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killed the owner. And then they killed my father anyway.
There was silence.
Craig was staring at Kat.
She stared back.Why didn t you tell me? she asked silently.Why didn t you go
to the police? But she knew. She knew when your family was threatened, you
were ready to do just about anything. You would kill for them.
And you would die for them.
Hear, hear! Paddy said, breaking the silence.
They all stared at him. Either he was drunk, or he was doing a great job of
pretending to be, Kat thought.
Uncle Paddy, you ve had enough, Skyler said gently.
Good God, not nearly enough, me lass, Paddy protested. A man should be
totally drunk before being shot.
No one is going to shoot anyone, Craig said. Quintin stared at him, arching
a brow.
It doesn t make any sense to shoot anyone, Craig went on, and indicated
Tim. Don t you understand? His partner didn t come with him, but she knew
where he was going.
It s true, Tim agreed.
It s like I said before, killing these people won t change anything, Craig
finished.
I think we should have dessert now, Quintin said, as if Craig hadn t
spoken.
What? Craig asked, confused.
I believe Tim s partner is in this house. I figured we d go ahead and have
dinner, and then I intend to find her. Of course, finding her won t be all
that hard. I m sure she s within earshot right now. But she knows she can t
possibly get both of us, so she s not going to try anything. So& dessert.
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They all just stared at him.
Dessert, Quintin repeated. Now.
Kat felt her heart was sinking.
The police had failed, and the end was coming.
And now&
Craig looked at her, held her gaze and mouthed something she couldn t make
out.
She frowned. What was going on? What was he doing?
May I serve? Skyler asked.
Quintin grunted.
She looked at him. Pumpkin or pecan?
Pecan for me, with ice cream, Scooter said.
Craig? her mother said after serving Scooter.
Pumpkin, he said.
Ice cream?
No, thank you.
Skyler set a piece of pumpkin pie down in front of Craig. Looks great, Mrs.
O Boyle, he said casually and picked up his fork, then shouted. Duck! as he
stabbed his fork into Scooter s hand, pinning it to the table.
The entire family went down, gasping& shouting& screaming.
Above the cacophony, Kat heard the explosion of a gun, and she dared a peek
over the table.
Quintin was staring at her& staring& But he didn t raise his gun. Instead, it
slipped from his fingers. His head crashed against the table, a hole in the
back of it. Blood started to pool over his dessert plate and onto the
tabletop.
Scooter was still screaming, a high-pitched and hysterical sound. Though one
hand was still pinned to the table by Craig s fork, he had his gun in his
other hand and was trying to aim, trying to shoot.
Craig had leaped across the table to throw himself on the man and the gun,
but he didn t have to.
Kat heard a horrible snapping sound, and Scooter started screeching at an
even higher pitch, his arm dangling at an unnatural angle. Uncle Paddy was
standing next to him, his cane in his hand. He had used it to break Scooter s
arm. Craig quickly reached over and picked up Scooter s gun. He immediately
flipped on the safety and slid the gun into his waistband.
Oh God, Skyler breathed. Oh God, she said again, and started to cry.
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Despite the confusion, Kat realized that Quintin had been right about one
thing: Sheila Polanski had been in the house all along. Now she came running
out of the pantry and into the kitchen.
Is everyone all right? she asked anxiously.
The question seemed so ridiculous under the circumstances that Kat almost
started to laugh. A dead man was bleeding all over the table, and Scooter was
still pinned and screaming.
To her horror, Kat did start to laugh.
Then she was hugging Sheila Polanski and her brothers, and someone was
untying Tim Graystone, and she was holding Brenda and they were both sobbing.
The next thing she knew, she was in her mother s arms, and then her father s.
It seemed as if the hysteria, the mix of laughter and tears and hugging and
kissing, went on forever, and the whole time, Sheila s question kept running
through her head.
Was everyone all right?
Kat didn t think they would ever be all right again.
Then she saw Craig. Saw him watching her. And she knew that while they might
never exactly be all right, they would be better.
FIFTEEN
For a while time moved in slow motion, full of sounds and visuals Skyler knew
would haunt her forever.
There was the sound of Scooter s screams. There was a look on his face, in
his eyes. She had no doubt that he would have killed them if Quintin told him
to. He had genuinely longed for and enjoyed his Christmas, but he would have
obeyed Quintin without a second thought.
Another image& The remnants of a turkey dinner, gravy boat still on the
table& pies out, ice cream melting&
Quintin s head, bleeding onto his plate.
So much confusion, the storm slowing but not gone, and the need the bone-deep
need to get out of the house before she went mad. Scooter had been tied up,
and Brenda saw to his wounds while he continued to howl.
They had to get out, Skyler thought. She knew she couldn t stay in the house
that night.
She knew that, as long as she lived, she would never forget the way Quintin
had died, never forget the blood flooding out over the table.
And all of her life she would be grateful that the blood had been Quintin s,
that, miraculously, her family had all survived.
The wind finally began dying down for good. Sheila or Tim must have managed
to get a signal and make a call, because, to her amazement, it wasn t long
before they heard movement outside and realized that the state police had
arrived and the house was surrounded.
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It seemed impossible. As detectives and crime-scene investigators filled her
house, all Skyler could think was that it must have been a dream. A nightmare.
They had lived those hours so intensely, and then&
So quickly, it all seemed so impossible.
She couldn t mourn Quinton, but she almost felt badly for Scooter. Almost.
The threat against her family had been far too terrifying for her to feel
anything that resembled forgiveness for him yet, but maybe the time would
come.
Skylerhad feared for Craig when the police got there. She had been ready to
testify that, whatever he had done in the past, he wasn t a killer and had in
fact been ready to die for her family.
But the police didn t take him away. Instead they started to talk to him as
if they knew him, knew all about him.
Tim was the one who explained it all to her. I knew I had seen his face, he
said, grinning. And I finally remembered. He works with the state. He
graduated from the state police academy with one of my buddies. I d seen him
in their graduation photo.
So& hewas a cop. All along, Skyler said.
All along, Tim agreed, amused by her choice of words.
Theywere rather foolish, she thought. He hadn t suddenly become a cop in the
midst of everything.
Tim looked at her and took her hands. I m sorry we couldn t get to you
sooner. I don t know how that guy Scooter knew I was up there.
Skyler shrugged. He& I don t know. He had an instinct.
Yeah, well, that almost blew the whole thing. I still don t know why the
other guy, Quintin, didn t just shoot me.
He wanted his turkey dinner, Skyler said. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl exclamation.htw.pl
killed the owner. And then they killed my father anyway.
There was silence.
Craig was staring at Kat.
She stared back.Why didn t you tell me? she asked silently.Why didn t you go
to the police? But she knew. She knew when your family was threatened, you
were ready to do just about anything. You would kill for them.
And you would die for them.
Hear, hear! Paddy said, breaking the silence.
They all stared at him. Either he was drunk, or he was doing a great job of
pretending to be, Kat thought.
Uncle Paddy, you ve had enough, Skyler said gently.
Good God, not nearly enough, me lass, Paddy protested. A man should be
totally drunk before being shot.
No one is going to shoot anyone, Craig said. Quintin stared at him, arching
a brow.
It doesn t make any sense to shoot anyone, Craig went on, and indicated
Tim. Don t you understand? His partner didn t come with him, but she knew
where he was going.
It s true, Tim agreed.
It s like I said before, killing these people won t change anything, Craig
finished.
I think we should have dessert now, Quintin said, as if Craig hadn t
spoken.
What? Craig asked, confused.
I believe Tim s partner is in this house. I figured we d go ahead and have
dinner, and then I intend to find her. Of course, finding her won t be all
that hard. I m sure she s within earshot right now. But she knows she can t
possibly get both of us, so she s not going to try anything. So& dessert.
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They all just stared at him.
Dessert, Quintin repeated. Now.
Kat felt her heart was sinking.
The police had failed, and the end was coming.
And now&
Craig looked at her, held her gaze and mouthed something she couldn t make
out.
She frowned. What was going on? What was he doing?
May I serve? Skyler asked.
Quintin grunted.
She looked at him. Pumpkin or pecan?
Pecan for me, with ice cream, Scooter said.
Craig? her mother said after serving Scooter.
Pumpkin, he said.
Ice cream?
No, thank you.
Skyler set a piece of pumpkin pie down in front of Craig. Looks great, Mrs.
O Boyle, he said casually and picked up his fork, then shouted. Duck! as he
stabbed his fork into Scooter s hand, pinning it to the table.
The entire family went down, gasping& shouting& screaming.
Above the cacophony, Kat heard the explosion of a gun, and she dared a peek
over the table.
Quintin was staring at her& staring& But he didn t raise his gun. Instead, it
slipped from his fingers. His head crashed against the table, a hole in the
back of it. Blood started to pool over his dessert plate and onto the
tabletop.
Scooter was still screaming, a high-pitched and hysterical sound. Though one
hand was still pinned to the table by Craig s fork, he had his gun in his
other hand and was trying to aim, trying to shoot.
Craig had leaped across the table to throw himself on the man and the gun,
but he didn t have to.
Kat heard a horrible snapping sound, and Scooter started screeching at an
even higher pitch, his arm dangling at an unnatural angle. Uncle Paddy was
standing next to him, his cane in his hand. He had used it to break Scooter s
arm. Craig quickly reached over and picked up Scooter s gun. He immediately
flipped on the safety and slid the gun into his waistband.
Oh God, Skyler breathed. Oh God, she said again, and started to cry.
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Despite the confusion, Kat realized that Quintin had been right about one
thing: Sheila Polanski had been in the house all along. Now she came running
out of the pantry and into the kitchen.
Is everyone all right? she asked anxiously.
The question seemed so ridiculous under the circumstances that Kat almost
started to laugh. A dead man was bleeding all over the table, and Scooter was
still pinned and screaming.
To her horror, Kat did start to laugh.
Then she was hugging Sheila Polanski and her brothers, and someone was
untying Tim Graystone, and she was holding Brenda and they were both sobbing.
The next thing she knew, she was in her mother s arms, and then her father s.
It seemed as if the hysteria, the mix of laughter and tears and hugging and
kissing, went on forever, and the whole time, Sheila s question kept running
through her head.
Was everyone all right?
Kat didn t think they would ever be all right again.
Then she saw Craig. Saw him watching her. And she knew that while they might
never exactly be all right, they would be better.
FIFTEEN
For a while time moved in slow motion, full of sounds and visuals Skyler knew
would haunt her forever.
There was the sound of Scooter s screams. There was a look on his face, in
his eyes. She had no doubt that he would have killed them if Quintin told him
to. He had genuinely longed for and enjoyed his Christmas, but he would have
obeyed Quintin without a second thought.
Another image& The remnants of a turkey dinner, gravy boat still on the
table& pies out, ice cream melting&
Quintin s head, bleeding onto his plate.
So much confusion, the storm slowing but not gone, and the need the bone-deep
need to get out of the house before she went mad. Scooter had been tied up,
and Brenda saw to his wounds while he continued to howl.
They had to get out, Skyler thought. She knew she couldn t stay in the house
that night.
She knew that, as long as she lived, she would never forget the way Quintin
had died, never forget the blood flooding out over the table.
And all of her life she would be grateful that the blood had been Quintin s,
that, miraculously, her family had all survived.
The wind finally began dying down for good. Sheila or Tim must have managed
to get a signal and make a call, because, to her amazement, it wasn t long
before they heard movement outside and realized that the state police had
arrived and the house was surrounded.
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It seemed impossible. As detectives and crime-scene investigators filled her
house, all Skyler could think was that it must have been a dream. A nightmare.
They had lived those hours so intensely, and then&
So quickly, it all seemed so impossible.
She couldn t mourn Quinton, but she almost felt badly for Scooter. Almost.
The threat against her family had been far too terrifying for her to feel
anything that resembled forgiveness for him yet, but maybe the time would
come.
Skylerhad feared for Craig when the police got there. She had been ready to
testify that, whatever he had done in the past, he wasn t a killer and had in
fact been ready to die for her family.
But the police didn t take him away. Instead they started to talk to him as
if they knew him, knew all about him.
Tim was the one who explained it all to her. I knew I had seen his face, he
said, grinning. And I finally remembered. He works with the state. He
graduated from the state police academy with one of my buddies. I d seen him
in their graduation photo.
So& hewas a cop. All along, Skyler said.
All along, Tim agreed, amused by her choice of words.
Theywere rather foolish, she thought. He hadn t suddenly become a cop in the
midst of everything.
Tim looked at her and took her hands. I m sorry we couldn t get to you
sooner. I don t know how that guy Scooter knew I was up there.
Skyler shrugged. He& I don t know. He had an instinct.
Yeah, well, that almost blew the whole thing. I still don t know why the
other guy, Quintin, didn t just shoot me.
He wanted his turkey dinner, Skyler said. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]