‘I’ve never done that.’
‘Well, I reckon yer a gentleman.’
‘Wouldn’t go that far.’
She ducked into the car, sat down, and placed the bag on her lap. Neal shut the door.
He went around to his own side and climbed in. ‘Do you want to . . . stop by your place before we go?’
‘Nah.’
‘You don’t want to pack, or . . .?’
‘Got all I need.’ She patted the bag.
Neal started the car and steered toward the road. ‘You travel light,’ he said.
‘That’s me. All I need’s my jeans and stuff. Generally, I’ll change in Sunny’s John. Don’t wanna go round town lookin like a waitress, do I? First thing ya know, folks start pesterin ya to bring ’em burgers and shakes.’
Neal laughed. ‘Wouldn’t want that.’ He stopped at the edge of the road. ‘Anybody you need to see before we go?’
‘Nope.’
‘Your parents, or . . .’
‘Good luck findin ’em.’
‘Oh. Okay. So you’re on your own?’
‘Only just the three of us. Me, myself, and I.’
‘Okay.’ He turned onto the road, and headed for the freeway on-ramp.
‘Who you got?’ Sue asked.
‘Same three.’
‘No folks?’
‘Yeah, but they live in San Francisco. I live in L.A., by the way.’
‘Married?’
‘My parents?’
‘Haw! You! Smarty!’ She reached out and poked the side of his head with her forefinger. ‘You married?’
‘Nope.’
‘Me neither. You got a girlfriend?’
‘Yep.’
‘What’s her name?’
‘Marta.’
‘She the gal fell in the lake?’
Fell in the lake? What the hell is she . . .?
He suddenly remembered the lie he’d made up to explain the scratches on his arms. ‘Yeah, that was Marta.’
‘How come she ain’t here?’
‘She has a job.’
Sue’s left shoulder made a quick hop. ‘Me too, but I ain’t gonna let it stop me, not when I got me a ride to the Fort.’
‘You sure are eager to go to this place. How come you waited till now?’
‘Needed me a ride.’
‘You said you can always get rides from guys.’
‘Just so they ain’t got no gals with ’em. Gals, they never let a guy give me no rides. They’re generally an onry lot. Ya ever happen to notice how onry gals are, in a general sense?’ She looked at him and lifted her eyebrows high.
Neal noticed how golden her eyebrows were. And he saw innocence and amusement and wonder in the blue of her wide eyes.
‘You mean, ornery?’ he asked.
‘Yeah. Onry.’
‘Well,’ he said. ‘I don’t know.’
‘Most fellas, they’re all easy-goin and friendly. Seems like, anyways. That’s how come I like guys. They ain’t a bunch of bitches.’
‘I’d say there are plenty of bad men around,’ Neal told her. ‘I’ve sure run into a few. And I’ve known some very nice women.’
‘Name two,’ she said.
‘You and Marta.’
‘Haw! Me? Thank ya very much! So how come ya think I’m nice?’
‘Oh, I can just tell.’
‘Well, I got ya fooled! I’m a shit! Ask anyone!’
He looked at her and burst out laughing.
It’s not that funny, he thought. But he couldn’t help it. And he couldn’t stop. Tears filled his eyes, streamed down his cheeks.
Calm down, he told himself.
He took deep breaths. He wiped his eyes. He was beginning to settle down when his mind replayed Sue blurting out, ‘Well, I got ya fooled! I’m a shit!’
And he exploded with laughter again, fresh tears flooding his eyes.
‘Ya okay?’ Sue asked after a while. ‘It weren’t all that funny, ya ask me.’
‘Well . . . I’m sorry.’
‘Ya ain’t some sorta moron . . .?’
Neal squealed. He was laughing and crying so hard that he could barely see the road.
So he pulled over and stopped on the shoulder. ‘I’m sorry,’ he gasped. ‘Can’t . . . help it.’ He took deep breaths. ‘I’ll be . . . all right. Just a minute.’ He wiped his eyes. After he’d calmed down, he said, ‘Don’t know what’s wrong with me.’
‘Ya okay?’ She looked concerned.
He nodded. After drying his eyes again, he checked the traffic. He waited for a truck to pass. Then the road was clear, so he steered onto the pavement and accelerated.
‘Cool bracelet,’ Sue said.
The words sobered Neal fast.
Here we go, he thought. Just act as if everything’s normal. ‘Thanks,’ he said.
‘Where’d ya get it?’
‘Marta gave it to me. It was a birthday present.’
‘What’d she wanta give ya a bracelet for? It’s girl-stuff, y’know?’
Neal shrugged. He smiled at her. ‘This is a guy bracelet. It’s actually a replica of an ancient Egyptian artifact. I’m sort of an amateur Egyptologist.’
Shoveling it now, he thought. Why not? She doesn’t know any better.
Sue, gazing at the bracelet, wrinkled her nose. ‘What is it?’
‘A replica of an ancient Egyptian bracelet found in the tomb of King Tut. It was supposed to protect the young king against snakes in the afterlife.’
‘No kiddin?’
‘Nope.’
‘They got snakes in the afterlife?’
‘The ancient Egyptians thought so. They were worried about asps. That’s how Cleopatra died, you know. An asp bit her on the ass.’
Sue laughed. ‘Now I know yer kiddin me.’
Neal let go of the steering wheel and jiggled his hand. ‘I haven’t gotten snake-bit since I started wearing this thing.’
‘Let’s see it.’
‘See?’
When she reached for it, he pulled his hand back and clutched the wheel.
‘C’mon, let me see. I ain’t gonna run off with it. Cripes.’
‘I’ve let you see it.’
‘C’mon.’ She tapped the bracelet with a knuckle. ‘Let’s see it.’
What could it hurt? he wondered. As long as she doesn’t kiss it.
I can’t warn her not to kiss it.
‘Just be careful,’ he said. He released his grip on the steering wheel and stretched his arm toward Sue.
‘Thanks.’ She slipped the bracelet off Neal’s wrist. ‘Ooo, heavy. This thing made outa solid gold?’
‘Nah,’ he said. ‘It’s just gold-plated.’
‘Looks like the real stuff to me.’ She put it onto her own wrist and turned it slowly, gazing at it. ‘It’s sure a snake, all right. And look at them eyes. Look at them jewels. They’re just as green as can be. Ya think they’re emeralds?’
‘Just green glass.’
‘I don’t know, buddy. Ya ask me, this ain’t fake. How much she pay for it?’
‘It was a gift. People don’t tell how much they paid.’
‘Ya don’t know? Bet it was plenty.’ Sue raised the bracelet toward the sunlit windshield. She pursed her lips and shook her head. ‘Man, look at how shiny it is!’
‘Pretty shiny,’ Neal agreed.
‘That Marta, she sure must love you.’
He blushed a little. ‘I guess so,’ he said. He figured that Marta probably did love him, but that wasn’t the reason for his embarrassment. He felt ashamed of himself for telling such a string of lies to Sue, who seemed so trusting and sincere.
Still holding the bracelet near the windshield, she stroked it with the back of her left forefinger. She made no comment. Neal tried to keep his eyes on the road, but he couldn’t stop himself from glancing over at her.
She brought the bracelet toward her face.
‘Hey!’ Neal snapped.
She flinched. ‘What?’
/> ‘What’re you doing?’
‘Nothin. I just wanta feel it.’ Giving him an injured frown, she gently rubbed the bracelet against her cheek. ‘Feels good.’ She closed her eyes and continued caressing herself with the bracelet.
‘Maybe you’d better give it back to me, now,’ Neal said.
‘Okay.’
But she didn’t stop.
‘Sue?’
‘Okay, okay. Gee, it’s just the smoothest thing . . .’ She brushed it softly against her lips.
Twenty-Three
‘No!’ Neal yelled and tried to snatch the bracelet away.
Too late.
An instant after her lips brushed against the bracelet, Sue went limp in the passenger seat and her arm dropped, taking the bracelet down onto the cushion by her right thigh.
Neal tried to reach it. His seatbelt stopped him. So did his other hand on the left side of the steering wheel. For the moment, he could only stretch far enough to touch the top of Sue’s thigh.
He went for the buckle of his seatbelt.
Oh, God, he thought. She’s done it. She’s out. Where’d she go?
In me? What if she’s in me!!!
Maybe she isn’t. She could’ve gone anywhere.
I’m nearest.
Buckle unclasped, he jerked the belts out of his way. As he moved his left hand to the top of the steering wheel, he checked the nearby freeway lanes. No traffic close enough to worry about.
She’d better not be in me! Better not be! Damn it! Never should’ve let her touch the bracelet! My God, I knew better!
He leaned and reached across Sue’s lap.
And, leaning, bumped her with his shoulder.
Not much of a bump, but enough to change her balance. As Neal reached, she shifted in her seat and slumped sideways until her right shoulder met the door. Her head thumped the window.
And her hand tumbled over the seat edge, into the gap between the seat and the door.
Neal could no longer see her hand or the bracelet.
‘Fall off!’ he commanded the bracelet in his mind. He knew it was too large for Sue; it ought to slide down her hand and drop to the floor.
She remained limp.
According to Elise, you return to your own body immediately if you break contact with the bracelet.
She’d be back by now.
Obviously, it hadn’t dropped off.
Gotta pull over, get it off her quick. My God, my God. ‘You in me, Sue? Get out!’ Damn it! This is what I get for being nice to someone! ‘Get out!’
Foot off the gas pedal, he saw a wide section of shoulder ahead. He checked his rearview mirror. Nothing on his tail.
Sue still didn’t move.
‘You’d better not be in me! Get the hell out!’
Neal stepped on the brake pedal. As his car slowed, he eased it onto the hard dirt shoulder of the road. Pebbles flew up, clattering against the undercarriage. In the mirror, a cloud of yellow dust rose into the air.
The car skidded, stopped.
Foot clamped to the brake pedal, Neal let go of the steering wheel, threw himself across Sue and reached down into the gap for her hidden hand. He knew he might be hurting her: digging his left elbow into her leg, shoving at her belly, mashing her breasts with his right upper arm. But he didn’t much care.
Serves her right, he thought, not caring that she was probably in his mind and well aware of the thought.
All he cared about was getting the bracelet away from her.
Get it before I think about the murder!
Oh God, I just did.
At that moment, he wrapped his right hand around Sue’s wrist, He hooked a finger underneath the heavy coil and jerked it forward.
Sue’s hand came up out of the crevice. It hovered beside her leg, supported by the bracelet. It jumped and shook as Neal tugged at the solid hoop. When the bracelet flew clear, her hand fell and slapped her thigh.
Neal pushed at Sue, trying to shove himself off her.
‘Ow!’ she gasped. She twitched and squirmed. ‘Get off me! Ouch!’
A moment later, Neal was sitting upright. He slipped the bracelet onto his left hand, where it would be safe from a sudden grab by Sue. Trying to catch his breath, he shook his head. ‘Sorry,’ he said.
‘Like fun ya are.’ Scowling at him, Sue rubbed her leg. ‘Ya didn’t have to get so rough. Cripes, I was gonna give it back to ya.’
‘I didn’t mean to hurt you.’
‘Like I believe that.’ She rubbed her left breast. Just above it, the red plastic name-plate tilted and wobbled like a raft on stormy lake. ‘Damn near creamed my tit,’ she pouted.
‘Uh . . .?’
‘Ya don’t gotta stare.’
He turned to the windshield.
What’s going on? he wondered. Sue was acting like a girl who’d gotten roughed up, not like someone who’d just taken a magic ride to weirdsville.
‘We just gonna sit here all day?’ she asked.
‘I don’t know,’ Neal said. He faced her. ‘Are you okay?’
‘I’ll live,’ she said. An odd look suddenly came into her eyes. She turned her head away. ‘C’mon, let’s go.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Sure I’m sure.’
‘I could let you out right here, if that’s what you want.’
‘Why’d I want that?’
‘You aren’t frightened?’
‘Of what?’
‘Me.’
‘I ain’t scared of you.’ She looked him in the eyes. ‘Anyhow, Sunny knows I gone off with ya. She took down yer license plate. Somethin happens to me, and yer gonna be in a whole heap of trouble.’
‘I wouldn’t do anything to you.’
‘Okay, then. We gonna get a move on?’
Nodding, he waited for some traffic to pass. Then he pulled onto the highway again and poured on the speed.
She must not realize what happened to her with the bracelet, Neal thought. Maybe she figured she was hallucinating.
Should he come right out and ask her about it?
Better not.
She had given him that funny look after saying, ‘I’ll live.’ As if she knew he’d already murdered someone else and might be tempted to do away with her, too.
If she thinks I’m a killer, she’s acting pretty cool about it.
She doesn’t believe any of it happened, he told himself. Or, at the very least, she’s so confused about it that she doesn’t know what to think.
Nobody would immediately assume the truth.
She’d slipped out of her own body and taken a detour into Neal?
That would be about the last thing she would figure for the truth.
So if I don’t confirm it for her . . .
‘Sure wish I had me a bracelet like that,’ Sue said.
Neal felt a sinking sensation.
‘S’pose to ward off snakes?’
‘That’s the story.’
‘How come ya went nuts and grabbed it back? Got a rattler under yer seat, or somethin?’
‘No. I was just worried.’
Go for it!
‘The thing is,’ he said, ‘you passed out. Right after you put it to your mouth. I was afraid you might’ve been poisoned.’
‘Huh?’
‘Marta warned me . . . I thought she must be joking about it, but . . . well, she told me that part of the bracelet’s magic comes from snake poison. That’s what the guy told her at the gift shop where she found it. That it had been dipped in asp venom. Which is supposed to keep the snakes away. She said he seemed pretty serious about it. He warned against getting the thing near your mouth.’
‘Sounds like a crock to me.’
‘Well, apparently it’s not supposed to be enough to kill someone. When I saw you pass out, though . . .’ Neal shook his head. ‘You’re feeling okay now?’
He looked at her. She was frowning as if deep in thought.
‘One other thing,’ he said, ‘asp venom is supposed to be hallucinogen
ic.’
‘Huh?’
‘In small doses, it makes you see and hear things that aren’t there. You know, hallucinate. Like LSD, or something. Hippies used to use it, but it fell out of favor after a while. Just a little too much, and you’re a dead duck.’
‘Really?’
‘Really,’ he said, though he’d never heard of such a thing. For all he knew, the asp that nailed Cleopatra might’ve been the last of its species.
Maybe it isn’t a species at all, he thought. Asp might be nothing but a synonym for snake.
Whatever it is, I’m getting plenty of mileage out of it.
Have to look it up sometime . . .
He forced himself to smile. ‘Did you have any interesting hallucinations from the venom?’ he asked.
She was giving him a funny stare again.
‘Maybe,’ she said.
‘You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. I mean, hallucinations are sort of like dreams – they’re mostly just an expression of your own . . . worries, obsessions, fantasies. Stuff you might want to keep private.’
‘Yer handin’ me a load,’ she said.
‘No, I’m not.’
‘Ya know darn well I wasn’t havin no hallucination. I was in yer head, and you know it.’
‘No, I . . .’
‘Shoot, ya kept on yellin at me to get out.’
He tried to look amused. ‘Really? I was in your fantasy? I’m flattered.’
‘Weren’t no fantasy. I got in ya ’cause of the bracelet, I reckon. That’s how come ya was in such a hot rush to get it off me and break the spell.’
‘There wasn’t any spell,’ he said. ‘I was afraid you’d been poisoned.’
‘Bull-roar. You figured I was in ya, and you didn’t like it one whit. Kept yelling at me with yer thoughts. Said stuff like, “Damn it, Sue, get the hell outa here!” Which I figure is ’cause ya didn’t want me findin out how yer a murderer.’
‘I’m not a murderer,’ he said.
‘Who’d ya kill?’
‘Nobody!’
‘C’mon, fess up.’ Sue smiled. Was she actually amused to find herself riding with a murderer? ‘I been in yer brain,’ she said. ‘So c’mon, who’d ya kill? Marta? Did ya kill her to get yer hands on her bracelet?’
‘No!’
‘Bet she scratched up yer arms while ya was murderin her.’