Darkfall Part 26

They found a soft, silken, satisfying rhythm and gave pleasure to each other on the cool, crisp sheets.

VI.

Lavelle sat at the kitchen table, staring at the radio.

Wind shook the old house.

To the unseen presence using the radio as a contact point with this world, Lavelle said, "Should I have his children murdered now, tonight, without further delay?"

"Yessss."

"But if I kill his children, isn't there a danger that Dawson will be more determined than ever to find me?"

"Kill them."

"Do you mean killing them might break Dawson?"

"Yessss."

"Contribute to an emotional or mental collapse?"

"Yessss."

"Destroy him?"

"Yessss."

"There is no doubt about that?"

"He lovessss them very muchhhh."

"And there's no doubt what it would do to him?" Lavelle pressed.

"Kill them."

"I want to be sure."

"Kill them. Brutally. It musssst be esssspecccially brutal."

"I see. The brutality of it is the thing that will make Dawson snap. Is that it?"

"Yessss."

"I'll do anything to get him out of my way, but I want to be absolutely sure it'll work the way I want it to work."

"Kill them. Ssssma.s.ssh them. Break their bonessss and tear out their eyessss. Rip out their tonguessss. Gut them a.s.sss if they were two pigssss for butchhhhering."

VII.

Rebecca's bedroom.

Spicules of snow tapped softly on the window.

They lay on their backs, side by side on the bed, holding hands, in the b.u.t.terscotch-colored light.

Rebecca said, "I didn't think it would happen again."

"What?"

"This."

"Oh."

"I thought last night was an* aberration."

"Really?"

"I was sure we'd never make love again."

"But we did."

"We sure did."

"G.o.d, did we ever!"

She was silent.

He said, "Are you sorry we did?"

"No."

"You don't think this this was the last time, do you?" was the last time, do you?"

"No."

"Can't be the last. Not as good as we are together."

"So good together."

"You can be so soft."

"And you can be so hard."

"Crude."

"But true."

A pause.

Then she said, "What's happened to us?"

"Isn't that clear?"

"Not entirely."

"We've fallen for each other."

"But how could it happen so fast?"

"It wasn't fast."

"All this time, just cops, just partners-"

"More than partners."

"-then all of a sudden-wham!"

"It wasn't sudden. I've been falling a long time."

"Have you?"

"For a couple of months, anyway."

"I didn't realize it."

"A long, long, slow fall."

"Why didn't I realize?"

"You realized. Subconsciously."

"Maybe."

"What I wonder is why you resisted it so strenuously."

She didn't reply.

He said, "I thought maybe you found me repellent."

"I find you irresistible."

"Then why'd you resist?"

"It scares me."

"What scares you?"

"This. Having someone. Caring Caring about someone." about someone."

"Why's that scare you?"

"The chance of losing it."

"But that's silly."

"It is not."

"You've got to risk losing a thing-"

"I know."

"-or else never have it in the first place."

"Maybe that's best."

"Not having it at all?"

"Yes."

"That philosophy makes for a d.a.m.ned lonely life."

"It still scares me."

"We won't lose this, Rebecca."

"Nothing lasts forever."

"That's not what you'd call a good att.i.tude."

"Well, nothing does."

"If you've been hurt by other guys-"

"It isn't that."

"Then what is it?"

She dodged the question. "Kiss me."

He kissed her. Again and again.

They weren't pa.s.sionate kisses. Tender. Sweet.

After a while he said, "I love you."

"Don't say that."

"I'm not just saying it. I mean it."