Blood Games

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

Jim made no effort to escape as Vivian, holding his aim, led him across the field toward the lodge. The other three followed them, Abilene walking along with the water bottle while Finley supported Cora.

Jim’s cut-off jeans, held up only by the single rope over his shoulder, hung at a slant that bared the top of his left buttock. The way he looked reminded Abilene of the guy in New York City. Wade? Wayne. That guy had been shirtless, too, with his jeans low. She remembered how Wayne had led them back to the hotel, how she’d suspected he might try to pull something, and how upset Helen had been when they’d refused to let him into their rooms. Only Helen had trusted the guy. Only Helen had been right about him.

She wondered what Helen would have to say about their treatment of Jim.

He just wanted to help us, and look what we’ve done to him.

Hell, maybe he actually saved our lives. We’d fully intended to spend the night in the lodge. And that’s where we would’ve slept if he hadn’t thrown our stuff in the pool. Maybe Hank would’ve come along, just as Jim had feared, and gotten us all.

Instead, we hid in the woods. And he only got Helen. And she would’ve been okay if she hadn’t gone back on her own to grab a snack and go looking for the keys.

Maybe we should be thanking this guy.

Instead, I nailed him with my knife and tried to choke him and Finley knocked him down and now we’ve got him limping along with his hands tied and his leg bleeding.

To ease her feelings of guilt, Abilene told herself that Jim might’ve lied about everything.

He might not even have a brother.

Jim could be the one who butchered Helen.

His story had certainly sounded true, but he might’ve made up the whole thing.

We’d be fools to trust him.

But we didn’t trust Wayne that time. We should’ve.

At last, they entered the shadow cast by the lodge. ‘Let’s stop at the pool,’ Cora said. ‘I wanta soak.’

Vivian kept Jim standing while Abilene and Finley helped Cora sit on the edge of the pool.

‘I’m not sure hot water’s the thing for swelling,’ Abilene said as Cora lowered her feet into the water.

‘Maybe not. But it feels good.’

Finley jumped in.

‘What about us?’ Vivian asked.

‘He’s not getting in here with all that blood,’ Finley said. ‘We need to do something about his leg.’

‘I’ll watch him,’ Abilene offered. ‘Why don’t you go up and get the first-aid kit?’

‘Not alone,’ Cora said. She plunged the muzzles of the shotgun into the swirling water. ‘Finley, go with her.’

‘Let him bleed.’

‘I’ll go by myself.’

‘No. Finley!’

‘Shit.’ Finley boosted herself out of the pool.

‘Why don’t you take those with you, too?’ Cora said, nodding at Helen’s sneakers and the bag of chips propped between them.

Dripping, Finley picked up the shoes and bag. Then she strode ahead of Vivian toward the corner of the lodge.

‘Come over here,’ Abilene said. She took Jim’s arm and led him to the narrow drainage channel that led from the outer pool toward the woods. ‘I’ll clean you up.’

She helped Jim to sit down. He eased himself onto his back, then rolled over. Crouching beside him, Abilene cupped up water with both hands and began to rinse the blood off his injured leg. The wound was a raw vertical slit a few inches above the back of his knee. It leaked fresh blood as Abilene gendy cleaned the skin around it.

‘I’m sorry I did this to you,’ she whispered.

‘Don’t guess I blame ya,’ he said. ‘Ya thought I’d killed yer friend.’

‘Does it hurt much?’

‘Ain’t so bad. Just wish I wasn’t tied up, is all. I ain’t gonna run off.’

She saw the way the rope was pressing into his wrists, then looked over her shoulder.

Cora, still sitting on the edge of the pool, had her little finger up one of the shotgun barrels. She twisted it around. When she pulled it out, the finger was dark with mud.

‘The rope’s cutting off Jim’s circulation,’ Abilene said.

‘It’s gotta be tight or he’ll get loose.’

‘Sorry,’ Abilene told him. ‘We can’t take any chances.’

‘ Ya gonna keep me till Hank comes?’

‘That’s the idea.’ She cupped up more water and spilled it onto his leg, watching it turn pink as it mingled with his blood.

‘Yer gonna kill him, ain’tcha?’

‘Maybe.’

‘I can help.’

‘Help us kill your own brother?’

‘I hate him. Hank, he’s always tormentin’ me. ’Sides, I don’t want him cuttin’ ya up like he done the fat one. Don’t want him cuttin’ up none a ya. I think yer all pretty nice, ’n…’

‘Say cheese,’ Finley called.

Even before looking up, Abilene knew she was being taped. Sure enough, Finley stood at the corner of the lodge, the cam-cordcr to her face while Vivian approached with the first-aid kit.

‘Quit screwing around and come over here,’ Cora called to Finley.

Abilene rinsed off the leg once more as Vivian knelt across from her. Then she leaned forward and used the tail of her blouse to dry the area surrounding the gash. She held the cloth there until Vivian had a bandage ready. When she took it away, Vivian covered the wound with a wide, adhesive strip.

‘Thanks,’ Jim said. ‘Both a ya.’ He started to roll over, but Abilene held him down.

‘Just a minute. I’ll wash off your other leg.’

He nodded. Abilene scooped up more water and began to rinse the smears of blood off his right leg.

Vivian picked up the first-aid kit. ‘We oughta patch your back,’ she said, heading for Cora. ‘And there’s an Ace bandage in here.’

‘Later,’ Cora said. ‘I’m planning to soak a while as soon as I’ve got this taken care of.’

Finished with Jim, Abilene got to her feet. She slipped out of her moccasins, pulled off her socks, and stepped into the drainage channel. The warm water washed over the tops of her feet. She bent down and splashed it up her legs. As she rubbed at the blood stains, she watched Cora break open the shotgun, remove the two shells, and peer down the barrels.

Finley dug a fresh shell out of a pocket.

Cora took it from her, slipped it into the breech, then replaced the unused shell and snapped the barrels back into place. She tossed the empty shell. It tumbled through the air and landed silently in the grass.

Finley patted Cora on the head. Grinning, she said, ‘Loaded for bear.’ Then she jumped into the pool.

‘Why don’t you take a peek inside?’ Cora suggested.

With a nod, Finley waded over to the archway.

‘No funny business,’ Cora warned.

‘Who, me?’ She leaned into the opening. After a few moments, she backed away. ‘Nobody there.’

Cora looked around. Apparently satisfied that Hank was nowhere in sight, she set down the shotgun alongside the pool and lowered herself to the submerged ledge. She winced a bit as her shoulders sank below the surface. ‘Damn cat,’ she muttered.

‘You coming in?’ Finley asked Vivian.

‘No way.’

‘Feels good.’

‘I’m sure it does.’

‘I took a good look around inside. No sign of that headless body floating around. Ghost or otherwise.’

Ignoring her, Vivian walked toward Abilene. ‘You can get in, if you want.’

‘Bring the kid over,’ Cora said.

Together, Abilene and Vivian helped him up. They led him to the near side of the pool and held him steady while he sat on its edge and lowered his feet into the water.

‘If one of you wants to loosen the rope a little,’ Cora said, ‘go ahead.’

‘What’s the big idea?’ Finley blurted.

‘It’s too tight,’ Abilene told her.

‘He won’t try anything.’ Cora reached out and patted the stock of the shotgun. ‘You won’t try anything, kid. You’ll just sit there.’

‘I’ll take care of it,’ Vivian said, and crouched behind Jim’s back.

‘For Godsake,’ Finley muttered.

Though eager to get into the water, Abilene waited while Vivian picked open the knots and removed the rope. Jim flexed his hands, wiggled his fingers. Both his hands were stained with dry, rust-colored blood. She hadn’t thought to clean them. And didn’t want to bother now. She watched Vivian retie the hands.

‘How’s that?’

‘I guess better.’

Vivian fingered the binding, then glanced up at Abilene. ‘I think that’ll hold him.’

‘Looks okay to me.’ She stepped over to a corner of the pool, sat down, and eased herself into the water. She sighed as the heat soothed the itches of her skin. She dunked her head. She rubbed her scalp, raised her head out of the water and swept back her hair.

She didn’t want to sit beside Jim’s dangling legs. Cora and Finley were seated across from him. That left only the shelf opposite the archway. She waded over to it, scanned the rear grounds of the lodge, then turned around and lowered herself onto the granite ledge. She slumped down until her chin touched the water.

And found herself staring through the opening at the inside pool.

She could see straight across the shadowed surface. She could see past the far side of the pool to the stairway. Just off to the right, barely blocked from her view by the edge of the archway, would be the door to the men’s changing room. To the showers. To Helen lying dead in the darkness.

She quickly turned her face away.

And met Jim’s eyes.

‘Ain’tcha gonna tell ’em?’ he said.

‘Tell us what?’ Cora asked.

‘He says he wants to help us. He says he hates his brother, Hank, and wants to help us kill him.’

‘That’s right,’ Jim said. ‘He’s crazy ’n mean.’

Finley smirked. ‘And you want to kill him, huh?’

‘Sure do.’

‘When did this urge suddenly come upon you?’

‘Huh?’

‘How come, all of a sudden, you feel like wasting the bastard? Seems as if you would’ve had plenty of opportunities before now. I mean, he’s your brother. I assume he lives with you. If he’s all that bad, why haven’t you ever nailed him in his sleep, or something?’

Jim lowered his head. ‘Hank ain’t normal,’ he muttered. ‘He don’t sleep like regular folks. He don’t shut his eyes. Can’t. Ain’t got no eyelids.’

‘He what?’ Vivian blurted.

‘Bom that way.’

‘Bullshit,’ Finley said. ‘No eyelids? Gimme a break.’

‘That’s how come I can’t do nothing to him when he’s asleep. He’ll be snorin’ away, and starin’ right at me, ’n they’re the awfulest eyes. They’re blue in the middle, this real clear blue, but where they’re white on other folks, they’re red on him. Like they got blood in ’em.’

‘My God,’ Vivian murmured.

‘He’s making this up,’ Finley said.

‘Ain’t neither. The worst thing is, he has me lick ’em.’ Vivian gaped at Jim. ‘His eyes?’

‘I can’t get anywhere near him but what he makes me lick his eyes. Every day. Every night. They’s dry ’n sticky, ’n the way they slide around on my tongue… It’s enough to make ya sick. But he beats on me if I don’t’

‘No wonder you want to kill him,’ Vivian said.

Abilene felt sick. This was the man who’d forced Helen into the shower room, who’d ripped her with a knife, who’d probably raped her?

Did he make Helen lick his eyes?

She suddenly felt too hot in the water. She pushed herself up and sat on the ledge and crossed her legs. The hot air felt almost cool after the greater heat of the water.

‘That’s about the most disgusting thing I ever heard,’ Cora said.

‘It’s just awful, bein’ his brother. The only good thing’s when I can get away from him. But sometimes, he don’t let me go. Cause he can’t go out, hisself. Not in the daytime. And he don’t wanta be left all alone. So I gotta stay with him in die cabin. And he won’t allow no light in. We got the windows covered, and the door shut, and it’s just so dark and smelly in there, and he’s always wantin’ me to lick him. And then when I do, he gets all carried away, ’n…’

‘Wait,’ Cora said.

‘… does stuff to me.’

‘What kind of stuff?’ Finley asked.

‘Don’t wanta tell.’

‘Wait,’ Cora said again. ‘He can’t go outside in daylight?’

‘Hurts his eyes too bad.’

‘So he isn’t going to show up here? Not until after dark?’

‘No. Huh-uh.’

‘Thank God for that,’ Vivian muttered.

The news cheered Abilene. If it’s true, she thought, we can relax for a while. We’ll be safe till after the sun goes down. ‘What is it, about three now?’ she asked.

‘Three or four. I’d think,’ Cora said.

‘Shouldn’t be really dark until about nine.’

‘Gives us plenty of time to get ready for him.’

‘We could go to him,’ Finley said. ‘Stage a little surprise attack.’

‘Yeah, right. I’m not walking anywhere. The three of you want to go off after him and leave me here?’

‘Forget it,’ Vivian said.

‘Where’s your place?’ Finley asked.

‘Other side a the lake.’

‘And he’s there alone?’

Jim nodded.

‘What about the rest of your family?’ Vivian asked him. ‘All the others. Don’t you have… a lot of kinfolks?’

‘Just me and Hank.’

‘We heard it was a whole bunch that attacked the lodge that night. You said your brother was there.’

‘Yeah. We had us a right big family, back then. The rest of ’em, they all died off. The fever got ’em. Now there’s only just us two. Wish the fever’d gotten Hank. Him ’n me was spared, though.’

‘Too bad about that,’ Finley said.

‘So he’s the only one we’ll have to deal with,’ Cora said. ‘And not till after dark. This is looking better and better.’

‘Waiting’s gonna be a bitch,’ Abilene said.

‘It’ll give us time to get ready for him.’

‘We should probably eat and rest up,’ Vivian suggested.

‘Is the sun over the yardarm yet?’ Finley asked.

‘We oughta lay off the booze,’ Cora said.

‘A couple of drinks can’t hurt.’ Finley grinned up at Jim. ‘How about you? You look like a guy who could use a libation.’

‘He can’t drink with his hands tied,’ Abilene said. ‘Somebody could hold the glass for him. How about it, fella? Do you like tequila?’

‘I don’ know.’

‘Good stuff. It’ll put hair on your chest.’

His chest was darkly tanned. It was smooth and hairless. You don’t need any hair on your chest, Abilene thought. And she remembered that she’d spoken those very words. Only last year.