a stream from here to the ocean.”
Terrie stirred. Glenn felt her pressed up near him. He couldn’t hold off much longer.
As the Olds bounced over the rough road, Terrie lifted her head. Glenn peeked in her direction. In the soft glow of the car’s interior light she looked even prettier than she had before. Better than anything he’d been close to in a long time. Way she was built, he didn’t much care what she looked like. Still, a pretty face made it all that much better.
“Where are we?” Terrie asked. Trees surrounded them. She didn’t see any lights that identified a ranch. “Are we lost?”
Glenn laughed, hoping to reassure her. What he didn’t need was a panicky chick. All he had to do was get inside her and she would like it. He would make sure she did. This might be her last time ever. If so, he owed her the best she’d ever had.
“We’re a long ways from lost,” he said. “Virginia and Slim’s place is right on up Shell Peak Road. My little buddy here has to relieve himself. We all can.”
“I don’t need to yet.”
“Suit yourself.”
They had turned off on a dirt logging road and were now some hundred yards or so west of Shell Peak Road. A clearing loomed ahead.
“Man, stop this thing,” Jimmy begged. “I’m about to bust.”
Glenn pulled into the clearing and killed the motor. He turned out the lights and they were enveloped in a darkness that was near absolute and frightening.
“Give me some light,” Jimmy said as he jumped out the car door and ran towards the bushes.
He assured himself that he wasn’t afraid of the dark but he didn’t want to trip over a rock or slam his face into a tree. Glenn pulled the switch and white light slashed through the darkness.
“My little buddy is afraid of the dark,” he said to Terrie. “You wait here and I’ll be back before you hardly know I’m gone.”
For the first time since climbing into the car, Terrie looked like she was having second thoughts about accepting this ride. Jimmy wondered if like him she was even beginning to doubt there was a ranch or a Slim and Virginia who had a singing group staying with them. The clearing in front was lighted until it reached the trees, near where John had vanished.
As Jimmy stood there passing water, relief spread over him. He was zipping up when Jay joined him.
“Man,” Jimmy said, “I think we oughta take the chick back to the highway and let her out. We aren’t ever gonna get to Seattle if we keep stopping all the time.”
Glenn relieved himself and they stepped out into the open. “Seattle can wait,” he said. “We’ll get there. But first I’m gonna get me some of that.”
“Some of what?”
“Little Terrie, you asshole, that’s what.”
“What if she doesn’t want to give it?”
“I didn’t say I was going to ask her for it, did I? You remember me saying that? What I said was, I’m gonna get me some of that. If she don’t want to give it, then I’ll take it. For damned sure though I’m gonna fuck her in the next five minutes.”
“Are you crazy? We don’t need that kind of trouble. You force yourself on her and she’ll go running to the cops before we’re out of sight. Besides, you told me yourself you were infected.”
“Don’t let it worry you, little buddy. Cops won’t bother us. Some chick like her is the reason I got a leaky dick. Look around. There’s plenty of room to bury her up here where she’ll never be found. She raises too much fuss, that’s exactly what I’ll do.”
Jimmy felt a chill start at the back of his neck and spread over his entire being. What kind of a man had he teamed up with? First the old bastard wanted to screw anything he could find and then said something about a bank job. Now he was talking of rape and, worse yet, maybe murder. If Jay was willing to kill Terrie, wouldn’t he go even further and decide to leave no witnesses?
Jimmy’s jaw set in the characteristic way he’d had since a small boy. Why was he even thinking this? The man wasn’t going to kill anybody. Not if Jimmy Dale Taylor had anything to say about it.
“You just stay away from the car,” Glenn warned. “Don’t come around until I say I’m through. This is one time you ain’t gonna interfere. I’m telling you for sure there’s plenty of room to bury two people up here. If you get in my way, that’s exactly what’ll happen.”
Jimmy couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He was tempted to run down the mountain, even though the night was dark. No, he would have to ride it out. Even had his own life not been threatened, it wasn’t his nature to stand by and let something happen to a woman.
Besides, where would he go?
But there was no way he could stop this big son of a bitch from doing what he wanted to do. Not unless he had an equalizer. He had to have that gun. Just in case. For protection, that’s what Jay had said.
“Wait till I get something out of the car,” Jimmy said. “I don’t want to sit here waiting without something to drink.”
“Get what you need now. No matter what, don’t come back to the car until I say you can. When I climb on top, I don’t want no interruptions. Or no audience either. You gotta pay if you want to watch and you ain’t got that kind of money.”
Room to bury her where she’ll never be found. These words rolled over and over through Jimmy’s head as he hurried towards the car, angling to his left where he could make his approach from the passenger’s side. Room enough for two if you interfere.
Terrie’s window was rolled down. She was shivering. Jimmy bet it wasn’t from the cold.
“Why are we still here?” she asked. “Jay said we were only going to stop for a minute or two. What have you and him been talking about?”
“I’m going to get something to drink. Hand me the wine bottle, will you?”
“Where are you going?”
“I won’t be far away.”
“What is he going to do?”
“I’d better let him tell you what he’s got in mind.” Jimmy opened the car door and sat on the edge of the seat. He felt under the dash until his hand touched the pistol. “I got the gun,” he said. “Don’t tell Jay I’m taking it.”
She stared at him. “John, don’t go.” She grasped his arm, but he pulled away. “Don’t go and leave me alone with him. I’m afraid. Why did we stop here?”
Voice trembling, Jimmy said, “Ask Jay. He’s driving. I don’t know where we’re at or why we’re here. But if you get in trouble, yell out. I got this gun. I ain’t afraid to use it if I have to.”
Terrie looked startled, like a fawn. She was sobering fast, and she didn’t look like she wanted his partner, not to Jimmy anyway, but maybe he was wrong.
