And that was true enough, though I didn’t really care that much just at the moment.

She was back with a clean rag and a white enamel basin of warm water in just a couple of minutes, and she began the tedious process of cleaning my face.

“Ted’ll keep his distance, don’t you worry,” she said quietly, as if shooting men was an everyday occurrence at the lake cottage. “He won’t get too close.”

“When will the police be here?”

“Any moment. Your brother has been looking for you all over town,” Mrs. Hamilton said, and my heart felt warm again. “He called out here and asked us to keep our eyes open, because he saw Barney Simpson’s car parked at the other end of the lake. So we were prepared.”

“I hope the police understand,” I said.

“I’m sure they will. Nothing wrong with our sheriff. She’s a good one.”

I wasn’t as sold on that idea as Nita, but then the sheriff wasn’t answerable to me.

“How come your head’s bleeding?” Nita asked, as if to make sure I was completely there with her mentally.

“He pulled me out of the car by the hair,” I said, and she looked truly shocked. “He pulled some stitches out.”

“Well, if Ted knew that, he’d shoot him again,” she said, and that triggered a set of giggles that shook my body in an unpleasant way.

I thought, Then I wish I’d told him, but just then we heard an ominous sound outside. It was a deep groan, and it came from right outside the door. Ted Hamilton. Oh, shit.

Quick as a wink, Nita locked the front door, and just barely in time. The knob turned, and when the door wouldn’t open to him, Barney threw himself against it.

“Come out,” he bellowed, “come out here!”

“He’s hurt Ted,” Nita said. “That son of a bitch.”

Even at that moment, I was shocked. But that was only the beginning. Nita opened a closet on the other side of the front door, pulled out a rifle, and aimed it at the door. “This is our varmint rifle,” she told me, maybe because I was gaping at her. “He comes in here, he’s dead. I might turn my own cheek, but I ain’t offering up yours.”

Barney threw himself against the door. Since I was still sitting to the right of the door, like a fool, I could hear the click in the quiet night. “Move!” I yelled. “Move, Nita!” And Barney fired Ted’s pistol into the house.