Whether or not he would have to bury her up here was hardly significant at the moment. What was important was that he have his way with her while she was still breathing. It was more fun if the girl cooperated but he was determined to plunge into her no matter what.
“Stay away from me,” Terrie warned. Her voice was rising fast. Jimmy caught only its echo. “What are you doing? Don’t come any closer.”
Glenn didn’t answer. One hand gripped her shoulder as the other slipped under her dress, determined to pull her panties down. His cool hand against her bare belly caused her to gasp. She pushed him with all her strength, and he fell back. “Bitch!” he growled. “You might as well like it. Makes it better for both of us.”
Glenn fell on her, his mouth a whisper from her lips while one hand stroked her neck and the other shot back up under her dress.
Terrie screamed.
“Shut up, bitch! You’re asking for trouble.”
He grasped a handful of hair and pulled her mouth to his.
Jimmy had just taken another swallow of wine when he heard Terrie scream. He hesitated momentarily, wondering. Was it a scream or a squeal? He knew that sometimes girls squealed out when they were aroused. Maybe old Jay was having that kind of an effect on her. Might be she was only crying out for more.
There was banging and thumping coming from the car. He set the bottle on the ground and got to his feet. The car seemed far away. Dammit, he shouldn’t mix beer and wine. He was feeling a little tipsy.
“Help!” Terrie shouted. Her scream rose until it became one of desperation. “Help me!”
There could have been some doubt as to whether the original sound had been a scream or a squeal but there was no doubt as to her call for help.
He vacillated for a moment, wanting to get away from the scene, tempted to head down the mountain on foot. Take a chance on what might be out there. Bigfoot, or whatever. Since Terrie was resisting, Jay sure as hell would kill her. And the old man wasn’t about to leave a witness. He would kill them both!
But Jimmy couldn’t run. Neither could he stand idly by and listen to Terrie’s cries for help.
He stumbled towards the car, pulling the small gun out of his pocket. Why, he wondered, was he so protective towards women? There was a girl in trouble and he was rushing to the rescue. Stupid! He was no Clint Eastwood.
The car lights were still on. Inside, the dash lights provided a dim illumination. His only hope now was to try and get the upper hand. Standing outside the door, Jimmy eventually found his voice that wasn’t all that firm and was able to say, “Get off of her.”
Glenn lifted his head and Jimmy saw a look of pure hatred on the man’s face.
Jimmy lifted the gun and pointed it at Clark. “Just leave her alone,” he said, his voice trembling.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” With an astonished look on his face, Glenn glared at him as if he couldn’t believe this little man could be threatening him. Not if he expected to live. “Put that damned gun down and get away!” Glenn shouted. “Don’t you remember what I told you? You or nobody else is stopping me this time. You’d better run while you still can.”
“Get off her. Leave her alone. Get out of the car!”
As Glenn raised up uncertainly, Jimmy grabbed the passenger side door. Terrie was crying and trembling uncontrollably. She climbed out. “You get out the other door,” Jimmy said to Glenn.
“You ignorant son of a bitch, let me tell you something,” Glenn growled. “There’s room enough to bury the two of you up here. Hell, I already told you that. You’ll lay there and rot in the ground. Don’t think I won’t do it. Put that gun away or you’re a dead man!”
“Get around to where I can see you in the headlights,” Jimmy said. In spite of his fury, Glenn wasn’t ready to argue with a loaded gun. With his shirttail hanging, he backed out the driver’s door. Jimmy could see the leather pouch on the floor, the pouch that had housed Glenn’s pistol.
Terrie, crying, didn’t seem to understand what either man was saying. She had run around to the driver’s side and was too busy dragging her two suitcases out from the back seat.
Jimmy was quite certain Glenn had the gun somewhere on him, but where? Most likely in a hip pocket. First he would have to find it and then he would—he didn’t know what he would do next. Jay was big. To Jimmy he seemed so large that without his own gun he would not stand a chance against the man. Unless he could get the other gun off Jay what came next was immaterial. There would be two new graves on the mountain. If the man even bothered to bury them. More than likely he would leave them for the wild animals to feast upon.
“Get your shirt off,” Jimmy said. The gun had to be on Glenn somewhere. Had to be!
“Damn you! You stupid bastard! You’ve really had it now. Your ass is dead! Don’t think it ain’t. You hear me, asshole?”
For Terrie, there was only one frightening reality. She was a long way from where she was supposed to be, alone on a mountaintop with two lunatics and one of them had a gun. What had John said? Was it, “I’ll protect you” or “I’ll kill him?”
She dragged her suitcases away from the car. It was too late now.
“Dammit, get your shirt off !” Jimmy shouted. “I’ll kill you if you don’t.”
“I’ll take my shirt off, you son of a bitch. It’s you who’s gonna get killed though. You ain’t man enough to kill old Jay. I was shootin’ guns before you was born.”
Jimmy knew what he must do. If he could find the other gun, he would first take it away. Then he would force Jay to crawl inside the car’s trunk. Close the lid and lock him in. He and Terrie could drive to the nearest town and leave the car. Then they could hitchhike out, her one way and him the other. Or maybe they could just leave Jay there without his shoes and take the car. Jay wouldn’t have too many miles to walk for help. Whatever they did it was important that Terrie stay.
Now that he’d stuck his neck out for her, he didn’t want her wandering off down the mountain. He’d take her where she wanted to go. Sacramento or wherever. As for Seattle, there was no longer any hope of going there now.
Jay’s shirt was off. There was no gun to be seen. Where was Terrie? Where was the gun? When Jimmy could hear anything other than Jay ranting and raving, he heard Terrie crying and screaming. Jimmy’s sense of direction was confused. “Where are you, Terrie?” he called.
“Don’t go. Please don’t go. I’ll shoot him if I have to. Don’t think I won’t kill him.”
Jimmy didn’t know how long he would be able to hold the gun on Jay. His hand was trembling. Would it even shoot? If he had to pull the trigger, would anything happen?
Although the gun was heavy, it seemed awfully small. Was it powerful enough to stop a wild man like Jay? Hopefully, he would never have to find out.
Terrie was screaming as she moved away from the car. She was making such a lot of noise that Jimmy wondered if she had been shot or cut or something. What had Jay done?
Jimmy turned away for only an instant, searching for a sign of the girl and at the same time trying to keep one eye on the old man.
When he turned his full attention back to Jay, his worse nightmare was taking shape. Jay’s right hand was whipping around from behind his back. Jimmy caught sight of the gun as it was coming up.
Oh, God! There was no time to consider his next move, no opportunity to make a rational decision. Jimmy quickly raised his gun and silently prayed it would fire. As he squeezed the trigger,