stop.
There were three of them in the SUV, and all of them got out when the driver pulled up behind Madeleine's truck. They were young, dressed in baggy jeans and dirty T-shirts, and two of them wore beards and cowboy hats, while the third wore a baseball cap pulled down low over his eyes.
“Engine trouble, ma'am?” said the man in the baseball cap.
“Yes,” she said and stood away as the three of them came up to crowd around the raised hood. None of them were looking at the engine, she noticed.
“You want us to check it out for you?”
“ If you would, please,” she said. Then, “Are you part of the search party for the missing little girl?”
She hoped to take their attention off her bare legs.
“Yes, ma'am, we were for a while, but we give it up when they found that windbreaker in the water. They ain't gonna find her. Not till she washes up somewhere. Me and the boys was on our way back to the boat. Figure to get some skiing in before the day's over.”
He leaned over the engine and began touching things, starting with the carburetor. The others watched, and one of them snickered and said something about a new transmission. Madeleine's brow dipped. She was beginning to feel uncomfortable.
“Been out here long?” one of the bearded men asked.
“No. It happened just before you arrived.”
“Your lucky day,” said the other bearded man. “Or ours.”
“Ma'am,” said the one in the baseball cap, and he gestured for her to come and stand beside him. Madeleine forced herself to move as naturally as possible. When she was beside him, he slipped an arm across her shoulder and said, “Look here, you see this valve here?”
Madeleine attempted to shrug off his arm. “Yes, I see it.”
He tightened his grip. “And this float thing here?”
“Yes,” she said through clenched teeth. Her nostrils wanted to pinch shut at the smell of alcohol coming from him.
“You gotta whack the shit out of it ev'ry once in a while, ‘cause gas'll get it cruddy and make the float stick and really fuck up everything. Now, I ain't sure that's what's happened here right now, but I'm just telling you so you'll know, okay?”
“Please let go of me,” said Madeleine, and at the sound of her voice, the two bearded men moved closer, both of them grinning.
“Let go? Shit, I was just gonna ask if you wanted to come partying with me and the boys on our boat. What do you say? Come with us now and we'll pick up the truck later.”
“Let go,” Madeleine repeated. “I'm not going anywhere with you.”
She attempted to wrench herself away from him, and he laughed and snatched her by the arm.
“Hey, now don't get upset. The last time I fucked anything like you I was twelve and she was paid. We just thought you might like to come and party with us.”
“Let go of me!” Madeleine shouted right in his face, and he lifted an arm as if to smack her, but she ducked and threw herself away from him, right into the path of an oncoming truck.
Renard hit the brakes and Dale Russell was out of the passenger door before Eris could throw the truck into park. Russell picked Madeleine up out of the road and asked her if she was all right. Her entire body trembled as she pointed at the dead truck.
“I broke down. I thought they were going to help me, but they tried to make me go with them. He wouldn't let go of me when I asked.”
Russell placed her beside the CO truck and walked after Renard, who was already towering over the man in the baseball cap.
“We stopped to help her and she came on to us, man.”
“That's a lie!” Madeleine yelled.
Renard said something low to the man, something Madeleine couldn't hear, and he took off his sunglasses as he said it, so the man could look at his eyes.
The drunken man smirked, snorted, and began to back away from Renard. Within minutes, the men were in the SUV and speeding off across the bridge. Russell walked back to Madeleine, while Renard bent over to examine her truck.
“What
There were three of them in the SUV, and all of them got out when the driver pulled up behind Madeleine's truck. They were young, dressed in baggy jeans and dirty T-shirts, and two of them wore beards and cowboy hats, while the third wore a baseball cap pulled down low over his eyes.
“Engine trouble, ma'am?” said the man in the baseball cap.
“Yes,” she said and stood away as the three of them came up to crowd around the raised hood. None of them were looking at the engine, she noticed.
“You want us to check it out for you?”
“ If you would, please,” she said. Then, “Are you part of the search party for the missing little girl?”
She hoped to take their attention off her bare legs.
“Yes, ma'am, we were for a while, but we give it up when they found that windbreaker in the water. They ain't gonna find her. Not till she washes up somewhere. Me and the boys was on our way back to the boat. Figure to get some skiing in before the day's over.”
He leaned over the engine and began touching things, starting with the carburetor. The others watched, and one of them snickered and said something about a new transmission. Madeleine's brow dipped. She was beginning to feel uncomfortable.
“Been out here long?” one of the bearded men asked.
“No. It happened just before you arrived.”
“Your lucky day,” said the other bearded man. “Or ours.”
“Ma'am,” said the one in the baseball cap, and he gestured for her to come and stand beside him. Madeleine forced herself to move as naturally as possible. When she was beside him, he slipped an arm across her shoulder and said, “Look here, you see this valve here?”
Madeleine attempted to shrug off his arm. “Yes, I see it.”
He tightened his grip. “And this float thing here?”
“Yes,” she said through clenched teeth. Her nostrils wanted to pinch shut at the smell of alcohol coming from him.
“You gotta whack the shit out of it ev'ry once in a while, ‘cause gas'll get it cruddy and make the float stick and really fuck up everything. Now, I ain't sure that's what's happened here right now, but I'm just telling you so you'll know, okay?”
“Please let go of me,” said Madeleine, and at the sound of her voice, the two bearded men moved closer, both of them grinning.
“Let go? Shit, I was just gonna ask if you wanted to come partying with me and the boys on our boat. What do you say? Come with us now and we'll pick up the truck later.”
“Let go,” Madeleine repeated. “I'm not going anywhere with you.”
She attempted to wrench herself away from him, and he laughed and snatched her by the arm.
“Hey, now don't get upset. The last time I fucked anything like you I was twelve and she was paid. We just thought you might like to come and party with us.”
“Let go of me!” Madeleine shouted right in his face, and he lifted an arm as if to smack her, but she ducked and threw herself away from him, right into the path of an oncoming truck.
Renard hit the brakes and Dale Russell was out of the passenger door before Eris could throw the truck into park. Russell picked Madeleine up out of the road and asked her if she was all right. Her entire body trembled as she pointed at the dead truck.
“I broke down. I thought they were going to help me, but they tried to make me go with them. He wouldn't let go of me when I asked.”
Russell placed her beside the CO truck and walked after Renard, who was already towering over the man in the baseball cap.
“We stopped to help her and she came on to us, man.”
“That's a lie!” Madeleine yelled.
Renard said something low to the man, something Madeleine couldn't hear, and he took off his sunglasses as he said it, so the man could look at his eyes.
The drunken man smirked, snorted, and began to back away from Renard. Within minutes, the men were in the SUV and speeding off across the bridge. Russell walked back to Madeleine, while Renard bent over to examine her truck.
“What
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