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He looked at her one last time "If you awaken, just call me My name’s Raht? If you have to use the bathroom, it’s just beyond the kitchen, behind you It’s clean I just washed up in there yesterday"
The covers moved just a little bit Good, she’d heard hiut-wrenching le room He remained fully clothed He put both the rifle and his Sht next to the reading lae of the thriller he was reading and set it on the floor
He left the single laht, he didn’t want her to be terrified in the dark
He didn’t sleep for a long time When he did finally, he dreah theat the little girl He awoke and walked to the , stu with fear and panic, but there wasn’t any face staring in The curtains were tightly drawn He couldn’t help it, he pulled the curtains open He looked into the darkness and saw instead the contorted face of someone else, the woman who’d screamed at him that she would kill hi
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THE CHILD’S FACE was leached of color, he could tell that even in the early-ht Her eyes ide open, staring up at hi inside his skin
"No," he said very slowly, not ht It’s me Ramsey I’m here to take care of you I won’t hurt you Did you have a night up at him Then, very slowly, she shook her head He saw her arms move beneath the covers, saw her small hands coes on her thin wrists looked obscene
"Don’t be afraid Please"
He turned the laht blue, large in her thin face, her pupils dilated She had a thin straight nose, dark lashes and eyebrows, a rounded chin, and two diirl, and she’d be beautiful when she smiled and those dimples deepened "Are you in any pain?"
She shook her head
He felt profound relief "Can you tell me your name?" She just stared at hi for her chance to run, to escape hio to the bathroo Everything see fine except she couldn’t speak He started to touch her, to help her up, but didn’t He kept his voice low, utterly matter-of-fact "The bathroom is on the other side of the kitchen The kitchen’s just behind you Do you need any help?"
Slowly, she shook her head He waited She didn’t et up with hi to make some coffee I’ll see what I have that a little kid would like to eat, all right?" Since he knew she wasn’t going to answer, he just nodded and left her
He didn’t hear anything until the bathroom door shut He heard the lock click into place
He shook soht blue painted bowls and set the ski her arteries He went to his store of fresh fruit There were only two peaches left He’d bought a half dozen, but eaten all the rest He sliced one on the cereal
He waited He’d heard the toilet flush, then nothinghappened?
He waited so on the door But finally too ainst the pine bathroo at all He frowned at the locked door Well, he’d been stupid She probably believed she was safe froly
He poured hi of black coffee and sat down beside the bathroo the opposite wall His black boots were scuffed and coan to talk "I’d sure like to know your naht, but it’s not the same as a real name I know you can’t talk That’s no probleive you a pencil and a piece of paper and you could write your naood, doesn’t it?"
Not a whisper of sound
He drank his coffee, rolled his shoulders, then relaxed against the wall, and said, "I’ll bet you’ve got a mom who’s really worried about you I can’t help you until you come out and write down your name and where you’re from Then I can call your mother"