“Sorry. Someone must’ve been out hunting and not realized there was anyone else out here.”
“Someone, but not you,” Nora said pointedly.
“I’m not much of a hunter,” said Patty.
Nora pulled herself to her feet without the assistance of her aunt’s hand. She wobbled, her legs weak with fear, and leaned on the shattered tree for support. When she looked over and spotted the bullet lodged in the bark, she weakened further and found herself caught under one arm by Charlie, who was somehow less affected by his tenure as a bull’s-eye than Nora was. She eyed Patty with a knot in her stomach. Neither she nor Charlie had been particularly focused on anything but not dying during the barrage of gunshots. There was nothing to say Patty hadn’t been the one doing the shooting, moving closer as they fled. Though that didn’t explain why she didn’t shoot them now, or when they were still on the ground. Nothing made sense. Again.
“Why do you have a gun if you don’t hunt?” Nora said, voice trembling.
“You never know what you’re going to run into when you live out in the middle of nowhere,” Patty said simply. “Now, are either of you hurt?”
Nora scanned her body from top to bottom, finding none but the usual holes. She shook her head. Charlie, still propping her up, mimicked the gesture.
“Good,” said Patty. “Good. Why don’t you come back home with me and we’ll get you cleaned up?”
Nora shook her head again.
“At least let me walk you back to Mom and Dad’s,” Patty tried again. She indicated her gun. “Like I said, you never know what you’re going to run into out here.”
Nora looked down at the weapon. It seemed to look back at her, regarding her with a smugness that said it knew exactly what it was capable of. Nora wasn’t sure she or Charlie had much of achoice in the matter in regard to Patty’s offer. She wasn’t willing to risk what could happen if she said no. Instead she pressed herself firmly between Patty and Charlie as they resumed their walk back to the little red house.
“Phil said he saw you coming out here,” Patty said, answering a question that hadn’t been asked. Her voice was tight, almost defensive. “That’s how I knew where to find you.”
“You were trying to find us?” Nora said.
Patty didn’t answer this. Instead she said, “Phil says he’s likely got another few days to go on your car repairs, then you can get on your way.”
“You suddenly seem to be in a hurry for us to leave,” said Nora, a list of all the ways someone could fatally sabotage a car running through her mind.
“I’m sure you have things you want to get back to.”
Nora realized Patty hadn’t made eye contact with either of them once since she’d arrived. “I’m glad I found you out here,” Patty continued, still focused straight ahead. “Charlie, I’ve been meaning to ask if I could borrow you for some help with a few things around the house. Nora mentioned you’ve done some odd jobs over the years. Not sure if any of those were particularly handy, but I’m sure you’ve got the knack.”
“No,” said Nora in Charlie’s stead. The thought of Charlie alone in Patty’s house—Patty, who was now confirmed to own a gun, and to be keeping tabs on their movement—made Nora feel like collapsing all over again. “Phil’s handy,” she said. “Why don’t you ask him, since you two are so close?”
“Phil’s helping out at the farm with his dad today,” said Patty.
“The farm,” Nora repeated. “Where you were bringing the rope?”
“That’s right.”
They emerged from the trees, the gloomy day brightening slightly without the cover of a foliage ceiling.
“You seem skeptical,” Patty continued. “I know that incident in the woods must have been quite rattling. Are you sure you’re okay?”
Nora didn’t say anything. In truth there was nothing worth saying. Of course she wasn’t okay, but there was no use explaining that to one of the main reasons for it.
“I’m actually heading back there now,” said Patty. “Why don’t you two come with me? You haven’t been out there yet, have you? It might be a nice change of scenery after all of this, and I’m sure Vic could use some extra hands.”
A farm was unappealing at the best of times: the smell, the rusty equipment, the animals who had no right being as big or trample-capable as they were. But the alternative was returning to the little red house to spend the rest of the day with Richard and Ruby who were, at minimum, accomplices in the attempts on Charlie’s life. At least the farm offered witnesses. Witnesses who might also be involved, to be sure, but there was still a sliver of ever-unreliable hope that they would be on the twins’ side.
“Okay,” said Nora, surprising everyone, not least herself.
“Okay,” said Patty. “Right this way.”
And just like that, Nora and Charlie walked voluntarily into what was very likely a trap.
22
