“Maybe take her into town or something,” the man said. “I’ll take care of things here.”

“What does that mean? Taking care of things?”

“Jesus, Claire, what the fuck do you want me to do?”

“I don’t know, okay? I don’t know!”

They both took a moment to calm down. “Where’s the car?” the man asked.

“I got the keys out of his jacket, moved it around back of the barn. You can’t see it from the road.”

“It’s her car, isn’t it?” the man said.

“Yes,” Mrs. Bennet said. “But just because it’s her car, that doesn’t mean anything.”

“Mmmm,” I said, a little louder this time.

“I knew this was going to happen someday,” the man said. “From the first day, this sort of thing, it was inevitable. Jesus.”

Mrs. Bennet, agitated: “Why don’t you go into the house then, tell Katie you’re sorry, this whole thing was a big mistake, but we won’t be looking after her anymore. Is that what you want?”

“Jesus, Claire, that’s not what I’m saying. I don’t want to do that.” His voice went quiet. “I love her. I love her as my own.” He paused. “All I want to do is make sure she’s safe, and whatever that takes, I’m prepared to do it. For Katie, and for you.”

“Including murder?”

Again, the man had nothing to say. I heard shuffling on the straw floor, the man pacing back and forth, trying to decide what to do.

“Mmmm!” I said, stirring about on the barn floor, trying to roll over.

“Shut up!” the man shouted.

“We need to ask him some questions,” Claire Bennet said. “We need to know why he’s here. We need to know if he’s a threat or not.”

I tried to nod. “Hmmm mmm!” I said.

“Of course he’s a threat,” the man said. “If he’s here, if he’s found us, found Katie, then he’s a threat. Because if he can find us, anyone can find us.”

Some more pacing, then footsteps right up next to my head. Someone kneeling next to me.

“I’m gonna ask you some questions,” the man said, his breath hot on my face. “Okay?”

I nodded. I felt fingers on my cheek, working their way under the tape, and then he ripped it off suddenly.

“Owww!”

It took my mind off how much my head hurt. I moved my jaw around, did a bit of moaning. “My eyes,” I said. “Can you take the tape off my eyes? Please?”

“Whaddya think?” he asked Claire Bennet.

“He’s already seen me,” she said. “I guess it’s not that big a deal.”

He was working his fingers under the strip that went across my eyes when my cell phone went off.

“Shit,” he said. He stopped taking off the tape. “Who the hell is that?”