When Cab got back to the deserted main street of Lake Wales, the rain stung his face like a swarm of bees. He wore a black Burberry trench coat with the collar up and the belt tied at his waist. His wet blond hair lay messy and flat on his head. He endured the assault like a statue, frozen and tall. The night was black, and the wind carried a faint smell of oranges. He crossed the street beside the old marble clock tower and got into his Corvette, which was parked diagonally in front of a building for the Lake Wales News. He was opposite a small plaza dotted with waving trees and a checkerboard sidewalk.

The downtown street wasn’t a hive of activity in the best of times, but in the storm it was eerily quiet. Clouds of rain whipped between the old storefronts, taking on shapes like giant skeletons. The only light was the glow from the doctor’s office, and as he watched, the light went black. Dr Smeltz was going home.

Cab turned on his engine. He didn’t feel like making the long drive back to the coast. He decided to get a motel room, even though he knew the storm would be worse by morning. The rain, as bad as it was, was simply a preview of coming attractions. The real danger would begin tomorrow when the swirling body of Chayla nudged over land.

Tomorrow. The Fourth of July. Independence Day.

He backed out of the parking place and switched on his headlights. The beams captured the sheeting rain and the gray stone of the clock tower. He squinted. Just for an instant, he saw someone standing in the plaza. It was a young woman, alone, buffeted by the downpour. Water pooled like a lake at her feet. She was skinny, and without a coat, she was soaked to the bone. He couldn’t see well enough to recognize her face, but there was something oddly familiar about her. He thought she was staring at him and that she knew who he was.

The wind gusted, the girl turned, and she vanished behind a curtain of rain. It was as if she’d never been there at all.

32

Peach waited until Dr Smeltz left his office.

She recognized the doctor’s lumpy profile. He hadn’t changed in the years since she’d seen him as a child. She had always liked him. He was gruff but had a sweet soul, and he had a special weakness for kids. Her appointments with him had always taken a long time, because he had Lego dinosaurs and Disney action figures for her, and he seemed to enjoy playing with them as much as she did. Or maybe that was just his way of making her feel at ease in a scary place.