Approaching Menace (31 page)

Josie momentarily considered asking for what, but she knew.

“LauraLee believed her added weight caused the need for these separate beds.” His hand that wasn’t fingering the scarf indicated their sleeping places. “She thought a diet or class that improved her mind would make me want her again.” Once more he appeared lost in thought.

Josie saw it as an opportunity to move past him. She slid inches from the bathroom door when he started again. “But she never has discovered what makes me lust.”

Josie quit moving.

He had shifted so that he stood only a foot before her. “But
you
know, Josie. You’ve always known.”

She found a voice. “What did I know, Mr. Allen?”

He leaned forward, his hot breath reaching her. Randall Allen gave her a pleasant smile. “You discovered how to get me excited.” Before she could even wonder, he said, “You know I love fear, Josie. The terror…and I can count on you to always reveal it to me.” He shivered. “Your morbid dread of bad weather. And alarm for your brother.”

“Colin,” Josie said, but his name went unheeded.

“I’ve witnessed your fear from the moment we moved in next door to you. Fear!”

She drew her head back. “No.”

A sick smile claimed his face. Sweat glistened on his chest. “Now you’ve teased me enough.”

He lunged for her.

Chapter 23

Josie unglued herself from the wall and shoved past him, but Allen hurtled into her path toward the door.

“That’s right,” he whispered, nudging against her, “go on. To her bed. You go and lie on LauraLee’s bed.” His hand moved to his belt while his other hand pressed her toward where his wife slept.

“No. I can’t. Won’t. Don’t do this,” she said.

“I didn’t want those other women. Just you.” He grabbed her by the shoulders and flung her across the bed. His weight dropped on top of her.

Knifelike pain shot through Josie once she landed on her side and his sweaty chest and heavy body dropped across her. She couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t think.

He was doing something….

She saw his hands gathering firm grips on the scarf. Like a rope, the blue fabric came toward her neck.

Josie bent her legs. Mustering every ounce of her strength, she used her hands and feet to shove him.

He rolled off her. Allen uttered obscenities and she slid off the bed and darted for the door. He stepped into her path, his eyes glazed with fury. “You’re mine!”

He grabbed Josie’s arm and wrenched it behind her.

She saw the dark rope fling above her head. The scarf tightened around her neck, cutting off her breath.

Josie gasped as excruciating pain lanced her neck. He was dragging her to LauraLee’s bed.

Shoving an arm back, she reached for the wall. Her fingers stretched, trying to clutch anything.

She touched soft fabric. A dress LauraLee might be smocking.

Josie let the material go. Spots crisscrossed her vision. He tugged, tightening the scarf on her neck. Absolute blackness was filling her brain.

Battling to keep from yielding to her mind’s distortion, she shoved her hand back. Her fingers caught in the scarf edge before she touched the sewing table. Through the fabric she felt a long smooth object.

“I’ll have you now!” he screamed like a wild creature. Flinging Josie to the bed, he dropped above her, his knees pinning her arms down.

Her neck whipped back. Her windpipe felt sliced.

His eyes, vicious black balls, pressed nearer her face. The scarf crushed into her neck.

Dots blacker than night stopped Josie’s vision. She thought she could hear a machine. Humming. Colin’s fuzzy face appeared inside a black spot.

With Randall Allen above her, leaning, tightening, Josie twisted an arm loose. She raised the cold steel she held and plunged LauraLee’s scissors into his neck.

He screamed, his weight leaving Josie as he reeled back.

She inhaled, painfully struggling to draw in air.

Allen cursed and thrashed. Flailing, he came back at her.

She rolled, drawing in short, painful breaths. Her legs wobbled as her feet located the floor.

A voice not sounding like a person’s split the air. “You’re dead!”

Josie’s panting made unbearable gasps catch in her throat. She heaved to the door and hurled herself through to the hall. Grappling for doorways, she remembered the wider one would take her away from the bedrooms. Every nerve in her body felt severed. Labored, panting breaths followed. She reached the wider doorway and darted through.

Something pricked her outreaching fingers. The flowering cactuses on the table. Josie scrambled through the kitchen. Almost to safety.

An animal’s outcry came from behind. A wet hand grabbed her arm.

She swirled.

Allen’s face looked distorted as he stretched out to hold her. A metal flash came from his neck where he was pulling at the scissors, his blood purple in the dark.

He clutched Josie’s wrist, dragging her back.

“Noooo!” she screamed, wrenching her arm loose. With more strength than she’d ever known, she shoved him.

She yanked the door open.

The wind yowled. A gust sucked at her.

She made out what was happening. Horizontal rain slashed the air. Trees’ branches thrashed. Branches flew and an awning soared on a wind blast. Josie’s knees buckled. Panic gripped her from the man inside, and out here she met her worst fears of treacherous weather.

What she witnessed was horrible. But Randall Allen was behind her.

She ran out, forcing her legs to fight the tugging gale force winds pulling her from the path to her house.

Struggling to get back on course, she thought the sound in her head could be her heart pounding. Or Randall Allen’s feet tracing hers across the soaked grass.

A sweep of howling wind blew her feet out from under her.

Falling on her knees, Josie swung her gaze toward her house. It was totally dark. Holding Colin. Alone. Surely numb with fear.

She stumbled to her feet and a clatter sounded. Glancing back, she saw things tumbling. One bulky object resembled a man.

* * *

Andrew saw the problem before he reached it. Josie’s side of town, he had just heard on the news, was without power. No lights came from houses or street posts now that he’d driven halfway across the city. A great wall of black stretched as far as he could see, except for spotlights and blue lights swirling on top of police cars.

Trucks and minivans lined up before him, all stalled. Most had their headlights off. Those just reaching the spot kept theirs on.

He swerved into the left lane and drove his motorcycle past the stopped vehicles.

A patrolman flagged him down. “You can’t go through here,” he said. “Two trees are down. We’re about to start turning all these cars around.”

Andrew nodded ahead. “I just need to get a few blocks straight down there.”

“Some power lines fell in that area. Nobody’s allowed till we get it all checked out.”

Andrew turned his bike around and roared back where he had come from. When he reached the next corner, he hooked a left, heading in another route down a blackened street toward Josie’s house.

* * *

Josie felt something catch around her face. She screamed.

Yanking off what clung, she expected to see Sylvie’s scarf. But saturated insulation filled her hand. She flung it, thrusting her head forward and ordering her legs to keep pumping toward her dark house.

The wind whizzed, fighting her. It followed her inside.

She heaved the weight of her body against the kitchen door to shut it. Heart thumping, she needed to still her trembling hands to turn the lock. She threw the deadbolt.

Finally inside her own house, Josie pressed her cheek to the door and squeezed her eyes shut. They stung. She was shaking. Flashes of Randall Allen’s wild eyes exploded through her thoughts.

The abominable weather slammed into her mind. And the little girl’s dead body.

“No.” Josie willed her body to stop quivering. Whatever happened was done with, and now she was here and not there. She had a young brother to take care of.

Where was he?

“Colin,” she managed to call out, her small voice quavering.

She moved across the dark kitchen, hearing only the wind’s howl. Her shoes sloshed as she slid into the den. And plunged into a person.

“Josie! I’ve been scared.” Shudders ran through Colin’s shoulders. He clung to her waist, releasing huge sobs.

She leaned and held him tight. “Me, too.” She didn’t trust herself to say more. Here was peace. Normalcy. She held him and allowed more of her tears to fall.

All was black, even out the windows she glanced through while they held each other. Judging from the sound, the rain had slackened. No person’s shape was apparent. She couldn’t tell whether Allen was out there.

She certainly couldn’t speak his name now. Raising one hand, she wiped tears from her face and Colin’s.

He burrowed his head against her. “The phone won’t work. All the lights went out,” he whimpered.

“I know.” She rubbed his back. Everything inside her screamed for her to stay where they were. Their brick house was much safer than being out there. Randall Allen might be waiting right outside the door. Surely the hurricane was. Sooner or later their electricity would be restored. But when? Surely not today. Branches were down and probably poles and wires.

Colin needed dialysis. She couldn’t crank his machine for three hours. Suppose he couldn’t use Fred for another day or two?

A simple answer, she thought as she peeled her brother from her rib cage. Colin would die.

“We need to get out,” she said. “The hospital will have electricity.” Colin would feel safer there with the lights on. So would she. She clutched his hand and led him through the kitchen. At the door, she looked down at Colin. Then she peered out the window.

Nobody right outside stared back at her.

But suppose their neighbor was near the steps?

She strained to see through the window over the sink. Chains from the swing twisted, whipping around. She couldn’t see the swing but doubted that anyone sat on it. She hoped not.

“Come on, let’s go.” She swallowed and unlocked the door, gripping the eight-year-old’s hand and keeping him behind her, hoping she could protect him if needed.

The wind shoved them. She felt Colin pull back. He sounded barely able to catch his breath.

“It’s okay,” Josie said, squeezing his hand, forcing him to look at her. “We’re going to be all right, Colin.”

His pupils were wide. His lips folded, held tight between his teeth.

She gave him the best smile she could muster.

“Okay,” he whispered.

Leaning into the chilled wind and pulling him behind, Josie fought her rising fear. No one was visible near their door. She strained to see toward the Allen house.

She made out a rectangle darker than the rest of his house. The side door—still open.

Rain fell lighter than before, sweeping sideways. Objects she couldn’t make out flew by in the yard and what appeared to be a child’s large toy. Maybe Annie’s bike. Josie kept a tight grip on her brother’s hand and dashed to her car.

“A light,” Colin said when she opened her car door. He looked hopeful at the small glow overhead and she also felt grateful.

“We’ll find some others.” She shut her door and started her car.

The motor whined.

Colin’s face whipped toward her.

Please God, not now, Josie thought, again cranking the engine.

Gas fumes burst forth.

Stop, Josie told herself, heart thrusting against her chest. Just wait a minute. Then use a light touch.

Colin’s eyes were pale spheres watching her in the dark car. He knows, she analyzed. He knows how terrified I am. He knows my horror of this weather.

But he doesn’t know about the other terror out there.

Where was Randall Allen? Was he hobbling toward them this minute, wounded and furious? Staggering inside the garage? Was he getting behind them right now?

She cranked the ignition and the motor caught. Shifting to reverse, she saw Colin’s anxious expression lighten a pinch.

Where was Andrew? Josie would have wanted him near for so many reasons. She attempted to run her hand through her hair. Her fingers caught in drenched knots on her scalp. She rubbed her palm over the fabric seat of the car to dry it and willed herself to speak with courage. “We will be all right, Colin.” She patted his arm and offered a wan smile. “You know stupid me and automobiles.”

The comment made him grin.

She backed to the driveway. Something slammed against the rear of her car.

Josie’s head jerked, not from impact but terror.

Randall Allen.

Josie smashed her foot to the floorboard, and her brother gave a sharp cry as her car propelled backward.

Not until she reached the road did she look to see what had accosted them.

A cracked tree limb lay behind the garage.

She didn’t wait to study their surroundings to determine whether Randall Allen was coming near. Josie jettisoned down the street.

Chapter 24

“I need to use a phone!” Sylvie yelled, shoving through noisy people and shadows in the darkened mall to reach Amber Lockland. “I can’t wait any longer. I need to call my children!”

She grabbed the phone Amber held and punched in her number. To hell with the others around who’d been waiting. So had she.

Shadowy clumps of people with frightened voices filled the mall’s center court outside the jewelry store where her co-worker Amber stood.

Buzzing sounded in Sylvie’s ear. She pushed the off button and redialed.

Again she heard buzzing.

“It’s no use, Sylvie,” Amber said. “A lot of phone lines around town went out when that tornado went through. Nobody’s been able to dial out in the last twenty minutes.”

Almost everyone left in stores had come to the center court after the mall’s lights blacked out. Women screamed and men yelled, some barking orders. Down the common area, dim emergency lights glowed in shops. A fainter light than usual had come on in the central hall, but the air conditioners remained off. People sweated. Sylvie was warmer from anxiety than from the heat of so many bodies crowded together.