back at her?”
“First there were the phone calls,” Blake said.
Martha stared at him, an icy chill rippling up her spine. “Phone calls?” she murmured.
“Obscene phone calls. Not just kid stuff, trying to scare her. Threats.” Blake’s eyes closed briefly, and he ran one hand across his forehead. “He told her he’d get even with her if it was the last thing he did. He told her she’d never go out with anyone again.”
“Oh, Blake — he told her that ?”
“And he started following her. Not out in the open where she could really see him — but at a distance, just so she’d know he was there. Sometimes when he called, he’d tell her things he’d seen her do — like he’d been watching the house.”
Martha was gazing at him in disbelief, her arms clenched tightly around her chest. She was beginning to feel sick, and her body was so cold now that it seemed strangely detached.
“He left a dead rat on her porch.” The words came out between clenched teeth, and Blake’s fist curled and uncurled again on his thigh. “And one night he set a fire —”
“A fire!” No … no … I don’t want to hear this, please stop, please ….
“They caught it in time, but …” His voice trailed away, for one brief instant his eyes filled, but then he lifted his head, bunking defiantly. “It didn’t matter in the end, did it? Nothing did. He still killed her.”
Martha’s throat felt thick, her words sticking with an aftertaste of fear. “But she told someone, didn’t she? Why didn’t the police do something?”
Blake gave a humorless smile. “That’s just it. She didn’t tell anyone. Not at first, anyway.”
“But — but why! That’s ridicu —”
“She didn’t take him seriously. She thought it was a big joke at first — and then — well, then it just made her mad. Then she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of being intimidated.”
“But didn’t Wynn know about it? Didn’t anyone ?”
“After it’d been going on for a while — that’s when I found out about it. And then I told Greg.”
“And couldn’t you two do anything?”
“Hey, wait a minute!” For a split second Blake almost looked angry. “What could we do? No proof, no evidence — Dennis and I never got along, and that sure wasn’t a secret — and Elizabeth had dumped the guy. Do you know how that would have sounded to the cops? They’d have called it high school soap opera. And if Greg had gone around telling tales about Dennis, he could have lost his job.” He looked into Martha’s shocked eyes. “Do you think I’m proud of myself for this? Hell, I can hardly stand to think about it.” He jumped to his feet, hands in pockets and started pacing. “And Wynn … sure she knew about it … but if we’d made trouble for Dennis … well … he’d hinted to Elizabeth that he’d … make trouble … for Wynn.”
Martha nodded woodenly, the implication clear. “Oh, Blake … I …”
“He killed her on Halloween.” Blake looked across the deserted fields, his face sorrowful. “The last time I saw her, we were all at a party — she was making fun of Dennis — laughing about how immature he was — and then … well….” He shook his head. “Later that night she left with him — and we never saw her alive again.”
“Left with him! But —” Martha looked up at Blake, but he wasn’t seeing her anymore.
“When we went to her house to look for her, Wynn found her — what was left of her —”
“Oh, no … stop….”
“Up in her bedroom —”
“Which bedroom?” Martha murmured.
“What?”
“Which bedroom ?”
“The one at the back of the house. Closest to the woods.”
“Oh, God —”
“Wynn never got over it. She still has dreams — horrible nightmares. She still feels guilty because she let Elizabeth leave with Dennis and never told us — she was the first one in the house that night, and she still has times when she can’t remember things —”
Martha’s eyes
“First there were the phone calls,” Blake said.
Martha stared at him, an icy chill rippling up her spine. “Phone calls?” she murmured.
“Obscene phone calls. Not just kid stuff, trying to scare her. Threats.” Blake’s eyes closed briefly, and he ran one hand across his forehead. “He told her he’d get even with her if it was the last thing he did. He told her she’d never go out with anyone again.”
“Oh, Blake — he told her that ?”
“And he started following her. Not out in the open where she could really see him — but at a distance, just so she’d know he was there. Sometimes when he called, he’d tell her things he’d seen her do — like he’d been watching the house.”
Martha was gazing at him in disbelief, her arms clenched tightly around her chest. She was beginning to feel sick, and her body was so cold now that it seemed strangely detached.
“He left a dead rat on her porch.” The words came out between clenched teeth, and Blake’s fist curled and uncurled again on his thigh. “And one night he set a fire —”
“A fire!” No … no … I don’t want to hear this, please stop, please ….
“They caught it in time, but …” His voice trailed away, for one brief instant his eyes filled, but then he lifted his head, bunking defiantly. “It didn’t matter in the end, did it? Nothing did. He still killed her.”
Martha’s throat felt thick, her words sticking with an aftertaste of fear. “But she told someone, didn’t she? Why didn’t the police do something?”
Blake gave a humorless smile. “That’s just it. She didn’t tell anyone. Not at first, anyway.”
“But — but why! That’s ridicu —”
“She didn’t take him seriously. She thought it was a big joke at first — and then — well, then it just made her mad. Then she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of being intimidated.”
“But didn’t Wynn know about it? Didn’t anyone ?”
“After it’d been going on for a while — that’s when I found out about it. And then I told Greg.”
“And couldn’t you two do anything?”
“Hey, wait a minute!” For a split second Blake almost looked angry. “What could we do? No proof, no evidence — Dennis and I never got along, and that sure wasn’t a secret — and Elizabeth had dumped the guy. Do you know how that would have sounded to the cops? They’d have called it high school soap opera. And if Greg had gone around telling tales about Dennis, he could have lost his job.” He looked into Martha’s shocked eyes. “Do you think I’m proud of myself for this? Hell, I can hardly stand to think about it.” He jumped to his feet, hands in pockets and started pacing. “And Wynn … sure she knew about it … but if we’d made trouble for Dennis … well … he’d hinted to Elizabeth that he’d … make trouble … for Wynn.”
Martha nodded woodenly, the implication clear. “Oh, Blake … I …”
“He killed her on Halloween.” Blake looked across the deserted fields, his face sorrowful. “The last time I saw her, we were all at a party — she was making fun of Dennis — laughing about how immature he was — and then … well….” He shook his head. “Later that night she left with him — and we never saw her alive again.”
“Left with him! But —” Martha looked up at Blake, but he wasn’t seeing her anymore.
“When we went to her house to look for her, Wynn found her — what was left of her —”
“Oh, no … stop….”
“Up in her bedroom —”
“Which bedroom?” Martha murmured.
“What?”
“Which bedroom ?”
“The one at the back of the house. Closest to the woods.”
“Oh, God —”
“Wynn never got over it. She still has dreams — horrible nightmares. She still feels guilty because she let Elizabeth leave with Dennis and never told us — she was the first one in the house that night, and she still has times when she can’t remember things —”
Martha’s eyes
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