'As it is, Harrison threatened to call the cops on us. I'm not sure he has the guts to go through with it, though.'

She looked down at Melanie. 'Did you actually hear him admit to hitting Dad with the car?'

'Yes.'

'What about Joyce?'

'She was in on it. They did it together, just like I thought.'

CHAPTER NINETEEN.

Pen finished packing and waited in the living room. Bodie came down a few minutes later, carrying luggage. Melanie was behind him. She had washed the blood from her face and changed into a clean white blouse. 'Can we stay with you?' Melanie asked.

'Of course,' Pen said. She looked at Bodie. 'Are you sure you shouldn't drive back tonight?'

'Wella'

'I'm not eager to get rid of you, but if Harrison presses charges you'd be better off out of state.'

'He won't press charges,' Melanie said. 'He knows we'd tell everything.'

'It probably would be better,' Bodie admitted, 'to get a good night's sleep before starting out. We'll leave first thing in the morning.'

'Fine.'

Not fine, Pen thought. She didn't want them to leave at all. But she'd known they couldn't stay long. Starting tomorrow, they would both be missing school and Bodie had cla.s.ses to teach. Also, it was best that they go back as soon as possible before Melanie got a chance to make more trouble.

She was surprised, however, by Melanie's apparent willingness to return in the morning.

We'd better watch her, she thought.

'I'll stop by a fast-food place,' Bodie said, 'and get us all some supper.'

'There's a Jack-in-the-Boxa'

He nodded. 'I saw it. What would you like?'

'Tacos would be fine. They've got great tacos.' Outside, Pen hesitated in front of the door. 'I wonder if we should leave the house keys.'

'Screw that,' Melanie said. 'It's still Dad's house. Joyce doesn't have any right to be kicking us out.'

'I suppose not.'

Melanie went with Bodie to his van. Pen climbed into her car and followed them out to San Vicente.

Driving back to her apartment, she wondered if Melanie would change her mind about leaving in the morning. It hardly seemed possible that she would abandon her hopes of nailing Joyce and Harrison, especially now that she'd apparently heard them admit their guilt.

She must have a plan. Maybe she intends to sneak out, tonight. And do what? G.o.d only knows. She'd been crazy enough to hide in Harrison 's house - and attack Joyce.

We'd just better make d.a.m.n sure she doesn't get away from us. Even if it means staying awake all night.

When Pen parked in front of her apartment building, she considered waiting in her car for them to show up. The stop for food should only take them five minutes.

Don't be a chicken, she told herself. If you're not going to move out - and that was the whole point of buying the shotgun - you'd better get used to the place again.

He took my panties. He was here this afternoon. Maybe he's a tenant like Manny.

But not Manny. Someone else.

I can't go on living here, she realized.

Nor could she move out of her car seat.

It'll be all right with Bodie here.

Tomorrow, I'll find a new place. I'll stay in a motel for as long asa Tomorrow, Bodie will be gone.

He has to go. He has to get Melanie away from all this.

I wouldn't mind getting away from all this, myself.

I can't go anywhere, though. Not while Dad's the way he is.

Should call the hospital. Maybe go over there tonight.

What if Joyce is there?

We have to do something about those two. They can't get away with it.

I could go to the police tomorrow and tell them everything. If they focus their investigation on Harrison , they might turn something up. I'll do that. Unless they show up here, first, to arrest Melanie and Bodie.

At least we got her out of Harrison 's house in one piece.

Bodie was right, we should've left her there. She probably would've managed to sneak out on her own with n.o.body the wiser.

Or maybe not.

They might've caught her. G.o.d only knows what Harrison would've done.

It was the right move.

What's their next move? They know the three of us are onto them. What'll they do about it? Maybe nothing.

Harrison's an attorney, he knows we haven't got any evidence.

Maybe it's too much that we suspect them.

So what's he going to do, kill the three of us?

That would bring down an awful lot of heat. He wouldn't risk it unless he was feeling mighty desperate.

Melanie and Bodie will be gone tomorrow. Once he finds that out, it'll relieve the pressure. And once I've gone to the cops, I'll have done my share of the damage. He won't have any motive, then, to shut me up.

We just need to get through the night.

In her mind, Pen saw Harrison kick open the apartment door and rush in, his.38 blasting. A slug smashed Melanie in the chest, slamming her down. She and Bodie ran, but a bullet caught him in the back. She made it to her bedroom, whipped the shotgun around and cut Harrison in half when he lunged through the doorway. She hurried into the living room. Melanie was dead, but Bodie still breathed. You'll be all right, she told him. You'll be fine.

Real nice, she thought. I kill off my sister and let Bodie survive.

Pen knew she wasn't psychic. That was Melanie's department. But she recognized the value of daydreams. What she had imagined was a possible scenario. Unlikely, but possible.

Just in case, she would brace the door with a chair and keep her shotgun within reach.

Harrison , she told herself, would have to be insane to barge in shooting.

But he does have the gun.

And those handcuffs.

A former private eye. How come he didn't have to give back the badge and ID when he stopped working for that agency? Maybe he claimed he lost them. A couple of items like that could be very useful, especially if a guy is into rape.

Not as useful as the handcuffs.

Don't start thinking about that, she warned herself. Get off it quick.

But something he'd said that nighta something about the job. What was it? Ever shoot someone? No, but he'd drawn his gun a couple of times. Said it was a boring job.

Except for the repos.

Holy s.h.i.t!

She flinched as someone rapped on her window. Melanie looked in at her. Pen climbed out of the car.

'Been here long?' Bodie asked. He had sacks of food in his hands.

Pen shook her head. 'Just a few minutes.' Should she tell them about Harrison, that he'd had experience stealing cars and might even own the tools for it?

Might just set off Melanie.

A midnight search for the tools?

Let's not rock the boat. Save it for the police.

She took out her suitcase and led the way through the front gate. Heading for the stairs, she swept her eyes across all the apartments surrounding the pool. Did he live in one of them? Pen knew only a few of the tenants. He might be one she didn't know.

But he knows me.

He has my panties.

He'd like to f.u.c.k my brains out anda Stop it!

She hurried up the stairs, telling herself to stay calm.

The creep wouldn't try anything tonight, not with Bodie here.

And this is my last night here, you filthy sc.u.m. Tough luck.

She opened her apartment door and looked down at the carpet. No message had been slipped under the door during her absence.

While she and Melanie set the kitchen table, Bodie went down to get the rest of the luggage.

'Are you really going to leave tomorrow?' Pen asked.

'I guess so. I'll come back if Dada changes.'

'Do you want to go over to the hospital tonight?'

'What's the point? He's justa it's like he's dead. I can't stand to see him that way.' Melanie sank into a chair and held her head. 'I just want to forget everything. I want to sleep.'

'How do you feel?'

'I've got an awful headache.'

'I'll get you some aspirin.' Pen went into the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet. As she reached for the Excedrin, she saw a bottle of sleeping pills. They were Quaaludes, 150 mg, a drug she had been prescribed by her doctor when she complained of insomnia during a bad period following the rape. The expiration date had pa.s.sed. But the pills shouldn't cause any harm. Even if they weren't quite as strong as they had once been, a couple of them should certainly knock out Melanie for the night. And put a stop to any plan she might have for sneaking out, later on.

Pen's hands trembled as she shook two of the tablets onto her palm.

It's a dirty trick, she thought.

They'll wipe her out. Bodie and I won't have to spend the night standing guard over her.

She put away the bottle. With the two pills in her hand, she left the bathroom.

Bodie was sitting down at the table when she entered the kitchen. She took a tumbler from the cupboard and filled it with water. 'I got Mel some aspirin,' she said.

Bodie nodded.

She set the gla.s.s in front of Melanie and dropped the pills into her palm. 'It's a new brand,' she said. 'They're extra-strength. They may make you a little drowsy, buta'