The Stake

“That babe did have some rotten luck,” Betty went on. “First she gets herself creamed, next thing you know she’s a crispy critter.”

Lane turned the radio on, volume high. Willie Nelson and Ray Charles were singing “Seven Spanish Angels.”

“A hint? A subtle but effective hint?”

“I just don’t think we should be bad-mouthing her.”

Ahead, Henry waved from his perch on the boulder in front of his house. He hopped down and picked up his briefcase. “Salutations, merry-makers,” he said, as Lane stopped the car.

Betty climbed out. She held the seat back forward while Henry scrambled in behind it. Following him, she pulled the door shut.

Lane glanced back at them. Betty had an eager look in her eyes. “You haven’t heard,” she said.

“Heard what?” Henry asked.

Lane started driving.

“Jessica got toasted last night.”

“Huh?”

“Burnt, charbroiled, cooked, incinerated.”

“You mean she’s dead?” He sounded perplexed.

“Dead dead dead. She bought the farm. She bit the weenie. Dead.”

“Holy shit,” Henry whispered.

“It would appear that Miss Congeniality fell asleep smoking a cigarette.”

“We’re talking about Jessica Patterson?”

“Who else, numbnuts?”

“Holy shit,” he said again. His hand clamped over the comer of Lane’s seat back. “Is she shitting me?”

“No,” Lane said. “It’s true. Jessica and her parents were killed in a fire last night.”

“Oh, man.”

“Good riddance,” Betty said.

“Hey, cut it out.”

“Oh, and like she’s suddenly a saint now that she’s cooked?”

On the radio, Belinda Bernard’s voice said, “We now have an update on the fire that rushed through the home of...”

“It just isn’t...” Henry began.

“Quiet,” Lane said. “News.”

They went silent.

“...are now indicating that a preliminary examination of the charred remains has revealed that all three members of the Patterson family sustained massive, possibly fatal injuries, prior to the fire. Details are still sketchy, but it appears that an intruder may have slain the trio, after which the fire was deliberately set in order to destroy evidence of the crimes. We also have word that a youth seen entering the house earlier last night has been taken into custody for questioning. The identity of the underaged suspect has not been disclosed.”

“Benson,” Betty said. “Betcha.”

“We now return you to...”

“Holy shit,” Henry muttered. “They were murdered.”

“I bet it wasBenson. Wouldn’t put anything past that slime-bag.”

“This is awful,” Lane murmured.

“Speak for yourself.”

“Cool it,” Henry said. “It’s not funny.”

“Maybe not funny, but... somehow, deeply satisfying.”

Twenty-seven

Alone as he drove to the public library, Larry at last had time to himself, time to ponder what he’d done that morning and try to relieve himself of the shame.

He’d betrayed Jean.

Not really, he thought. It wasn’t that big a deal. You had a little fantasy, that’s all.

You really wanted Bonnie.

Jean didn’t know that. She thought it was great.

The girl’s dead, for godsake.

I must be nuts, having a dream like that.

Hell, it’s perfectly natural. I’ve been studyingthe poor kid — looking at pictures of her, reading about her — I’ve got her in the garage! Who wouldn’t start dreaming? I ought to just be glad it wasn’t a nightmare. What if she’d paid her visit the way she looks now!

Maybe better if she had. Might have scared the shit out of me, but at least I wouldn’t have ended up with a hard-on and all this damn guilt.

Take it easy, he told himself. It was your subconscious. You can’t control your subconscious.

Bullshit. It was a wish fulfillment dream. I wantedher to come to my bed. And it wasn’t my subconscious that made me take out my lust on...

The radio news interrupted his thoughts.

A family of three murdered here in Mulehead Bend. Their house set on fire.

One of them, a seventeen-year-old girl.

He wondered if Lane knew the girl. The name didn’t sound familiar, but she must’ve been a senior at Buford High. Lane almost had to know her.

They couldn’t have been very good friends, he thought, or I would’ve heard the name before. Jessica. No. It didn’t ring any bells.

Even if they’re just acquaintances, it’ll be a shock to Lane. A girl in her own class murdered.

Isn’t anywheresafe?

Of course not. What are you, an idiot?

You know damn well Mulehead Bend hasn’t been exactly a haven. Bonnie, Linda, and Sandra are pretty good indications of that. And don’t forget Martha Radley. She was over in Sagebrush Flat, but that’s right next door.

All high school girls.

Jessica, too.

Larry felt a small tremor of excitement in his belly as he wondered if there might be a connection between Jessica and the others from so long ago.

Didn’t seem likely.

What if we triggered something? What if taking Bonnie’s corpse?..

That’s ridiculous.

Besides, the radio’d said that a young man had been taken into custody. More than likely, this was some kind of a lovers’ quarrel. Most murders come down to that, or an argument between friends, or robbery.

Maybe this Jessica jilted a guy and he flipped out.

Nailed her parents, too.

In a way, he supposed, that was fortunate. Better they should be dead. Easier on them.

If someone ever did that to Lane, I’drather be killed on the spot than...

No, I’d want to kill the bastard first. Cut him up realslowly. Make him feel it.