Alarums. Part 30

'I can think of one excellent reason.'

'What?'

'Because I won't let you.'

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN.

Pen steered her car into the driveway and parked behind Harrison 's Mercedes. She kept the engine running.

Bodie took off his wrist.w.a.tch. Handing it to Pen, he said, 'Five minutes.'

'I'm frightened.'

'Not me.'

'Yeah, I can tell.'

'It's been nice knowing you.'

'Very funny.'

Bodie climbed from the car. He felt as if his breath had been knocked out. His legs seemed ready to collapse, but he forced them to move, one after the other, until he reached the front door.

He pressed the doorbell. Chimes rang inside the house.

He struggled to breathe.

He wondered whether Pen had started the five-minute countdown when he left the car, or planned to wait until he was inside.

He reached up to ring the bell again, and the door opened.

Harrison arched a single eyebrow. He wore a blue warm-up suit with white stripes down the sleeves and legs, and he didn't hold a gun. 'What have we here?' he asked.

'Sorry to bother you,' Bodie said, trying without success to keep his voice from shaking.

Harrison leaned sideways and looked past him. 'One accounted for. Where's the other sister, trapped in a telephone booth?'

'Could I come in and talk to you?'

He stepped back to let Bodie enter. 'I take it you've been selected to represent the grievance committee.'

'Something like that.'

He shut the door behind Bodie. 'What's on your mind, punching me out?'

'No, thanks.'

'Then what?'

'We know about you and Joyce.'

Harrison smirked. 'That's rather obvious at this point. You're way off base, however, if you think I had anything to do with running down Whit.'

Bodie's stomach dropped. 'I don't know what you'rea'

'Oh, you weren't in on the cute little telephone call or breaking into my garage?'

Bodie's eyes caught movement off to the side. Turning his head, he saw Joyce lean against the entryway from the hall. She wore a bathrobe that was too large for her. The sleeves were rolled above her wrists. 'When I get back to my house tonight,' she said, 'I want all three of you gone. I never want to see any of you again.'

'Fine,' Bodie said.

'Who's going to pay for the garage window?' Harrison asked.

'Melanie,' Bodie said, and wondered if his voice was loud enough to carry to her hiding place.

'I knew it,' Joyce said.

'That crazy little b.i.t.c.h.'

'Listen, mistera'

'No, you listen. We don't appreciate being the targets of this lunatic vendetta, and the courts have remediesa'

'MELANIE!'.

'What the f.u.c.k area?'

'MELANIE, GET OUT HERE!!!'.

Joyce clenched her robe tight and stood there rigid, a look of alarm on her face.

'Is she here?' Harrison raged. 'G.o.dd.a.m.n it, if that little b.i.t.c.h is in my housea!'

Bodie stepped past him.

Harrison clamped his shoulder. Whirling, Bodie knocked the hand away. 'We'll be out of here in aa'

Joyce shrieked. Harrison 's glower changed to shock. Bodie spun around in time to see Joyce slam against the floor with Melanie on her back. Straddling her rump, Melanie tore at her hair, jerked her head up and smacked a fist into her cheek.

Bodie, rammed aside by Harrison, fell against a chair. He shoved himself up. As he raced across the room, he saw Harrison grab Melanie by the neck of her sweats.h.i.+rt and try to hoist her off Joyce. The loose, sleeveless sweats.h.i.+rt flew up her body, covered her face, caught her arms for an instant, then released her. Harrison staggered off balance, waving the empty s.h.i.+rt at the ceiling. He landed on his rump.

Melanie, naked to the waist, punched the back of Joyce's neck.

Harrison was getting up.

Bodie, ignoring him, grabbed Melanie's arm and dragged her off Joyce.

'Leave go!' Melanie yelled.

'Come on!'

She stumbled along on her knees, pulled by Bodie.

'Everybody calm down!' he shouted. 'We're getting out of here. We're going.'

'Crazy b.i.t.c.h!' Joyce shrieked.

Harrison moved in.

'Leave her alone!' Bodie warned.

Harrison kicked. The toe of his running shoe smashed Melanie in the ribs just below her armpit. Her hand jerked from Bodie's grip. She tumbled, her face striking the edge of a table. Bodie s.n.a.t.c.hed her sweats.h.i.+rt. Harrison, hanging onto it, lunged against him. Hooking an arm around Harrison 's head, he twisted and flung the man over his hip. As Harrison hit the floor, Bodie dropped and drove a knee into his belly. Harrison 's breath blasted out. 'I told you to leave her alone!' He tore the sweats.h.i.+rt from Harrison 's grip.

Melanie was on her knees, hanging onto the table with one hand while she pressed the other hand to her cheek. Blood spilled out between her fingers. Her side had a red scuff from the kick.

Crouching, Bodie gave her the sweats.h.i.+rt. He glimpsed a small gash over her cheekbone before she pressed the sweats.h.i.+rt against it. 'Come on,' he said gently. 'Let's get going.' Hands beneath her armpits, he lifted her. She was very heavy for a moment. Then her legs were supporting her weight. He steered her toward the door.

'I'm gonnaa get the cops on you!' Harrison yelled.

Bodie looked around. The man was curled on his side, hugging his stomach. 'Go ahead, a.s.shole. But you'd better have a good alibi for Friday night.'

'f.u.c.kin' lunatics! Both of you!'

Joyce, on her knees, clutched her robe shut with both hands and stared through strings of hanging hair. She said nothing.

Melanie got the door open.

Bodie, with an arm around her back, helped her down the porch stairs. It was still daylight and the sweats.h.i.+rt was pressed to her face, but her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were hidden beneath her arms.

Pen, looking stunned, rushed around her car and opened the rear door. 'My G.o.d, what happened?'

'Let's get out of here.'

Melanie ducked into the back seat. Bodie followed her. Pen ran to the other side and flung herself behind the steering wheel. She shot her car out of the driveway and sped forward. 'Where to?'

'My van.'

'Should we take her to emergency? What happened to her?'

'A small cut below the eye. She fell against a table.'

'I'm okay,' Melanie muttered.

'We'd better take her to emergency,' Pen said.

'I'm all right.'

'I have a first aid kit in my van.' Bodie pulled her down so that her head rested on his lap. 'Let me take a look.' He lifted the sweats.h.i.+rt away from her cheek. The cut was half an inch below her left eye. Blood filled the wound and began leaking out. He dabbed it away.

'What went on in there?' Pen asked. 'Was there a fight?'

'A wee scuffle.'

'You sure nailed Harrison,' Melanie said, smiling up at him.

'Why don't you put this on?'

Sitting up, she slipped her arms through the sleeve holes. She drew the sweats.h.i.+rt down over her head, then lifted the bottom of it and held the cloth against her wound. Her left breast stuck out like someone peering from under a stage curtain. It had a smear of blood beside the nipple.

'Did you find out anything?' Pen asked.

'They know we suspect them,' Bodie said.

'What about you, Mel? Where were you all afternoon?'

'In the bedroom. Under the bed.'

'What did you hear?'

'They did it, all right.'

'Hit Dad?'

'Yeah.'

'What did they say?'

'Not now. I don'ta feel too good.'

'She caught a kick in the ribs, too.'

Pen stopped behind the van. Melanie gave the keys to Bodie, and he opened the rear doors. He was glad to see that she had lowered her sweats.h.i.+rt before leaving the car.

All three climbed into the van. As Bodie shut the doors, Melanie lay down on the sleeping bag. She raised the blood-spotted sweats.h.i.+rt to her cheek.

Bodie took out his first aid kit. He spread disinfectant cream on her cut, then applied a bandage.

Pen, crouching at his side, asked, 'Now what should we do? Go to the police?'

'I don't think so,' Bodie said. 'Melanie was in the house illegally. And she's the one who started the fight. I imagine we could both wind up charged with all kinds of s.h.i.+t.'

'Great,' Pen muttered.