Archie nodded. He tried not to think about Susan. He concentrated instead on Gretchen, on that famous beauty. He let himself feel Gretchen’s breasts against his body, the firmness of her thigh placed against his pelvis. He let himself want her, let his adrenaline ebb, embraced the soft warmth coursing through his body. It was always there—that reserve of repressed sexual desire—it was just a matter of surrendering to it. Susan’s life depended on it. He put his lips on Gretchen’s forehead and gently kissed her hairline. The fake blood tasted like peppermint. “I want your word that you’ll let her go after we’re done,” he said carefully.

Gretchen smiled magnanimously. “If I wanted her dead, she’d be dead,” she said.

“Then let’s go,” Archie said.

Gretchen stepped away from him and looked down at Rachel with a disappointed frown. “It’s a shame,” she said. “I would have had fun slaughtering you.”

Rachel was trembling, snot dripping from her nose, her face wet with tears.

Archie stepped in front of Gretchen and leaned close to Rachel with his hands on his knees. He wanted to offer her some comfort, to touch her, to rub her arms, to put his hands on her face, anything to calm her. But he didn’t want to give Gretchen any more reasons to kill her. Rachel’s eyes were desperate. “They’ll figure this out soon,” Archie told her in as confident a tone as he could muster. “Henry will come. Tell him everything.” He lifted his eyebrows at her. “You hear me, Rachel?” he said. “Everything. Make sure he looks at my computer.” Rachel nodded. “Are the cops outside alive?” Archie asked Gretchen.

“They’ll recover,” Gretchen said with a dismissive wave. “I know how it disappoints you when I slaughter lawmen. Where’s your phone?”

“On the coffee table,” Archie said.

Gretchen swept over to the coffee table and picked up his phone. “You’ve got a text from Henry,” she said, her eyes on the screen. “Looks like I’m not on the island.” She took the battery out of the phone, closed it back up, and then tossed the phone to Archie. He caught it and placed the dead phone next to his gun. He removed the extra ammo from his pocket and laid it next to the phone. Gretchen was standing by the door, waiting for him.

Ginger was hiding under the coffee table. Archie went around to the kitchen counter and got a treat. Usually Ginger came scrambling over at the sound of the lid coming off the treat jar, but this time Archie had to call her. He gave her the treat and she took it and carried it back under the coffee table. Archie stood up. “Make sure someone takes care of my dog,” he said to Rachel.

“She’s gained weight,” Gretchen said from the door. “You’re feeding her too much.”