The Cellar

“Do you suppose she lied about Lilly going mad?”

“I doubt it. That’s too easy to check on. We just need to see a local newspaper from the time to verify that. Lilly probably did flip out. If she was really behind the murder of her own children, that could send her over the edge. From the sound of it, she wouldn’t have needed more than a nudge, at that point.”

“And watching Xanadu kill the children gave her the nudge?”

“Likely.”

“I wonder what Xanadu did after she was gone. Do you think he stayed in the house?”

“He might’ve. Or maybe he went off, and continued the way he’d lived before Lilly.”

“But he did come back,” Donna said, “when Maggie and her family moved in. Maybe he was waiting, all that time, for Lilly to return. When he finally saw someone living there, he must’ve thought she’d come back.”

“I don’t know,” Jud said. “I really don’t know what to think about any of this. The diary sure throws a monkey wrench into my theory about the beast. Assuming the diary is authentic. And I think we have to assume it’s authentic, at least to the extent that Lilly Thorn wrote it. Nobody else had any reason to tell a story like that.”

“What about Maggie?”

“She kept it locked up. If she’d written it herself, faked it, she would’ve used it somehow: had it published, sold copies on the tour, something. I think she kept it for her own personal…”

A knock on the door silenced Jud. He picked up his automatic. “Ask who it is,” he whispered.

“Who’s there?”

“Mommy?” The girl’s voice was chocked with fear.

“Open it,” Jud said.

As Donna got to her feet, Jud lay down flat in the space between the beds.

He watched her unlock the door and pull it open. Sandy was standing in the darkness—standing on tiptoes to ease the pain of her pulled hair, tears shiny in her eyes, a six-inch knife blade pressed to her throat.

“Aren’t you glad to see me?” a man asked, and laughed. He pushed Sandy ahead of him into the room, and kicked the door shut.

“Tell your friend to come out,” he said.

“There’s no one.”

“Don’t shit me. Tell him to come out, or I’ll start cutting.”

“She’s your daughter, Roy!”

“She’s just another cunt. Tell him.”

“Jud!”

He pushed his pistol under the bed, and slowly stood, hands out to show they were empty.

“Where’s your piece?” the man asked.

“Piece?”

“Everybody’s playing dumb. Cut the fuckin’ dumb show, and tell me where’s your gun.”

“I don’t have a gun.”

“No? Your buddy did.”

“Who?”

“Shit.”

“Who’re you?” Jud asked.

“Okay, knock it off. Both of you, get your hands on top of your heads and interlace your fingers.”

“Donna, who is this guy?”

“My husband,” said Donna, looking confused.

“Jesus, why didn’t you tell me? Look, fella, I didn’t even know she was married. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. You think you’re mad, my wife’s gonna kill me. You aren’t gonna tell her, are you? Why don’t you put down that blade, man? The kid didn’t do nothing. She didn’t know from Adam. We just stuck her on this guy, gave him a couple bucks to babysit while we…you know, had a good time.”

“Get over against the wall, both of you.”

“What’re you gonna do? You’re not gonna…hey, we didn’t even do nothing! I didn’t even touch her. Did I touch you, Donna?”

Donna shook her head.

“See?”

“Face the wall.”

“Oh Jesus!”

“That’s good. Now both of you brace yourselves against it. That’s right. Lean. So your weight’s on your hands.”

“Oh sweet Jesus!” Jud muttered. “He’s gonna kill us. He’s gonna kill us!”

“Shut up!” Roy snapped. He made Sandy lie facedown on the floor. “Now don’t move, kid, or I’ll gut your mom.”

“Oh sweet Jesus!” Jud cried.

“You shut up.”

“I didn’t touch her. Just ask her. Donna, did I touch you?”

“Shut up,” Donna said.

“Jesus, everybody’s turning on me!”

“He’s already killed at least two people,” Donna said, “and we’re gonna be next if you don’t shut up.”

“He killed somebody?” Jud looked over his shoulder at the man stepping toward him with a knife. “You really killed somebody?”

“Face front.”

“He killed my sister and her husband.”

“You did?” Jud asked, looking again.

The man’s grin told how much he had enjoyed it.

Jud began to turn, asking, “Why’d you…?”

“Face front!” Roy reached forward to shove Jud into position. As his hand thrust Jud’s shoulder, Jud reached back with his right hand, pressed Roy’s hand flat against his shoulder, and spun out. Roy yelped as his wrist snapped. Jud, still pivoting, smashed a forearm into the back of Roy’s head, slamming him against the wall. In the same swift motion, he hammered his knee into Roy’s spine. The knife dropped to the floor. Roy fell backward, groaning, panic in his eyes.

“Take Sandy over to 12,” Jud said. “See what happened to Larry.” 2.

Outside, Donna crouched and hugged her crying daughter. “Did he hurt you, honey?”

She nodded.

“Where did he hurt you?”

“He pinched me here.” She pointed to her left breast, a barely noticable rise through her blouse. “And he put his finger down here.”

“Inside?”

She nodded and sniffed.

“He didn’t rape you, though?”

“He said later. And he used the bad word.”

“What did he say?”

“The bad word.”

“You can tell me.”

“He said later. He said later he’d F me till I can’t walk straight. And then he was gonna F you. And then he was gonna gut us like catfish.”

“Bastard,” Donna muttered. “The stinking bastard.” She held Sandy gently, stroking the girl’s head. “Well, I guess he won’t get a chance to do any of that, will he?”

“Is he dead?”

“I don’t know. But he can’t hurt us now. Jud took care of that.” She stood. “Okay, let’s see about Larry.”

“Larry’s okay. I tied him real good.”