He shrugged. “These’re okay, I guess.” Then: “Kylie liked Barney and the Rugrats. Tommy was her favorite.”

“We don’t have to watch those.”

He shook his head. “I wanna make popcorn and watch these first, okay? Kylie can watch ‘em with us from up in Heaven. It’s her birthday today. This’ll be a good present for her.”

Something caught in Lucy’s throat and she swallowed it down. “Sounds like fun.”

She eyed the duffel bag. Later, she thought, after he’s asleep.

She took off her coat and Randy saw the .45 in its shoulder holster.

“Is that real?”

“Yes. And it’s loaded.”

He looked at her with something like awe. “You really ain’t gonna let him get me, are you?”

“Absolutely not. While I’m thinking of it, c’mere.”

She opened another bag from the electronics store and gave him his own cellular phone, fully-charged, along with a portable two-way radio, and explained how to use both.

“A walkie-talkie!” he shouted.

“Okay, sure, but this one’s already set, see here? It’s tuned in to the emergency assistance channel they have around these parts, so don’t mess with it, please.” She pointed to the cell phone. “You know about 911, right?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Good.” She pulled him close, held his shoulders, and looked directly into his eyes. “Listen to me, Randy, okay? If, for any reason, you and I get separated, you use the walkie-talkie to call the emergency assistance people, then call 911 on the cell phone and don’t hang up, don’t disconnect the call. If you stay on the phone, they’ll find you. It’s got a battery that runs for an extra long time, so you don’t have to worry about losing power, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Promise me?”

“I promise.” He was starting to sound scared again.

She took his hand and led him back to the kitchen, lifting him onto the counter and pointing out the window over the sink. “See that trail way back there, that starts by that old well?”

“Uh-huh...?”

“If you need to get to the main road, you just follow that trail, okay? It’s almost a straight line, so you don’t have to worry about getting lost. I’m only telling you this just in case something happens.”

“A backup plan!”

“What?”

“That’s what Dad calls things like this. I been on trips before, and Dad says you should always have a backup plan.”

“That’s right, and this is our backup plan. Later tonight, I’m going to fix up a backpack for you; food, water, pop, comic books, a blanket, there’s a compass and a pair of binoculars, things you can use while you’re waiting for emergency assistance people to come get you.

“But don’t worry about anything, hon, I’m not gonna let you out of my sight, okay? We just have to be real careful until I…until I get rid of Mr. Hands, understand? So promise me that you’ll keep the radio and the phone on you all the time, even when you’re sleeping or have to go to the bathroom. The phone folds up and you can keep it in your pocket, and the radio, see, it can hang off your belt. Promise me you’ll always have these with you?”