her? I mean honestly. You know nothing about her background; you know nothing about her natural parents or even where she came from. Maybe she’s a product of one of those fanatical devil-worship cults that are cropping up all over the country nowadays.”
Carl rolled his eyes. “Now look who’s getting all emotional. You’ve been reading too many supermarket tabloids. Stop being so goddamned ridiculous, Ed. Next thing you’ll be telling me is that she’s some alien from outer space or something.”
“You say you didn’t kill that man, Carl,” Wellman screamed. “Well who did then? Give me a rational explanation. If it was that child then I’d say you got yourself one sweet deal from that door to door salesman, wouldn’t you? Live-in-protection straight from Hell.”
“Now you’re pissing me off, Ed. I wish I had told you it was me.”
“But you didn’t, Carl, and that makes all the difference in the world.”
“I thought we could trust you, Ed, of all people. If this thing ever gets discovered that’s what I’ll say, you know; that I did it. Who do you think they’ll believe? You or me?”
Doctor Wellman licked his dry lips and fell silent.
“I want to tell you something, Ed,” Mary said. Her tears had dried and the saliva had suddenly gone from her mouth. “I’m going to forget about all those things you just said, ‘cause I know you’re upset. We’re all pretty upset about what happened out there tonight.”
“Mary!”
“No, Ed,” the woman said firmly. “It’s my turn now. I think you’ve said quite enough. What you don’t seem to understand is that we love that little girl. It don’t matter that she ain’t ours naturally. It don’t matter how we came by her. What matters is that we love her like she was our own flesh and blood. She’s the most loving little thing in the world to us. Why, she’d never harm a hair on anybody’s head unless she was pushed into it.” Mary’s voice suddenly grew mean. “That . . . bastard asked for it and he got everything he deserved. If she’s got something that can protect her from low-life scum like that, then I say more power to her.” Mary sat back in her rocking chair and belligerently folded her arms in front of her as if to finalize her conviction.
“Mary, for God’s sake, you have no idea what you’re saying. What happens if she decides someday that she doesn’t like somebody—anybody—for any particular reason and does that again? Or maybe even worse.” Doctor Wellman’s eyes sharpened with a mixture of strange curiosity and dark wonder. He spoke the next words with great emphasis. “What if she gets mad at you and Carl and isn’t capable of controlling her emotions? Then what’ll happen, Mary? Then what?”
Before Mary could answer, there was a frantic knock on the door. The woman uttered a strangled little squawk and almost jumped out of her chair. Carl and Doctor Wellman shot each other wide-eyed glances then looked toward the door in what could only be described as utter astonishment. Nobody moved or said anything. One moment stretched into the next, and then into what seemed an eternity. The knock came again, this time more urgently.
“Carl! Mary!” a voice called from the other side of the door. “This is Sheriff Jimmy Dugan. Is everything all right in there?”
It took Carl several more seconds to respond, and when he did, Doctor Wellman noticed that he moved much quicker than a man his age—or his bulk—had a right to. To Wellman, Carl’s sudden lunge toward the door reminded him of a predator charging at some helpless quarry, and he suddenly felt very disoriented and out of place. He began to wonder if he might be hallucinating. He knew from experience that the combination of fear and anxiety pumped enough endorphins into the bloodstream to sometimes cause hallucinations.
Mary had plastered her fists tightly against her mouth and was attempting to stifle the gasps of anxiety that seemed to be
Carl rolled his eyes. “Now look who’s getting all emotional. You’ve been reading too many supermarket tabloids. Stop being so goddamned ridiculous, Ed. Next thing you’ll be telling me is that she’s some alien from outer space or something.”
“You say you didn’t kill that man, Carl,” Wellman screamed. “Well who did then? Give me a rational explanation. If it was that child then I’d say you got yourself one sweet deal from that door to door salesman, wouldn’t you? Live-in-protection straight from Hell.”
“Now you’re pissing me off, Ed. I wish I had told you it was me.”
“But you didn’t, Carl, and that makes all the difference in the world.”
“I thought we could trust you, Ed, of all people. If this thing ever gets discovered that’s what I’ll say, you know; that I did it. Who do you think they’ll believe? You or me?”
Doctor Wellman licked his dry lips and fell silent.
“I want to tell you something, Ed,” Mary said. Her tears had dried and the saliva had suddenly gone from her mouth. “I’m going to forget about all those things you just said, ‘cause I know you’re upset. We’re all pretty upset about what happened out there tonight.”
“Mary!”
“No, Ed,” the woman said firmly. “It’s my turn now. I think you’ve said quite enough. What you don’t seem to understand is that we love that little girl. It don’t matter that she ain’t ours naturally. It don’t matter how we came by her. What matters is that we love her like she was our own flesh and blood. She’s the most loving little thing in the world to us. Why, she’d never harm a hair on anybody’s head unless she was pushed into it.” Mary’s voice suddenly grew mean. “That . . . bastard asked for it and he got everything he deserved. If she’s got something that can protect her from low-life scum like that, then I say more power to her.” Mary sat back in her rocking chair and belligerently folded her arms in front of her as if to finalize her conviction.
“Mary, for God’s sake, you have no idea what you’re saying. What happens if she decides someday that she doesn’t like somebody—anybody—for any particular reason and does that again? Or maybe even worse.” Doctor Wellman’s eyes sharpened with a mixture of strange curiosity and dark wonder. He spoke the next words with great emphasis. “What if she gets mad at you and Carl and isn’t capable of controlling her emotions? Then what’ll happen, Mary? Then what?”
Before Mary could answer, there was a frantic knock on the door. The woman uttered a strangled little squawk and almost jumped out of her chair. Carl and Doctor Wellman shot each other wide-eyed glances then looked toward the door in what could only be described as utter astonishment. Nobody moved or said anything. One moment stretched into the next, and then into what seemed an eternity. The knock came again, this time more urgently.
“Carl! Mary!” a voice called from the other side of the door. “This is Sheriff Jimmy Dugan. Is everything all right in there?”
It took Carl several more seconds to respond, and when he did, Doctor Wellman noticed that he moved much quicker than a man his age—or his bulk—had a right to. To Wellman, Carl’s sudden lunge toward the door reminded him of a predator charging at some helpless quarry, and he suddenly felt very disoriented and out of place. He began to wonder if he might be hallucinating. He knew from experience that the combination of fear and anxiety pumped enough endorphins into the bloodstream to sometimes cause hallucinations.
Mary had plastered her fists tightly against her mouth and was attempting to stifle the gasps of anxiety that seemed to be
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