The Devil's Touch

'I don't know,' she replied haltingly. 'I—think it was a nightmare. I awakened—frightened.'

Nydia had not yet noticed what was on the TV. Janet turned the set off and said, 'Let me get you some milk.'

'That would be nice, Janet.' She looked at Sam. 'More trouble, honey?'

'Maybe.' He turned back to the phone, lifting it to his ear. 'Sorry, Joe. Had a problem here at home. Would you say that again?'

'I'm with Mille LaMeade. She called me at my house 'bout an hour or so ago. Maybe an hour and a half. Said Jim Peters had called in sick. I come down and we went over to Jim's house. Big party goin' on. Everybody drunk and raisin' hell, swappin' wives and girlfriends and such stuff as you only read about in books. Jim told me right to my face to kiss his ass. He was through with the P.D. and me and Chief Draper and the rest of the goody-two-shoes motherfuckers in this town. And Carl Medley and Bob Carson was with him. And that right there is all the Logandale P.D.'

'Have you told Monty?'

'Yeah. But he don't know what to do. Hell, Sam, Monty called the mayor and the mayor told him not to worry none about it; said there wasn't nothin' gonna happen here 'cause nobody was comin' in here to do nothin'. Now ain't that the goddamnedest thing you ever heard a grown man say?'

'It's strange, all right.'

'Strange! Strange is a woman with three tits and no snatch. That's strange. This here is—hell, I don't know what this is.'

'Where will you be, Joe?'

'On patrol, I reckon. Just me and Mille left.'

'Is she acting all right?'

'Oh, yeah. Mille's O.K. She was a tough little cookie when she was growin' up. Done things make a sailor blush. But when she straightened up her act, she done it proper. Devil come up to Mille, she'd bust him on the snoot and spit in his eye.'

Sam grinned. 'Sounds like my kind of lady. O.K., Joe. Let me get a few hours sleep and I'll see you first thing in the morning. Probably at the cafe. Then we'll meet with Monty and talk this out.'

'Right. There's some other matters I want to tell ya'll about, but they'll keep 'til first light, since I ain't goin' back home. See you in a few hours.'

Joe hung up.

Sam did not connect the ain't goin' back home with anything ominious. He thought Joe only meant he would be on patrol all night, nothing more. He went to Nydia's side.

'Feeling better, honey?'

'I think so. Yes.' She sipped at the milk Janet had so thoughtfully brought her. She looked at Janet. 'You go to bed, young lady.'

'Yes, ma'am,' Janet said with a smile. She left the den and went into the room she used when she slept over. 'Fucking bitch,' she said, when the door had closed behind her.

Janet looked toward the north. 'I tried, Master. I truly tried.'

Outside, the wind blew hotly, as if in a forgiving and understanding way. It changed, speaking darkly to the girl. 'You succeeded, my pretty. You did well.'

Janet nodded her head and smiled. Sam's seed was in her body.

Another demon was growing.

TWO

Guilt lay heavy on Sam's mind when he awakened before dawn to leave the sleeping side of his wife. He simply could not believe he had done those things with Janet. He was all man, yes, and he would be lying if he said he had never entertained the thought of other women—but that was as far as it had ever gone. And Sam was adult enough to realize and accept that Nydia—just as any woman—had her daydreams and fantasies. But like Sam, that was as far as it had gone.

He looked in on Janet. Still sleeping, and sleeping peacefully. Sam again shook his head at what he had done. He would have to tell Nydia. But God, he wasn't looking forward to that.

He fixed a cup of coffee and took it with him, after making certain the house was securely locked. He looked at the orchard where he had shot the Beast. It lay peaceful in the pre-dawn stillness. The stars were beginning to fade and faint light was tinting the eastern horizon as Sam got in his pickup truck and backed out of the drive. He pointed the nose of the truck toward town, toward Clint's Cafe.

He saw Joe and Mille sitting alone at a table. Upon entering, he thought Joe looked a little strained. Sam attributed that to weariness until he had ordered breakfast and coffee and sat down at the table with the two remaining Logandale police officers, not counting the chief.

'Take a look over there,' Joe said, cutting his eyes.

Sam looked. A cross hung upside down on the wall behind the counter. It was beginning. And he felt Sunday would be no safer for believers than any other day—not as far as this coven was concerned. 'You've told Mille?'

'Yeah. Figured that was the best thing. She didn't much believe me 'til after we seen what was happenin' out to the Giddon place. Strange doin's out there, Sam.'

The image of his making love to Janet once more filled his mind. He also felt shame wash over him. He took a deep sigh and fought the images away. He dreaded the moment of facing Nydia and telling her. But he knew he must. He came back to the present. 'Strange doings? Such as what, Joe?'