The Taint Read Online Free PDF Page A

the door.
    Her legs free of the blanket, she climbed over the motionless form of her husband and stepped on the cool bare floor. She prayed that the floor wouldn’t creak and tip-toed over to the built-in dresser. The top drawer always stuck, but she knew the trick to it, and lifted up while pulling out. It glided open without a sound.
    She froze suddenly, trying to recall whether or not someone had locked the trailer door. She hadn’t, but one of them had, surely. If not . . .
    The drawer and the gun, she reminded herself. But the solid lethal weight of the gun was not at her fingertips, no matter how hard she willed it to be.
    There was no other choice, now, she realized. She had to go to the door. If it was unlocked, and he reached it before she did, there was little chance that she could escape.
    She was still in the narrow hall when she heard the unmistakable sound of a footstep on the metal stairs outside the door. She could see the door at an angle from where she stood, and the interior handle with the lock beneath it.
    She heard the screen door being pulled back and used the sound to cover her movements into the room. She was still two paces from the door when she saw the handle move.
    She lunged forward, sliding the locking mechanism into place, falling on her knees. She could see the man’s silhouette through the frosted glass window in the door. Then he was gone.
    The kids were sleeping, and Ralph was snoring. After a minute she got off the floor and went back to bed.
     
     

Friday
     
     

EIGHT
     
    Rachel woke to the smell of coffee brewing. Nathan was up, then, and her plan to make breakfast was probably foiled. She’d heard him leave during the night so she knew he’d had less sleep than she, but here he was, up and at ’em.
    She ran barefooted down the stairs and almost collided with him at the bottom. He had a tray fixed; breakfast in bed.
    “Nathan!”
    “I didn’t hear you moving around. I wanted to surprise you before I left for the hospital.” He motioned with the tray. “Back up those stairs and into bed.”
    “You’re going to spoil me,” she protested, going back to her room.
    “Only for this morning.” He waited until she was settled then placed the tray across her legs, lifting the silver covers off the dishes. Eggs over easy, bacon, wheat toast and orange juice.
    “What, no coffee?”
    “I want you to go back to sleep,” he said. “The coffee will keep.” He walked over to the window and pulled the shade down. His eyes rested on the unopened letters but he didn’t comment.
    “What about the hospital?”
    “It’ll keep as well.” He leaned over to kiss her. “I’ll be back around one and then I’ll take you on the grand tour.” With a wave he was gone.
    After she finished eating she took the dishes downstairs to clean up but Nathan had anticipated her again; the kitchen was immaculate, the cooking utensils were washed and drying in the dish drainer. She washed her plate and silverware and refilled the glass with juice.
    Sunlight flooded into the house and she luxuriated in its warmth, sitting in the window seat and gazing out at the morning. Nathan was right; the hospital could wait.
    She fell asleep, curled up in the window seat.
    When she woke again, someone was pulling into the driveway. She straightened and looked toward the grandfather clock to check the time. A little after ten. When she looked back out the window again she could see a dark blue Bronco with the golden emblem of the sheriff’s office on the door.
    It was Jon.
    She hurried up the stairs to throw on some clothes, her heart quickening.
    “Come on,” she said to herself as she dressed, “you’re a big girl now.”
    It took a great deal of self-restraint to keep from running down the stairs when the knock sounded. She did not want to be out of breath.
    He was facing the other direction when she opened the door, and he turned slowly toward her, a shy smile on his face. He held his hat in one hand,