of my thoughts. Desperate to see a friendly face.
“Kat?” A face not so much friendly as downright scary confronted me the moment I hammered on the front door. “Jesus, you look awful.” Tanya’s face, covered in this thick greeny-yellow glop had hardened into a mask, but when I opened my mouth to inform her she didn’t look so crash-hot herself—no words came out.
“I heard you pull up. Did you change your mind about sleeping here tonight?” When I didn’t answer, Tanya blinked, then reacting to my glazed expression, scooped Tater from my arms and set him down on the floor. “Come in and sit down.”
Like a zombie, I followed my friend into the kitchen. When she pointed to a big old faded green armchair that not only radiated coziness and much loving use but had the added bonus of smelling of cats, horses, dogs and my best friend, Tanya, I moved toward it.
“You’ll be okay now, Kat,” Tanya crooned as she shooed Sweetie, her large ferocious ginger feline that looked more tiger than housecat off the chair. Even as I sat down I knew I’d never be okay again, but it was comforting to have Tanya fuss over me. Exactly what I needed to chase away the nightmares.
“Erin, put the jug on to boil and take care of Kat while I dig up a blanket. She’s shivering.”
Left to the mercy of Devil’s Spawn, I turned away and watched Tater swagger across the kitchen toward Tanya’s hairy grey lurcher, Petunia. When he nipped her on the end of the tail, she butted him away, then gently rolled the little dog onto his back and proceeded to clean his underparts with devoted thoroughness. Tater, drooling in ecstasy, responded with a wriggle.
“Yuk! That’s totallygross!” Erin regarded the two dogs with a curled upper lip. “You’re a girl dog, Petunia. Where’s your pride?” She perched on the arm of my chair and chewed gum with her mouth wide open. “Is that what Mr. Turner did to you last night, Kat? Is that why you killed him?”
When I didn’t rise to her bait she sighed, stood up, then sauntered back to her jug-boiling duties.
“Hey, look what I found?” Tanya, face now scrubbed clean of her garish beauty mask, bustled back into the kitchen, arms full of red tartan quilt, which she proceeded to tuck around me. But even huddled under the quilt I couldn’t stop shaking. And when a hot-water bottle landed in my lap and a mug of hot chocolate in my hand, for a moment, I couldn’t work out what to do with either of them. I could see both Tanya and Erin peering at me like I’d morphed into a six-headed creature from Outer Space, but I could only blink in return.
“Talk to me, Kat. What’s going on?” Tanya looked worried. Erin highly fascinated.
Instead of answering, I cuddled the hot-water bottle and concentrated on breathing. In…out. In…out. There was a heavy weight crushing my chest, making every breath painful. It was like trying to breathe underwater. I wanted to tell Tanya about my intruder but couldn’t seem to form the necessary words in my head.
Gnawing at her bottom lip, Tanya crouched beside my chair. She reached out, one hand massaging my arm as though she could reassure me through the tips of her fingers. “How am I supposed to help if you won’t talk? Are you hurt? Did someone threaten you?” She hesitated for a moment and then I watched her eyes widen to dinner plates. “Oh, no!” She shot to her feet, both hands flying to her mouth. “You haven’t found– please Kat—don’t tell me you’ve found another dead body!”
When I didn’t answer, she marched across to the telephone, back straight, shoulders tense. “Okay, I’m ringing Ben Taylor. If anyone can snap you out of this weirdness—he can.”
* * *
His lips tasted of mint-flavored chewing gum. His aftershave hinted of pine forests on a fresh misty morning. When the kiss deepened, my breathing slowed to a ripple on a lake and I found myself floating, freewheeling, lost in the magic of pure sensation.
With a
“Kat?” A face not so much friendly as downright scary confronted me the moment I hammered on the front door. “Jesus, you look awful.” Tanya’s face, covered in this thick greeny-yellow glop had hardened into a mask, but when I opened my mouth to inform her she didn’t look so crash-hot herself—no words came out.
“I heard you pull up. Did you change your mind about sleeping here tonight?” When I didn’t answer, Tanya blinked, then reacting to my glazed expression, scooped Tater from my arms and set him down on the floor. “Come in and sit down.”
Like a zombie, I followed my friend into the kitchen. When she pointed to a big old faded green armchair that not only radiated coziness and much loving use but had the added bonus of smelling of cats, horses, dogs and my best friend, Tanya, I moved toward it.
“You’ll be okay now, Kat,” Tanya crooned as she shooed Sweetie, her large ferocious ginger feline that looked more tiger than housecat off the chair. Even as I sat down I knew I’d never be okay again, but it was comforting to have Tanya fuss over me. Exactly what I needed to chase away the nightmares.
“Erin, put the jug on to boil and take care of Kat while I dig up a blanket. She’s shivering.”
Left to the mercy of Devil’s Spawn, I turned away and watched Tater swagger across the kitchen toward Tanya’s hairy grey lurcher, Petunia. When he nipped her on the end of the tail, she butted him away, then gently rolled the little dog onto his back and proceeded to clean his underparts with devoted thoroughness. Tater, drooling in ecstasy, responded with a wriggle.
“Yuk! That’s totallygross!” Erin regarded the two dogs with a curled upper lip. “You’re a girl dog, Petunia. Where’s your pride?” She perched on the arm of my chair and chewed gum with her mouth wide open. “Is that what Mr. Turner did to you last night, Kat? Is that why you killed him?”
When I didn’t rise to her bait she sighed, stood up, then sauntered back to her jug-boiling duties.
“Hey, look what I found?” Tanya, face now scrubbed clean of her garish beauty mask, bustled back into the kitchen, arms full of red tartan quilt, which she proceeded to tuck around me. But even huddled under the quilt I couldn’t stop shaking. And when a hot-water bottle landed in my lap and a mug of hot chocolate in my hand, for a moment, I couldn’t work out what to do with either of them. I could see both Tanya and Erin peering at me like I’d morphed into a six-headed creature from Outer Space, but I could only blink in return.
“Talk to me, Kat. What’s going on?” Tanya looked worried. Erin highly fascinated.
Instead of answering, I cuddled the hot-water bottle and concentrated on breathing. In…out. In…out. There was a heavy weight crushing my chest, making every breath painful. It was like trying to breathe underwater. I wanted to tell Tanya about my intruder but couldn’t seem to form the necessary words in my head.
Gnawing at her bottom lip, Tanya crouched beside my chair. She reached out, one hand massaging my arm as though she could reassure me through the tips of her fingers. “How am I supposed to help if you won’t talk? Are you hurt? Did someone threaten you?” She hesitated for a moment and then I watched her eyes widen to dinner plates. “Oh, no!” She shot to her feet, both hands flying to her mouth. “You haven’t found– please Kat—don’t tell me you’ve found another dead body!”
When I didn’t answer, she marched across to the telephone, back straight, shoulders tense. “Okay, I’m ringing Ben Taylor. If anyone can snap you out of this weirdness—he can.”
* * *
His lips tasted of mint-flavored chewing gum. His aftershave hinted of pine forests on a fresh misty morning. When the kiss deepened, my breathing slowed to a ripple on a lake and I found myself floating, freewheeling, lost in the magic of pure sensation.
With a
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