'That's what Cindy said. Yeah, baby. Paige did some asking around. Remember Saturday, that tall black-haired woman? She had on that funny Calvin and Hobbes T-shirt you liked?'
I nodded.
'Well, she lives in the same trailer park as them and she's friends with Rochelle Bannerman. She told Paige that Rochelle and Carver were going through a rocky time of it 'cause neither of them wanted a baby this quickly— they've only been married about a year—but Rochelle's never said anything about a divorce.
Annie Sue climbed up on the stepladder and started splicing wires into a ceiling box. 'We told Cindy all that, but she won't listen. She's talking about dropping out of school and marrying that creep.'
Her fingers worked furiously the whole time and as she finished one box and moved her ladder into the dining area to begin on another, thunder rumbled and drops of rain began to fall, tentatively at first, then gathering in volume and tempo till there was a steady drumming on the tar-papered roof over our heads.
We raced out to close the windows on the car and truck and came back damp and cooler as the wind rose and sheets of rain swept down the road in front and even blew vagrant drops onto us as we stood in the doorway and watched. The trees around the house swayed and danced, their leaves turning inside out, and lightning popped somewhere nearby.
After the first rush, the skies lightened somewhat and the winds died down, but rain continued to fall steadily as if it were fixing to set in and go all night. Annie Sue had rigged a droplight so that we had no trouble seeing what we were doing, but it made me lose track of time. Suddenly I realized I only had an hour to shower, change, and get to Makely before the meeting started.
'Want me to help you put this stuff away?' I asked.
'I'll do it. I just need to finish up a couple of more things.'
Even though this was a stable, low-crime neighborhood and even though there was plenty of daylight left, I hesitated. 'I don't know, honey. I don't think you ought to be here alone.'
'It's okay. Besides, Paige's coming. We're going to practice some harmony on a song we're doing at her church next Sunday. She should've already been here.' She smiled down at me from her perch. 'Don't worry. If she doesn't come soon, I'll pack up and go before dark. Promise.'
Just to be on the safe side, I stopped at the convenience store and got Patsy Reddick to lend me the phone again. Eleanor Byrd, Perry Byrd's widow answered on the third ring. I didn't identify myself, just asked for Paige.
'Paige? She left a little while ago to go help work on that WomenAid house.' She didn't ask who I was, so I thanked her, hung up, and headed off for a very dull, very routine, but thankfully very short meeting. * * *
It was only a little past eight-thirty when I got back to Dobbs. Had the skies been clear, it wouldn't even be full dark yet. All evening, one storm after another had rolled across the Triangle, misty showers followed by frog- strangling gully washers. At the moment, it was raining fairly hard, but straight down. The temperature hadn't dropped much and I had my window lowered to enjoy the cool wetness on my arm.
My route through town took me only a few blocks from the construction site, and a guilty memory had surfaced on my drive back: I had left Herman's fifty-foot tape measure and brand-new hammer up on one of the cross-braces in the living room. I was sure Annie Sue would overlook them in the twilight; I was equally sure that three little sharp-eyed Norris vandals wouldn't if they disobeyed Lu and came back in the daylight.
There was nothing for it but to go by and pick them up. The convenience store was still open as I turned up Redbud Lane and a light was on in the house diagonally across the way. I pulled into the muddy yard so I could shine my car lights in through the open door space.
To my surprise, Annie Sue's van was still parked there. So was Carver Bannerman's red Jeep. At least I assumed it was his vehicle, only now it was covered by a black vinyl snap-on top.
No one appeared in the doorway and I could see no light. I splashed through the rain and onto the covered porch where I paused to call Annie Sue's name.
No answer.
My car lights did little to illuminate the front room and I nearly tripped on something.
Herman's hammer.
When I picked it up, the handle felt as if someone with greasy hands had been using it, but I barely noticed as I called again.
Rain drummed on the rooftop but beneath the steady pounding, I thought I heard a moan. Something moved at the far end of the house. At first glance it appeared to be a roll of tar paper propped in the corner, then I saw the pale oval of her face.
'Annie Sue?'
'Deb'rah? Dad?' Her voice sounded dazed.
My eyes had become accustomed to the dark and now I saw the overturned stepladder. Broken glass twinkled in the car lights from the smashed light bulb that had been her droplight.
'What's wrong?' I cried, stubbing my toe and banging my shins as I threaded a path through the normal building rubble.
She started to cry as I reached her. 'Daddy?'
'He's not here, honey. It's just me. What's happened? Are you all right?' I dropped the hammer and reached to help her stand.
Even in the poor light, she was shocking to see. Her hair was wild, her cheek was scraped, the front of her shirt gaped open, and her shorts and panties were down around her ankles.
She felt her nakedness and groped for her clothes as a wave of nausea hit her. Aflame with a murderous anger
