Flesh

breasts shook as she worked.

Jake suddenly felt like a voyeur.

He stepped away from the window, leaned back against the wall, and stared out at the dark field and nearby woods.

So much, he thought, for checking out the Smeltzers.

It was pretty obvious they weren’t harboring his fugitive.

Whether or not they were safe—that was anyone’s guess. But they had chosen to assume the risk, and they’d at least taken the precaution of bringing a firearm. Jake had done his duty; he’d warned them, even snuck around here to check on them. He couldn’t see himself knocking on the door to warn them again—especially not after spying the half-naked woman.

He had an urge to look again.

Don’t be a jerk, Corey.

He headed away.

“Did you hear that?” Peggy asked.

“Hear what?”

“Turn off the damn radio.”

Ron dragged the sponge mop behind him to the counter and silenced the radio.

Peggy let go of her scrub brush. She straightened up, wiped her wet hands on her shorts, and stared at him.

“I don’t hear anything,” he whispered. He looked frightened. His eyes were wide and his mouth hung open a bit.

A drop of sweat trickled down from Peggy’s armpit. She brought her arm against her side and rubbed it away.

“Maybe you just imagined it,” Ron said.

“I didn’t imagine anything.”

Ron’s head swiveled, eyes darting from window to window.

“Not out there,” Peggy told him. Raising her arm, she pointed at the closed door to the cellar.

The color went out of Ron’s face. “You’re kidding,” he muttered.

In a harsh whisper, she said, “I heard something, damn it, and it came from there.”

“Oh, shit.”

“Don’t just stand there, get the gun.”

He looked over at it, then back to Peggy. “What kind of noise was it?”

“A thud, a thump, I don’t know. For godsake, Ron…”

“Okay okay.” He tiptoed across the kitchen, lifted the shotgun, and held it at his side, barrels pointing at the cellar door.

Peggy glanced sideways. Her wadded jersey was on top of the counter, just out of reach. Bare to the waist, she felt very vulnerable. She watched the cellar door and inched her way toward the counter on her knees. She realized that she was afraid to make any quick movements. She couldn’t take her eyes off the door. Reaching up, she patted the counter until she touched the jersey. She pulled it down. Holding it at her belly, she gazed at the door and fingered the jersey until she found its opening. She slipped her hands through the armholes, raised her arms high, and let the jersey drift down. For a moment, it blinded her. She tugged it quickly down off her face.

Gripping the countertop with one hand, she stood up. “Let’s get out of here.”

“You mean leave?” Ron asked.

“Yes.”

“You must be kidding.” The tone of his voice pried Peggy’s gaze off the cellar door. She looked at him. His face was still pale, but a corner of his mouth twitched as if he were working on a grin. “We haven’t finished the floor,” he mocked her.

“Ron.”

“I really do think we owe it to ourselves to finish the floor, don’t you? Otherwise, we’ll have to get up at the crack of dawn and—”

“There is someone in the cellar!” she hissed.

“Look who’s the chicken now.”

“I never called you a chicken.”

“Didn’t you? Seems like you did. Or maybe I just imagined it.”

“This is no time to be…let’s just get out of here, okay?”

“You’re going to let a little noise scare you off? After you dragged me back here?”

“You want to stay, stay. Give me the car keys.”

“And what am I supposed to do, walk home? Spend the night? No thank you. I’ve got a better idea. I’ll go down and search the cellar, and when I come up you’ll apologize. You’ll repeat after me, ‘Ron is not a wimp or a coward.’”

“You’re not a wimp, you’re not a coward. Now let’s go. Please!”

He smirked at her. Then he stepped boldly toward the cellar door, lowered the shotgun, and wrapped his left hand around the knob.

“You idiot!” Peggy rushed forward, ready to grab him and stop the craziness, but her bare foot hit a slick patch and her leg flew up. She landed hard on her rump.

The mockery left Ron’s face. “Did you hurt yourself?”

“I’ll live.”

“Here.” He searched a pocket of his jeans, pulled out his key case, and tossed it to her. It thumped and jangled, striking the floor between her knees. “Go ahead and wait in the car.” He pulled open the cellar door. “I’ll come and get you after I’ve checked it out.”

“Don’t go down there. I know, you think I’m nuts. You think it was just a mouse or a rat or some damn thing, but—”

“Right.”

He flicked a light switch and started down the cellar stairs.

Peggy snatched up the key case. She clutched it tightly as she listened to Ron’s feet on the wooden treads. Slowly, quietly, she gathered in her legs and pushed herself to her knees.

The sounds of Ron’s descent stopped.

“Ron?” she called. He didn’t answer.

Peggy got up. She crept to the doorway and looked down. The cellar was lighted, but she could only see a small area at the foot of the stairway. Ron wasn’t there. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah, fine.”

She leaned against the door frame. “Why don’t you come up now?”

“Just a minute. Haven’t been down here before. This is kind of…SHIT!”

The jolt of the outcry jerked Peggy rigid and knocked her breath out. Stiff in the doorway, she gazed down. The thought flashed through her mind that if she had to run, she wouldn’t be able to.

She tried to call down to him. Her voice seemed frozen.

God, oh God, what had happened to him!

“Damn thing,” Ron said.

She felt relief, but not enough. She still couldn’t speak. She gasped for air.

Ron stepped into view at the bottom of the stairway. He smiled up at her, looking rather pleased. “You should’ve seen it. Scampered out of nowhere, right in front of me.” He started to climb the stairs. “Biggest damn rat I ever saw. Of course, I must admit, I’ve never seen a rat before.”

Peggy staggered backward. Away from the door. A hand pressed to her chest.

She stopped when her rump pushed against a counter. She cupped her hands over the counter’s edge to brace herself up.

Ron reached the top of the stairs. He frowned. “Are you okay?”

She took a few deep breaths. “You…scared the hell out of me…yelling like that.”

“Sorry. The thing gave me quite a start.”