IN THE DARK, page 19
She slipped the flashlight between her thighs, beam up. Holding the timer in the light, she twisted the dial until it pointed to thirty.
The ticking sounded very loud.
She placed the timer on the floor of the coffin where it would be near her feet. After sliding her knife aside, she took the flashlight into her hand, turned and sat down. She stretched out her legs, spreading them so that the timer was between her ankles, then started to ease herself down. When the top of her head rubbed against the end of the coffin, she scooted forward a bit. Then she continued going down until her back met the cushion and her head sank into the soft pillow.
The satin felt cool and slick.
This isn’t half bad, she thought. Just don’t think about how this is a coffin.
This is a coffin.
This is what it’s like to be in a coffin. Except I’m alive. Someday, I’ll be stretched out in a coffin, dead, and they’ll put the lid on, and…
A sick feeling started swelling inside her.
No! Stop it! Who’s to say I’ll end up in a coffin? A lot of things can happen—I might get disintegrated in a nuclear explosion, or…
Quit it!
Think about something else!
Now I lay me down to sleep, with bags of peanuts at my feet. If I should die before I wake, you’ll know it’s from a belly ache.
Die before I wake. Wonderful.
Mog is doing this to me, wants me to think horrible thoughts—that’s why he’s making me lie here.
She wondered how much time had passed.
No more than a minute or two, probably.
This half hour is going to take forever.
In a very quiet whisper, Jane began to sing, “A hundred bottles of beer on the wall, a hundred bottles of beer, if one of those…”
She stopped, afraid her voice might hide the sound of Mog’s approach. She wanted to hear him if he came.
He’ll come, she told herself. He has to. It’s only a question of when—and what he’ll do when he gets here.
Silently set the envelope on her pile of clothes, and sneak away?
But what if this really is what it’s all about? What if the whole point of the Game was to get me here? Here where nobody will hear my screams. Here in this coffin—Mog’s bed? What if this whole thing is about raping me and torturing me and murdering me?
She suddenly remembered the pistol.
A gift from Mog himself. So lighten up, bucko. You’re not here to get nailed. Not by Mog, at least.
Reaching under the pillow, she took hold of it and pulled it out.
The heavy, solid feel of the pistol made her feel safe.
Everything’s just fine, she told herself.
Gun in hand, she straightened her arm down along her right side. She placed the flashlight by her left hip, searched nearby until she found her switchblade, then set the open knife onto her belly. Leaving it there so she could feel it and grab it quickly in an emergency, she lowered her left hand and gripped the flashlight.
Nothing to do now except wait.
Wait and listen to the ticking of the timer.
It didn’t actually make a ticking sound. More of a tock-tock-tock.
It was the beating of his miserable heart!
Right, start thinking about Poe stories, why don’t you? Wonderful idea.
Try “The Premature Burial.” Yeah, great.
And what if Mog’s idea of a good time is to sneak up while I’m in here and drop the lid on me and seal me in? Maybe there’s an open grave just waiting in the neighbor’s yard.
The one this coffin came out of, for instance.
He wouldn’t do that to me, she told herself.
You hope.
Could she shoot him through the lid? Maybe. The pistol was loaded with .22 long rifle cartridges. They were capable of blowing a hole through an inch of wood. But a strong, hard wood might stop them. It’d all depend on the lid.
It won’t come to that.
He won’t do anything to me. This is just another step in the Game. The whole deal is to have me strip and put on the nightie and stay in the coffin for half an hour.
Only this and nothing more.
When the half hour is up, I’ll get dressed and find an envelope full of money and go home.
Somewhere nearby, the floor creaked.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
The sound of the creaking board sent a shock of cold through Jane. Her body went stiff, heart slamming, hands tightening on her flashlight and pistol. She held her breath. She cursed the clock for its tock-tock-tock-tock that got in her ears and stopped them from hearing any slight disruption of the silence of the room.
Old houses make lots of sounds, she told herself. That one little noise doesn’t mean someone’s coming.
Wanta bet?
It’s Mog, she thought. He’s on his way. Maybe just to leave the envelope, or…
What if it isn’t Mog!
What if it’s Rale, or that creep from last night, or God only knows?
Shoot first and ask questions later.
Wonderful idea. And suppose it does turn out to be Mog? I’ve just blown away the goose that lays the golden egg. Or maybe some harmless kid or…
It’s nobody at all, she told herself. The noise meant nothing. Nobody’s here. Just relax. False alarm. God, you’re so tense. When the timer goes off, you’ll probably blow off a toe.
She thought about where the pistol was aimed, and figured that an accidental discharge wouldn’t hit any of her toes. Instead, it would probably gouge the side of her calf, and maybe hit the knob of bone sticking out from her ankle. Not to mention scorching her thigh with powder burns.
She wondered if the safety was on.
Then she wondered how much longer before the timer would ding.
Then a brilliant light blinded her and she gasped and jerked rigid.
“Jane!”
No! Not Brace! Of all the people in the world… better anyone than Brace. But it had been his voice saying her name, Jane was certain of that. It was Brace, and nobody else, standing at the end of the coffin shining the light in her face.
“Damn it!” she cried out, and flung up her right arm.
“Don’t shoot! It’s me!”
What’s he got, a headlight?
She used her upraised arm to shield her eyes. “Get that light out of my face!”
It didn’t move away, it moved down.
“Damn it, Brace!”
As she sat up, the strap fell off her left shoulder. That side of the negligee slipped down. Her breast was caught naked in Brace’s beacon.
The light jumped away from it.
And came to a stop, as if by accident, aiming down at an angle between her parted legs.
Jane cried out, “Damn it!” and threw her legs together and hunched forward, an arm across her breasts. “Turn it off! Just turn it off!”
Instead of killing the light, he swept its beam away from her. She was no longer in its bright center, but still lit by the glow.
“How’s that?” Brace asked.
“Turn it off!”
“Sorry, I can’t.”
“What do you mean, you can’t?”
“I mean I won’t. Not in a place like this.”
“You didn’t have it on when you were sneaking up on me.”
“That was different.”
“You bastard.”
“Get on up out of there, Jane,” he said, sounding very calm. “We need to get out of here.”
“What’re you doing here?”
“I was worried about you.”
“You followed me!”
“I know.”
“You followed me! You had no right! Damn you! What right do you think you had? You don’t own me! Jesus! What the hell did you think you were doing? Just get out of here! Get the hell out! Go!”
“I don’t think it’s safe for you to be here.”
“So what!” Jane blurted. “Just get out and leave me alone! This isn’t any of your business!”
The beam swung back at her. She cringed and turned her face away. “Get that off me!”
It stayed. “I think we’d better leave,” Brace said.
“I think you’d better leave.”
“Not without you.”
“Ho! Not without me? Who the fuck do you think you are? Get out of here!”
“Look at yourself,” he said.
Jane didn’t move. “I know what I’m doing.”
“You do?”
“Yes!”
“You know where you are?”
“Yes!”
“You know what you’re wearing?”
“Damn it, get that light off me!”
“Look what he’s doing to you, Jane.”
“He isn’t doing anything—except giving me a hell of a lot of money.”
“Sure looks like he’s making you do a strip and sleep in a casket.”
“He isn’t making me. I’m doing it because I want to. There’s a big difference.”
“How much are you getting paid this time?”
“Maybe nothing, thanks to you.” Turning her head, she scowled at Brace through the glare of the light. “What the hell possessed you, damn it?”
He moved the light a little so it no longer blazed straight into her eyes. “I care about you,” he said.
“Great. I care about you, too. But what makes you think that gives you the right to screw around with my life?”
“It probably doesn’t,” he admitted.
“Damn right, it doesn’t! If I’d wanted you in on this, I would’ve told you so. I didn’t want you in on this. That’s how come I lied about the note.”
“I already figured that out,” he said.
“Obviously. But you just decided to go ahead and butt in, anyway, didn’t you? God, I don’t follow you around. I don’t spy on you. You know why? Because I don’t do that sort of shit. I respect people’s privacy. Privacy. You know what that is? How would you like it if I did that to you? Huh? Snuck around and spied on you in the middle of the night? Do you think you’d like that?”
“I’m sorry you’re upset,” Brace said. “I’m not sorry I came here, though. Somebody…”
“I’ll bet you’re not. Got yourself a free show.”
“It wasn’t something I expected.”
“Bet you watched, though. Didn’t you!”
“Sure, I watched. Who wouldn’t?”
“A lot of people.”
“Well, sorry. But I don’t look away from things like that. I’m not a priest, and you’re not an ugly cow. So I watched. But I can’t say I enjoyed it much.”
“Oh, thanks.”
“For godsake, don’t let that offend you. I was too damn shocked to appreciate the view. I couldn’t believe you were really doing it.”
“Surprise, surprise.”
“I knew you were awfully eager to get as much money as you could from this guy, but… this is crazy. I never would’ve thought you’d stoop to it.”
“Sorry to disappoint you. But now you know. I’m nothing but a cheap slut. Nothing I won’t ‘stoop to’ for a buck.”
“I’m starting to wonder,” Brace said.
“Yeah, well, fuck you and the horse you rode in on.”
“Jane.”
“Get out of here, okay? Or haven’t you insulted me enough yet? Or are you waiting around for another eyeful? God-damn it, you weren’t supposed to be here! You’ve ruined everything! Everything!”
“Someone has to watch out for you, Jane.”
“No! My God, what do you think I am—an invalid?”
“You’re not an invalid,” he said softly.
“No, of course not. I’m a woman. Same difference, huh? I’m a woman, so I’m too damn stupid and emotional and weak to take care of myself. I need a big smart guy like you to make sure I stay out of trouble.”
“This isn’t trouble?”
“No,” she said.
“You’re dressed like a hooker and sitting in a casket with a gun in your hand.”
“So what?”
“Ah. This is normal behavior. I see.”
“There wasn’t supposed to be an audience.”
“Ah. If nobody’s watching, it isn’t happening? Like the tree that falls in the woods…”
“Exactly,” Jane said.
“Ah. But what about Mog? He’s watching, isn’t he?”
“I don’t know.”
“Of course he’s watching. Do you honestly think anybody would pay you to do these things unless he wants to watch them happen?”
“I wouldn’t know. I’ve never seen him. Have you seen him?”
“No.”
“Well, why the hell not?” she blurted, almost shouting. “You’ve seen everything else!”
“Take it easy, Jane. You’re getting upset again.”
“I’ve got a clue for you, buddy! I’ve never stopped being upset!”
“Look, let’s just get out of here.”
“You get out of here.”
“Someone might show up. What if the police come along and find us?”
“Who cares?”
“What do you care about, Jane?”
“I used to care about you.”
Brace suddenly kicked the coffin so hard that it jumped and scooted. The blow jolted Jane. She gasped. She felt stunned, and shaken, almost ready to cry.
“Don’t!”
“Game’s over, honey. Get out of there. Right now, or I’ll drag you out.”
“You’ve got no right!”
“Who cares?” he threw back at her. “Out. Now.”
“You bastard.”
“I know.”
“How’m I gonna get my money if I leave?”
“You won’t. At least I hope not. Learn to live on your salary like everyone else. You didn’t know where to draw the line, so I’m drawing it for you.”
Her right hand, pressed against her breast, still held the pistol. In her mind, she saw herself swing her arm forward and aim the weapon at Brace; she heard herself order him to leave the house. But then something went wrong. He lurched for Jane. Her finger twitched. Bam! Brace slumped to the floor, a bullet hole in his forehead.
I could make it happen. I could shoot him.
The thoughts slammed through Jane.
Shocked her. Killed her rage and shame and her will to resist. Suddenly feeling very tired, she lowered the pistol to her side. She stood up, leaving it at the bottom of the coffin, along with her flashlight and knife and the ticking timer. She could feel the strap still dangling against her arm. She knew that her breast was bare, and that the negligee hid nothing even where it covered her.
She was on her feet, facing Brace, totally exposed to his gaze.
She didn’t care at all. She felt weary and numb.
“You’d better get dressed,” Brace said.
“If you say so.” She slipped the negligee up her body and off, and let it fall.
“Jeez.” He sounded surprised and angry.
“You said I should get dressed,” she pointed out as the nightie settled softly across the tops of her feet. It felt light and ticklish like wisps of tissue paper. “You’re the boss,” she added.
Now who’s the calm one? she thought. Just look how calm I am. Very easy to be calm when everything’s ruined and nothing matters anymore.
Easy as pie.
“You don’t have to act crazy,” Brace muttered as he hurried around to the side of the coffin.
“What’s there to hide?” she said. “You’ve already seen everything.”
“It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”
“It never is.”
Crouching, he set his electric lantern on the floor and picked up Jane’s panties. He held them out to her. “Put these on.”
She felt the corners of her mouth curl up. “Are you sure you don’t want to fuck me first?” she asked.
“Of that I’m certain, my dear.”
She hit him very hard in the face with her fist. The blow made his head jerk a little sideways. But he turned back to Jane and gave her a terrible look of surprise and disappointment.
The timer went off just then, dinging like the bell at the end of a boxing round.
Jane burst into tears. She took the panties from Brace and bent over to step into them and lost her balance and he caught her by the shoulders and held her steady until she had her panties on. He held her again when she had trouble getting into her corduroys.
The bastard! Why doesn’t he mind his own fucking business and let me fall!
She wished she could stop crying.
When she tried to stop, however, it only got worse. She was bawling out of control by the time she’d finished dressing.
With Brace’s help, she gathered her belongings.
“What about that stuff?” Brace asked, shining his light at the negligee and timer still at the bottom of the coffin.
“They… aren’t… mine,” she gasped out between sobs.
“Are you sure you don’t want them?”
“Leave ‘em.”
“Okay. Let’s go, then.”
Brace led the way. Jane followed him out of the room and downstairs and out of the house. His car was parked on the rear lawn, next to hers.
“Will you be able to drive home all right?” he asked as he opened her car door.
Jane sniffled. She wiped her eyes. “I’m not drunk,” she said.
“You’re awfully upset.”
“You oughta know.”
“I’m sorry about all this.”
“Not as sorry as me.”
“Don’t bet on it,” he said.
“Yeah. Right.” She dropped onto the driver’s seat and tried to shut the door.
Brace held it open. “I’ll follow you home,” he said.
“Don’t bother.”
“I just want to make sure you get there okay.”
“Swell. But don’t… don’t think I’m gonna… let you in. I never… never never never… wanta see you again.”
He let go of the door, and Jane slammed it shut.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Still half-asleep the next morning, Jane rolled onto her side. The sheet beneath her body felt cool and slippery. Nice. But the mattress seemed strangely hard under her shoulder and hip. She tried to curl up. Her knees and heels bumped walls.
