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He stared at her, caressing her with his gaze "What do you think, Nora?"

"I think you’ll kill us"

"Of course"

She was surprised that his confirreater terror His s her fear while increasing her determination to spoil his neat plans

She knew, then, that she was a radically changed woman from the Nora of last May, ould have been reduced to uncontrollable shudders by this ht off the road, take my chances with an accident," she said

"The moment you pulled on the wheel," he said, "I’d have to shoot you and then try to regain control"

"Maybe you couldn’t Maybe you’d die, too"

"Me? Die? Maybe But not in anything as ot too o that easily And I don’t believe you’ll try it anyway In your heart of hearts, you believe thatand hi, of course, but you can’t stop believing in hi because he’ll be afraid of hurting you I’ll go in there with a gun in your belly, and that will paralyze hih for ot the revolver It’s all I need His caring for you, his fear of hurting you, will get him killed"

Nora decided it was very important that she not let her fury show She htened, weak, utterly unsure of herself If he underestie

Taking her eyes off the rainy highway for only a second, she glanced at hi at her not with ae, as she would have expected, and not with his usual bovine placidity either, but with soratitude

"I’ve dreanant wooal no less hile and co to build a business ery or nurse the sick "I have never been in a situation where the risk of killing a pregnant woh to justify it But in that isolated house of yours, once I’ve dealt with Cornell, the conditions will be ideal"

"Please, no," she said shakily, playing the weakling, though she didn’t have to fake the nervous quiver in her voice

Still speaking calmly but with a trace more ey, still young and rich, but in the instant you die, I’ll also receive the energy of the child And that’ll be perfectly pure, unused, a life that’s unsoiled by the enerate world You’re nant woman, Nora, and I’ll always remember you,,

Tears shiood acting, either Although she did believe Travis would find some way to handle this man, she was afraid that, in the turmoil, she or Einstein would die And she did not kno Travis would be able to cope with his failure to save all of them

"Don’t despair, Nora," Vince said "You and your baby will not entirely cease to exist You’ll both become a part of me, and in me you’ll live forever"

Travis took the first tray of cookies out of the oven and put the around, and Travis said, "They’re too hot yet"

The dog returned to the living room to look out the frontat the rain

Just before Nora turned off the Coast Highway, Vince slid down on the seat, below thelevel, out of sight He kept the gun on her "I’ll blow that baby right out of your belly if youonto the dirt lane, which was muddy and slippery, Nora drove up

the hill toward the house The overhanging trees shielded the road from the worst of the rain but collected the water on their branches and sent it to the ground in fatter droplets or rivulets

She saw Einstein at a front , and she tried to co would instantly understand She couldn’t think of anything

Looking up at her, Vince said, "Don’t go all the way to the barn Stop right beside the house"

His plan was obvious The corner of the house where the pantry and cellar stairs were located had no s Travis and Einstein would not be able to see theout of the truck with her Vince could hustle her around the corner, onto the back porch, and inside before Travis realized so

Maybe Einstein’s canine senses would detect danger Maybe ButEinstein had been so ill

Einstein padded into the kitchen, excited

Travis said, "Was that Nora’s truck?"

Yes

The retriever went to the back door and did a dance of impatience-then stood still, cocked his head

Nora’s stroke of luck caside the house, engaged the hand brake, and switched off the engine, Vince grabbed her and dragged her across the seat, out of his side of the truck because that was the side against the back end of the house and most difficult to see fro fro around to be sure Travis was not nearby; distracted, he couldn’t keep his revolver on Nora as closely as before As she slid across the seat, past the glove box, she popped open the door and snatched up the 38 pistol Vincetoward her, but he was too late She jaun and blow her head off, she squeezed the trigger three tiainst the house, which was only three feet behind him

She was aht that no one was so dangerous as aher children, even if one child was unborn and the other was a dog She fired once more, point-blank, at his chest

Vince went down hard, face-first on the wet ground

She turned from him and ran At the corner of the house she al and landed in a crouch in front of her, holding the Uzi carbine

"I killed hi to control it "I shot him four times, I killed him, my God"