After Midnight

“I’m Milo’s victim!” Judy blurted. “I’ve got his sperm in me to prove it!”

“You do?”

“What do you think? The first thing he did was rape me. He got me about ten minutes after I ran away from you.”

The idea of it sickened me. That filthy, bloody slob, grunting and drooling on top of Judy while he shoved his vile cock into her.

“I’ll tell the cops I killed him,” she said.

“Sure.”

“No, listen. I’ll say that Tony and I came over to park and mess around. We were going at it on the picnic table when all of a sudden this stranger jumps us and kills Tony. See? That gets you off the hook for Tony.”

“I’ll be off the hook for Tony the second I kill you.”

“I wouldn’t know about that. Maybe, maybe not. But I don’t think you really want to kill me. You don’t, do you?”

“Just go on with your story.”

“Okay. So Milo kills Tony, and I make a break for it. But he catches up to me. I can show the cops right where it happened. My clothes’ll be there. Most of them, anyway.”

“Yeah. Your panties are over by the picnic table somewhere. In pieces.”

“I’ll say Tony did that. He has done it.”

“Yeah.”

“But they’ll find everything else in the place where Milo got me. They’ll find other stuff there, too, if they really look for it.”

“Like what?”

“You know.”

“Your blood and his semen?”

Nodding slightly, she said, “And I guess our footprints. Anyway, it’ll all back up my story. And then I’ll explain about him bringing me to the camp, here, and hanging me up like this.”

“Which he did,” I threw in.

“Right! And the cops’ll find that poor woman in the tent, and they’ll know I would’ve been next. They’ll figure Milo was some kind of Dahmer. I’ll be a hero for killing him. And you’ll never enter the picture.”

“How do you plan to explain killing him?”

“Easy. While Milo was asleep in the tent, I got my hands loose and found his gun.”

I switched the knife to my other hand, then reached into my pocket and pulled out the pistol. I raised it in front of her. “This one, right?”

“Right.”

“It’s Tony’s gun,” I explained. “How do you get hold of it?”

“Easy.” A smile twitched at the unhurt corner of Judy’s mouth. “Tony took it with him when we were making out on the picnic table. He would’ve done that, too. We came here sometimes, did I tell you that? We hardly ever stepped a foot out of the car, but Tony knew this was sort of a dangerous area, so he always brought his .22 along, just in case.”

“Why didn’t he use it when Milo attacked?”

“It was in the pocket of his jeans, and his jeans were down around his ankles. He couldn’t reach it in time. Then, after he was dead, Milo took the pistol. And kept it.”

“Where?”

“In a pocket.”

“A pocket of what?” I asked.

“He was wearing overalls most of the time. You know, bib overalls?”

“Cute. The pig dressed up like a farmer.”

“Yeah. And he kept the gun in his pocket. So when I finally got my hands free, I snuck into his tent and found it. But he woke up and came after me. That’s when I start shooting him. Just like you did. From there on, my whole story can be almost exactly the same as how it really happened, but it’ll be me instead of you.”

“I could leave you the loafers to wear,” I suggested. “That way, you’d match the footprints.”

“Good idea.”

I nodded, frowning, wondering. “It’s not a bad plan,” I admitted. “Almost sounds like something I might’ve come up with.”

“It’ll work.”

“That’s what you think.”

“What’s wrong with it?”

“Lots of stuff.”

24

FRIENDLY PERSUASION

“Like what?” Judy asked. “What’s wrong with my plan? Tell me. Maybe we can work it out.”

“I’m running out of time, here.”

“Alice, look. I’m giving you a chance to walk away from everything. If we can work this out, the cops will think nobody was involved but me, Tony and Milo.”

“Here’s one little problem,” I told her. “Tony’s body is in the trunk of his car. Which is parked in the garage of your apartment building.”

She gaped at me. For a few seconds, she looked stunned and lost. But she recovered fast. “Easy,” she said. “Take my car. Drive to my place, put my car back where we got it, and come back here in Tony’s car. Park it where mine is, now. Then just leave his body in the trunk and be on your way. I’ll say Milo put him in the trunk. Hey, that’ll be perfect! He knocked me out and left me on the picnic table. That way, I’m out cold while he hauls Tony’s body over to the car. But before he can make it back, I come to and run into the woods. Then he hunts me down and, you know…the rest.”

“That sounds okay. But where are you while I’m driving the cars back and forth?”

“I’ll stay right here in camp.”

“Like a good little girl,” I muttered.

“Okay. Well, leave me tied up. But if you do, you’ll have to come back and cut me loose after you’ve dropped off Tony’s car. I mean, I can’t exactly be found like this or it’ll blow the whole story.”

“It’ll blow the story if I help you. They’ll wanta know who cut the rope.”

“Then just untie the knot.”

I shook my head.

She stared into my eyes and said nothing for a few moments. Then, in a softer voice, she said, “You don’t have to do it now. It can wait till you come back.”

“When I come back?”

“From switching the cars.”

“Oh. Right.” I pulled one of the bandanas out of my pocket, wiped the knife clean, and tossed the knife to the ground. Then I stepped behind Judy.

“What’re you doing?” she asked.

“I don’t want you yelling for help.”

“I won’t. I promise. Don’t put that on me. Please.”

“There are other ways to shut you up,” I said.

She didn’t argue after that, but just stood motionless while I put the gag into her mouth and tied it behind her neck.

Then I stepped around to the front.

She stared into my eyes. She was breathing hard again, air hissing through her nostrils.