in Oregon for the time being, staying with a friend of their grammy ’til he could move ’em out of state, maybe down to Arizona or New Mexico. Cops had been all over the place after he’d taken ’em, but it hadn’t lasted long. They had what an old fisherman would say was the smarts of a large-mouth bass… if the bait ain’t right in front of ’em, they ain’t gonna notice it. Things had quieted down some since then. The kids would be okay where they was, as long as he didn’t leave ’em there long. In the meantime, their mama had a little something to remember them by.
“An eye for an eye, woman. You took my life; I take yours.”
Boyle climbed out of the car, closed the door, and glanced across the parking lot at the big picture window across the front of the beauty parlor. In the glare of the sun, he couldn’t see past the lettering that advertised a month-long perm special. It didn’t matter none. He’d delivered the message. Next move was hers. She just better make sure it was a move she could live with.
[59]
Teri had never spent much time at the plaza outside City Hall, though she had passed by it on a number of occasions on her way to the police department. She had passed by it, but she had never really paid it much attention.
The plaza was open and airy and a step-down from the government buildings that surrounded it on all sides. The light-colored stone forming the outer walls and the walkway made for an uneven surface that was intriguing to the eye. Young junipers lined the east and west sides. In the middle, stood a huge fountain with water running over the edges in a clear, perfectly-formed sheet. A statue of one of the city’s founding fathers stood at the edge of the fountain. The plaque at the base of the statue read: Dedicated to Horace Gunthurman. 1917. If a little knowledge is dangerous, where is the man who has so much as to be out of danger?
Maybe he wasn’t a founding father after all, Teri thought as she read the inscription. Maybe he was the town librarian or someone like that.
She sat down at the edge of the fountain, just outside the afternoon shadow of the statue. Gabe sat down next to her. In her mind, he had finally crossed that invisible line from being “the boy” to being her son. This was Gabe, and she believed in him as much as she was ever going to believe in him. Blue-green eyes and all. He smiled, still feeling a bit sluggish. Teri held the back of her hand against his forehead, and thought it felt cooler out here in the cool air and the slight breeze.
“Mom…”
“Just checking.”
He squinted at her, and shaded his eyes from the sun. “When’s Mr. Travis supposed to be here?”
“At four,” she said.
“What time is it now?”
She checked her watch. It was twenty-five minutes after three. If they had waited for the next bus, they would have arrived a little after four, and Teri had been worried that she might miss their connection with Walt. In that case, better late than never might actually have proven to be dangerous. She hadn’t wanted to take that chance.
“We’re a little early,” she said.
The plaza was deserted, except for two men in business suits who were sitting on a bench across the way. She glanced in their direction and made note of the fact that they didn’t seem to be doing anything. They didn’t seem to be sitting there for any other reason than to be sitting there.
(and maybe to be watching)
She did a slow check of their surroundings, feeling a sway of relief to find that no one appeared to be guarding the exits. Still, uneasiness had settled in around her and she didn’t like it much. She stood up, stretched, and started to stroll around the edge of the fountain.
“Mom?”
“Just stretching.”
“How much longer?”
“It’ll be awhile yet.”
Across the way, one of the men stood up, then sat down again. They looked like little soldiers, waiting for orders, waiting for the next move in a deadly game of cat and mouse. Teri didn’t like it. She didn’t like the feeling that was growing inside her, either.
“Gabe?”
He glanced up from the water, where he had begun to set ripples into motion with his hand, one after the other.
“What do you say we take a little walk? It’ll make the time go faster.”
“Sure.” He pulled his hand out of the water, shook it off, and hopped down from the edge of the fountain. It was as lively as he had been all day and Teri silently prayed that he was finally feeling better. “Where do you wanna go?”
“I don’t know. Where would you like to go?”
“How about…” He did a little spin, one-hundred and eighty degrees, his arm stretched out like a compass needle, and when he stopped, he was pointing directly at the men on the bench. Only they weren’t sitting on the bench now. They had stood up, like two curious wolves, and were beginning to pace.
“…there,” Gabe said.
“How about if we try this way instead?” She took him by the arm, none too gently, and pushed him ahead of her around the fountain toward the opposite exit. It seemed as if she had been pushing him in one direction or another from the moment he had shown up on her doorstep, and she hoped he would indulge her awhile longer without too much of a fuss.
“Where are we going?”
“Let’s make it an adventure.”
She glanced over her shoulder. There was no more pretending about who they were or why they were here. The two men had stopped their pacing and had watched for a moment, and now they were suddenly in a full sprint. They quickly closed half the distance between them and her, and she realized with a complete sense of terror that there was no way she was going to be able to out run them.
“Mrs. Knight!”
In a panic, Teri shoved Gabe to keep him in front of her.
“Who’s that?” he asked.
“He’s not a friend; I can tell you that.”
“Please, Mrs. Knight!”
They made it to the stone steps at the far end, where they had originally come down. Gabe grabbed onto the railing and pulled himself up, two steps at a time. Right behind him, Teri kept her hand in the small of his back. She thought she could hear herself whimpering, and silently cussed herself for not being stronger when it was most needed. Sometimes it seemed as if she only had so much strength left to draw upon.
“Mom?”
“Just keeping moving, Gabe. Please.”
“But, Mom…”
Hearing the disturbing tone in his voice, Teri looked up and was surprised to discover two more men standing at the top of the stairs, the sun their backdrop. They were dressed in dark suits, white shirts, ties, and sunglasses, and they were standing side by side. The exit was completely blocked.