affect him, the way Tritia did, but he had no control over his reactions. He had often wondered if this was a trait common to all fathers, and he thought that perhaps this was one reason why young children inevitably felt closer to their mothers and turned to their maternal parents when they needed comfort. After sharing bodies for nine months, mothers did not seem to mind a little blood or pain. It wasn't as alien to them as it was to fathers.
He looked over at his son, saw the smeared dirt, saw red lines that looked like scratches.
'No,' Billy was murmuring. 'No. No. No. No . . .'
'You go,' Tritia prodded him.
The doctor bent over Billy's body.
Doug squeezed Tritia 's hand and walked quickly out of the room. He was angry at himself and he flinched as Billy's murmurs cut off with a sharp gasp.
The door swung shut behind him, and he was in the corridor. He hurried back the way they had come in. At least the doctor seemed to know what he was doing. He had wasted no time, had reacted instantly to the situation, had cut the red tape off at its source, and had exhibited a no-nonsense attitude in his quick appraisal of what was to be done. For that Doug was grateful, and despite his initial paranoid misgivings, he was now confident that his son would receive the best medical attention possible.
There was going to be hell to pay in the psychological department, though.
The damage here was not entirely, or even predominantly, physical. What had happened to Billy would probably scar him emotionally for the rest of his life.
The anger burned through Doug, unwavering,undiminishing . They were going to have to really search around and make sure they found someone who could help Billy. But now it was time for the mailman to pay.
The pinched-faced woman glared at him from behind her glass-walled room as he walked up to the pay phone in the waiting area. He ignored her and dialed the number of the police department. He closed his eyes. The phone rang once, twice, thrice.
An unfamiliar voice answered. 'Willis Police Department.'
Doug cleared his throat. 'I'd like to speak to Mike Trenton, please.' He sounded like a stranger to himself.
The voice on the other end of the line was cautious. 'Who shall I say is calling?'
'DougAlbin .' There was a pause, then Mike came on the line. Doug gripped the receiver tightly, not bothering with pleasantries. 'The mailman's back.'
'I know.'
'He attacked my boy, Mike, and he threatened my wife. I'm going after him.' 'We're going after him too. He killed the chief.'
It took a moment for the information to sink in. Doug felt cold, frightened. The mailman was no longer playing around. He was not hiding behind rules and regulations, not working through letters. He was coming in for the kill. But though the fear was strong within him, it paled next to the towering strength of his anger.
'We just found the chiefs body a few minutes ago,' Mike said. 'How's your son? Is he going to be okay?'
'We don't know.'
'We're gathering everyone together. We'll be leaving in ten minutes.'
'Wait a sec, Mike.' Doug felt weak. He saw Tritia running down the hall toward him, nearly tripping on the slippery tile. She was crying, sobbing, and with a sinking feeling in his stomach he knew that Billy was dead. Then she drew closer, and he saw that she was crying and laughing, sobbing and smiling.
'He's okay,' she cried. 'He's all right.'
'Hold on, Mike,' Doug said into the receiver. He left the phone dangling as he took Tritia 's hand and ran down the corridor to the examination room. The doctor was just maneuvering the largecranelike X-ray machine over Billy's back.
'Is he okay?' Doug asked.
'There's been no real physical damage,' the doctor told him. 'Billy is clearly suffering from traumatic shock, but he seems to have sustained no actual injuries. There're a few scratches and bruises, and I'll continue the tests, but I think you're safe.'
'He wasn't . . . ?' Doug left the question unfinished.
'There does not appear to have been any penetration,' the doctor said quietly, 'although I have no doubt that he was assaulted.'
'But the blood on his underwear . . . ?'
'It's not Billy's blood.'
A flood of relief washed over Doug, and he held Tritia , who continued to sob. The doctor gave him a quick reassuring smile, then moved the X-ray camera into place.
Five minutes later, Doug was back in the waiting room. He picked up the receiver. 'Mike? You still there?'
The other end of the line was silent. 'Mike!' He heard a low knock as someone obviously picked up the phone from where it had been lying. 'Mike?'
'Yeah?'
'He's okay.'
'Thank God.'
'I want to be in on this,' Doug said.
'I can't --'
'Mike?'
Silence.
'Mike?'
'All right,' the policeman conceded. 'How fast can you get over here to the station?'
'I'll be there as soon as I can. Wait for me.'
'Make it fast. We want to get him before he leaves town. You have five minutes.'
'Goddammit!'
'All right,' the policeman said. 'Sorry. We'll wait.'
'Thank you. I'll be there in ten.'
'Meet you here.' Mike hung up and Doug did the same. He returned to the examination room, where the doctor was putting away a hypodermic syringe. One of the nurses covered Billy with a sheet. 'Get him a room,' the doctor ordered. He looked from Doug to Tritia . 'He'll be sleeping for a while now. I suggest you try to get some rest. He'll be coming out of it before morning, and he's going to want you nearby.'
'I'm staying,' Tritia said.
The doctor nodded. 'We can set up a chair in his room. Or even a cot, if you'd like.'
Tritia looked up at Doug, who put his arms around her. 'Have they caught him?' He shook his head. 'We're going after him now.'
''We?' '
'We.'
The doctor, orderly, and nurses worked busily next to Billy.
Doug squeezed Tritia tightly. 'Watch him,' he said. 'Take care of him.'
She shivered as he pulled away, rubbing her arms. 'Where are you going?
What are you going to do?'
'I'll meet them at the police station. Then we'll go to the post office.'
They both followed the hospital team as they wheeled the now sleeping and silent Billy into his room, a large private room witha.raised color television and two adjoining beds. Doug gave Tritia the pertinent insurance information from his wallet, and she promised to take care of everything.
She followed him out to the waiting room. 'Be careful!' she called after him as he walked between the sliding glass doors.
45
Doug ran into the police station. He noticed the difference immediately.
No one was working or talking. The room was still and silent. The policemen were standing around the front
