They kissed, and he fondled her.
After a moment, their lips parted. She drew back and smiled.
Running his big rough hands along her white thighs, he said something. She giggled, then kissed him passionately.
I'd seen enough. I lowered myself to a crouch and looked at Sean.
'Son of a bitch,' I said.
Chapter 7
'You know, I may have made a big mistake,' I said to Sean after we had retreated to the rear of the shed.
'Perhaps in Darla's case, yes. After all, no one saw her being abducted. She may have gone off with Baker of her own free will. I don't really know her.'
I nodded. 'You'd think I would by now, but I don't, not really. She might have.' I thought it over, then shook my head. 'No, dammit. Maybe at some other point in her life, but not now. Not here. It's hard to explain.'
'Who can explain a woman?'
'No, no. It's got nothing to do with that. It's just?'
'Baker fancies himself a ladies' man. And I'll have to admit he does attract more than his share.' He smiled wanly and shrugged. 'Some have it and some don't.'
'Be that as it may. But we're sure about Winnie. We know they've got her.'
I snorted. 'That may've been a case of petnapping.'
'Hard to say what a logger lad will do when in his cups, but I don't think so.'
'Neither do I,' I said, 'but I'm beginning to have my doubts about Moore's hand in all this. Might just be I did him an injustice.'
Sean shook his head emphatically. 'That's categorically impossible. He's the devil's own field representative, that one, and he deserves everything he's gotten.'
'Geof and Fat Timmy?they work for Moore, do his bidding?'
'Most of the time, when they're not stealing farm equipment or foraging in other people's vegetable plots. For a price, they'll do anything for anybody, but Moore's their chief client.'
I sighed. 'Anyone else in there?'
'The blinds are drawn, but I heard someone in the front room fumbling about. Probably Dim Willie Benson, Baker's hired man.'
'Dim Willie?'
'He's a bit dim. Harmless boy, when he's not drinking.'
Fat Timmy, Dim Willie… This place was driving me crazy. 'I take it Baker doesn't have a lifecompanion.'
'Baker?' He laughed. 'Not the sort. Besides, women are scarce goods on Talltree. Don't know if you noticed?'
'I did, I did.'
'They do come, but they never seem to stay.' He heaved a sigh of lamentation, staring off into the night. 'Funny thing.'
I leaned against the shed and brooded.
Sean came out of his reverie. 'What's the game, Jake?'
Someone banged against something out in the yard.
'Jake?' came a sharp whisper.
'Over here,' I said.
John stepped cautiously over to us. 'Oh, there you are.' Liam and Roland followed him.
'What's going on?' Roland wanted to know.
'Got me,' I said.
After a pause, John asked, 'Where's Darla?'
'In there,' I said. 'With some guy.'
'With some guy,' John repeated emptily.
Roland said, 'You mean…?'
'Her business,' I said. I straightened up. 'Look, when exactly did you notice that Darla was gone? Was it before or after Winnie was abducted?'
'Well,' John said, 'it was more or less around the same time. I came downstairs when I found no one in the room, went outside to find Roland. I heard shouting?'
'Okay,' I said, 'then she didn't know that Winnie was missing, and she still doesn't, I guess. Thing is, it's strange that she'd go off like that.'
'I agree,' Roland said.
'Well, hell.' I zipped up my jacket against the chill. 'This may be indelicate as all hell, but I'm going to ask Darla if she knows something or if she saw anything.' I scratched my head and shrugged.
We all trooped to the farmhouse.
As we rounded the side, we heard glass shattering, followed by a dull thud.
I pulled my gun and ran around to the front door. It was unlocked and ajar. I kicked it open, dove through the doorway, hit the floor, and rolled once, coming up into a crouch.
'Hi, Jake.'
Darla was standing by the open door to the back room, holding the jagged-edged handle to what had probably been a water pitcher. A huge man lay sprawled at her feet, his head festooned with shards of crockery.
'Hi,' I said, straightening up. I walked into the bedroom.
Tommy Baker was draped over the bed, out cold. His shirt was off and his trousers were bunched around his ankles. She had taken care of him silently — probably a quick chop to the base of the neck. Caught with his proverbial pants down.
'This one wanted to rape me,' Darla said, nodding toward Baker as she slipped into the legs of her jumpsuit. 'But I convinced him that we'd have more fun if he untied me. He was the second one who wanted a little action tonight.'
'Moore?'
'Yes. Ordinarily, I wouldn't mind so much, but I didn't like his attitude.'
'Ah.'
'I bit him where it hurts a whole lot. There's some question as to his ever having progeny. I wanted to kick him, but my legs were tied to the bedposts.'
'I see.'
And I could just imagine Darla at the door, smiling and breathtakingly nude, inviting poor Dim Willie in to join the festivities.
I turned around to find the men grouped around the doorway, gaping.
'Hi, gang,' Darla said.
'Hello,' John said.
'Winnie's missing,' I said.
'No she isn't.' Darla zipped up the front of her jumpsuit. She went over to the bed and knelt beside it, looking under.
'Winnie, honey? Come on out. Jake's here.' She reached and pulled. 'Hell, no wonder she didn't come out. This leash is all tangled. There you go.'
Winnie crawled out from under the bed. There was a dog collar around her neck. The leash dragged after her. She saw me, ran and leaped at me, nearly knocking me over. She crushed my chest in a frantic hug.
'Whoa, baby. It's okay,' I told her. 'It's over.' She buried her face in my shoulder.
'Are you all right?' Roland asked Darla.
'Sure, though it'll be a while before I'll want to see male genitalia again.'
