21.
Dirk Fallows sat on the edge of the cot tapping his knife against his thigh, a thin smile creasing his face. 'You're not going to like what happens next.'
Annie and Timmy stood on the other side of the tent holding hands. Cruz blocked the closed flap with his body, his arms crossed over his chest like an Arabian genie.
'We've been painfully courteous to the both of you for the past three days. Gave you water. Food. Bedding. No one's touched either one of you, and believe me there has been some grumbling about that.' He continued to tap the knife blade against his thigh in a slow, lazy beat. 'But all that's about to change, I'm afraid.'
He saw fear wrinkle their faces and was pleased. He stood up and paced in front of them. 'I'm forty-four years old. Forty-five next month. Do you think that's old?' When there was no response he smiled and continued. 'Well, never mind, I think it's old, or at least getting close. Not that I'm feeling old, mind you. Still as fit as ever.' He slapped his stomach a couple times. 'Hard as oak. Nothing like Cruz there, but then what human is?' His laugh sounded like a truck grinding gears. Cruz stared ahead without expression. 'I'm told by some lady friends that I look a lot like Kirk Douglas but without the dimple. Same rocky facial structure, 'rough hewn' I think they call it. I guess that means my face looks like something a sculptor might have started in an angry mood, then abandoned once he saw what he was doing. Still, it pleases some women.'
'And some men, no doubt,' Annie snapped.
Fallows laughed. 'I am not a homosexual, Ms. Ravensmith. But neither am I homophobic, so I don't become enraged at any insult to my manhood. Still, if I were in your position, I wouldn't take the chance of enraging me. The next few minutes are going to be difficult enough for you.'
'What do you mean?' Annie asked. 'What are you going to do?'
He put a finger to his lips. 'Patience.'
'Can't we leave my son out of this? For God's sake, he hasn't done anything.'
'Well, technically neither have you. But guilt or innocence is irrelevant here. You are merely surrogates for your husband, whipping boys, if you will,' Fallows placed a hand on Timmy's head and playfully mussed his hair. 'No, I'm afraid Timmy is an important element of my little drama.'
'Drama?' Annie said incredulously. 'You killed dozens of people that night. You call that drama?'
'Don't forget, I lost a man myself. But yes, it's drama. High drama. Sometimes melodrama. But always good theatre.'
Annie felt an involuntary shiver shake her as she realized how coldly evil this man really was. She had listened to Eric describe him many times, but not until this moment did she truly understand how demonic he was. She closed her eyes and thanked good luck that Jennifer still had been in the hospital when she and Timmy were kidnapped. At least Jennifer was safe and unharmed. She hugged Timmy against her now.
'I'm going to tell you something that I never even told Eric. Nor any of my followers. Not even Cruz, whose appreciation of good irony is legend.' He chuckled, but Cruz simply stared ahead like someone watching a boring TV documentary. 'You'll be the first to hear The Truth About Dirk Fallows.' He raised his eyebrows. 'Hmmm, not a bad title. I'm sure Eric has told you what he knows, all of it early MGM. Rich father buys son out of trouble, purchases college degree, and so on. He thought the longer he could keep me in college, the longer I'd stay away from home. And you have to give him credit, it worked. At first I was your typical know-it-all smartass. Got A's in all my classes without once cracking a book. So much for the challenge of education. Once I discovered how simple it was, I lost interest in even attending classes. My grades fell faster than man from grace. I bounced around a couple more universities until I took a course because it was the only one open at that time period and therefore wouldn't interfere with my sleep. It was Introduction to Acting. Yeah, that's right, theatre. Within a month I was playing Iago in Othello.'
'How appropriate,' Annie sneered.
'A very misunderstood character, Ms. Ravensmith. Nevertheless, it was exhilarating. Even more so as a director, staging my own productions the way a general prepares for battle. That was how I envisioned it, like a battle. But it had one drawback.'
Annie nodded. 'No real corpses.'
'In a way. No real risk. The worst that could happen was an actor blows his line, a costume tears. That's not risk, merely inconvenience. I'd learned the techniques of manipulation, now I wanted the action. I guess it's true that some people are born soldiers, I was lucky enough to discover it in myself. My parents were scandalized when I enlisted. Practically wore black arm bands.' He waved a dismissing hand. 'No matter. I had what I wanted. And I loved it. I was the best. Still am.'
He sat back on the cot, began tapping the knife against his thigh again, the evil smile slicing across his face. 'But having picked my lifestyle, I had to abandon certain other things. The possibility of a wife, family.'
'Lucky wife,' Annie said. 'Lucky family.'
An angry frown flickered across Fallows' face and Annie knew she'd stabbed a sensitive area.
He forced his smile back in place, but it hung crookedly on his face like a tilted crescent of moon. 'Perhaps you're right, Ms. Ravensmith. I was not so fortunate as Eric. He was the best soldier I'd ever had serve under me. Unorthodox, but damn good. I hoped to convince him to stay in the service, but he refused my friendship. That in itself was a declaration of war. We each won a battle, and each of us bears the scars of the conflict. But now it's time to end it, for a winner to emerge. Obviously, that's why you're here. I would put him at no more than a day away from us right now.'
Annie's heart pulsed at the thought, both with fear for him and hope for herself and Timmy.
'Dad will tear you to pieces,' Timmy said, forcing his voice as low and manly as he could.
'Certainly he'll try, son. But since I know that, I have the advantage. And I have a little drama set up for him that, well, let's keep it a surprise.' Fallows threw his knife onto the cot and stood up. 'In the meantime, we have a little drama all our own to play out right here. We'll start with you, Ms. Ravensmith. Take off your clothes.'
Annie stepped back. 'What for?'
'You didn't think I'd be content just with killing Eric, did you? That would leave me without a third act. No, I want something more devilish, more painful than death, though that too will be a part of it. I want to take what's important away from him, strip him of everything precious. Which reminds me, I have some painful news for you.'
Somehow Annie knew what he would say and her hands flew to her mouth as if that would prevent her hearing it. 'Jenny?'
'Afraid so,' he shook his head sadly. 'Cruz here slit her throat as neatly as Sweeny Todd. I tried to stop him, but-' he shrugged '-he has a mind of his own.'
Annie fell to her knees convulsing with sobs, her stomach heaving vomit onto the ground. 'No, you're lying!' she screamed.
'Not at all. Dr. Epson was most cooperative with information. Hospital. Bottom floor of library. Room at the back. She's dead all right, dead as a… What's an appropriate metaphor here, Cruz?'
Cruz stared, licked his lips.
'Sorry, Ms. Ravensmith, but Cruz can't think of one either, We'll have to settle for that old standby, dead as a doornail.'
Suddenly Timmy lunged across the room for the knife on the cot. He wrapped his hands around the handle and turned toward Fallows.
'Timmy, no!' Annie warned.
'I'll kill you,' Timmy said, choking down his own tears. 'I'll kill you, you asshole.'
Cruz watched impassively, making no move to interfere.
'Kill me?' Fallows said, looking hurt, then smiling. His pale eyes seemed to gather color for the first time. He didn't budge from where he stood, just waited. The gun on his belt remained snapped into its holster.
'Give me the knife, Timmy,' Annie pleaded, holding out her hand.
'He killed Jenny, Mom! He wants to kill Dad!'
'I know. But I don't want you killed too. Give me the knife. Dad will get us out of here. Believe that.'
Timmy wavered, his jaw clenched in an expression that Annie recognized from Eric. It both frightened her and
