He gave Roman directions to the Ruban estate, and when he hung up, for the first time since this nightmare had started to unfold, he knew a small sense of relief.
* * *
In a small, unused room in a forgotten part of Delaney Ruban’s house, candles were burning, on pedestals, in cups, on plates, even on the floor.Candlelight flickered upon the walls and on the bare, lithe body of Matilda Bass, giving the cafe au lait color of her skin a rich, golden glow.
Her hair was undone and hanging well below her waist and she moved as one in a trance, methodically unrolling a cloth she’d brought into the room.A handful of small, white bones fell out of the folds, arranging themselves in a crude sort of circle as they rolled to a stop.
She leaned forward, her bare breasts shifting, and she was barely aware of the thick, silken length of her hair against the skin on her back, blind to the candlelight surrounding her as she sat.
At her side lay a knife, the shaft, old and yellowed.The blade was long and thin, the kind that pierces and kills and leaves nothing behind but a tiny, red mark.The carvings on the handle were old and held a power all of their own.
When Joshua entered, Tilly sensed the air in the room stirring, and somewhere within her mind, she sifted through the change and knew that nothing threatened what she was about to do.Her focus shifted again as she went to her knees before the circle of bones, whispering in a language that she’d learned at her grandmother’s knee.
* * *
Lash downshifted Fostoria Biggers’s small white compact and turned into the overgrown driveway leading up to her house.It was nearly dark, and he knew that coming out here was risky, but he wanted to see for himself that the mighty Casey Ruban had been brought to her knees.Using Fostoria’s car was just another way of blurring his trail.
The house was small and nearing total dilapidation.In fact, if possible, it was in worse condition than his beloved Graystone.Fostoria’s porch had sagged some years ago, and was nearly rotted through from the wetlands upon which it had been built.Paint had peeled off all the siding except in a few sheltered places, and the curtains that hung at the windows were faded and limp.The grass in the yard was ankle high and Lash winced as he thought of walking through it.There was no telling what kind of reptiles were lying in wait.
He made it through the yard and onto the porch.Sidestepping the worst of the sag in the planks, he walked into the house as if he owned it.Bernie Pike spun toward the sound, his gun pointed directly at Lash’s chest.
“Dammit, Marlow, you scared the hell out of me.”
Lash frowned.“Point that thing somewhere else.”
Bernie did as he was told.
“Where is she?”Lash asked.
Bernie pointed toward the first door on the right down the hall.“I put her in there.It was the only room that had a bed.”
Lash nodded.
“When’s Skeet comin’ to relieve me?”
Lash frowned.“I told you two to guard her.I didn’t think I would have to set up a work schedule for you as well.Call him and find out for yourself.”
Bernie shivered and glanced nervously out the open door.“I’m ready to get my money and get the hell out of this swamp.There’s snakes and lizards and all matter of critters out here.When is it all goin’ down?”
“Day after tomorrow.”
Bernie frowned and then cursed.“What’s the holdup?I thought them people had plenty of money.”
Lash glanced down the hall at the closed door and then grinned.“Oh, they do, but I intend to delay the inevitable as long as possible.Why put her out of her misery—until she knows what real misery is like?”
There was an expression on Lash Marlow’s face that made Bernie Pike shudder.He shifted his gun to his other hand, thankful that he was working for this man, not running from him.
“So, what do you want me to do?”Bernie asked.
Lash took a deep breath, his pulse quickening as he glanced at the closed door.“Get out.Get out and don’t come back inside until I tell you to.”
Bernie looked startled and then a slow grin spread across his face as he did what he was told.
When the house was quiet, and Lash could hear nothing but the sound of his own heartbeat in his ears, he gave his rabbit’s foot a last quick rub, and started down the hall.
* * *
Casey’s hands were numb and her throat was dry.She needed a drink in the very worst way, but calling attention to herself was the last thing she wanted to do.As long as her abductor thought she was asleep, he pretty much left her alone.
