Her cranky, cynical brother had found somebody to care about at last ... and the girl was probably descended from Lucrezia Borgia.
And now, even though she couldn't see him, shecould hear earnest appeal in his voice. "Mare, can't we just go home?"
Mary-Lynnette felt sicker.
She broke off and they both snapped their heads to look at the shed window. Outside a light had gone on.
"Shut the door," Mary-Lynnette hissed, in a tone that made Mark dose the door to the shed instantly.
"And be quiet,- she added, grabbing his arm and pulling him next to the wall. She looked cautiously out the window.
Rowan came out of the back door first, followedbyjade,followed by Kestrel. Kestrel had a shovel.
Oh. My. God.
"What's happening?" Mark said, trying to get alook. Mary-Lynnette damped a hand over his mouth.What was happening was that the girls were digging up the garden again.
She didn't see anything wrapped in garbage bags this time. So what were they doing? Destroying the evidence? Were they going to take it into the houseand burn it, chop it up?
Her heart was pounding madly.
Mark had scooted up and was looking out. MaryLynnette heard him take a breath-and then choke.
Maybe he was trying to think of an innocent explanation for this. She squeezed his shoulder.
They both watched as the girls took turns with theshovel. Mary-Lynnette was impressed all over againat how strong they were. Jade looked so fragile.
Every time one of the sisters glanced around the garden, Mary-Lynnette's heart skipped a beat. Don't see us, don't hear us, don't catch us, she thought.
When a respectable mound of dirt had piled up, Rowan and Kestrel reached into the hole. They lifted out the long garbage-bagged bundle Mary-Lynnettehad seen before. It seemed to be stiff-and surpris ingly light.
For the first time, Mary-Lynnette wondered if it was too light to be a body. Or too stiff ... how longdid rigor mortis last?
Mark's breathing was irregular, almost wheezing.The girls were carrying the bundle to the gap inthe hedge.
Mark cursed.
Mary-Lynnette's brain was racing. She hissed,"Mark, stay here. I'm going to follow them-"
"I'm going with you!"
"You have to tell Dad if anything happens to me-"
"I'm going withyou."
There wasn't time to argue. And something inside Mary-Lynnette was glad to have Mark's strength to back her.
She gasped, "Come on, then. And don't make asound."
She was worried they might have already lost the sisters--it was such a dark night. But when she and Mark squeezed through the gap in the rhododendron bushes, she saw a light ahead. A tiny, bobbing white light. The sisters were using a flashlight.
Keep quiet, move carefully. Mary-Lynnette didn'tdare say it out loud to Mark, but she kept thinking it over and over, like a mantra. Her whole consciousness was fixed on the little shaft of light that was leading them, like a comet's tail in the darkness.
The light took them south, into a stand of Douglasfir. It wasn't long before they were walking into forest.
Where are they going? Mary-Lynnette thought. She could feel fine tremors in her muscles as she tried to move as quickly as possible without making a sound. They were lucky--the floor of this forest was carpeted with needles from Douglas fir and Ponderosa pine. The needles were fragrant and slightly damp and they muffled footsteps. Mary-Lynnette could hardly hear Mark walking behind her except when he hurt himself.
They went on for what seemed like forever. It was pitch dark and Mary-Lynnette very quickly lost any sense of where they were. Or how they were going to get back.
Oh, God, I was crazy to do this-and to bring Markalong, too. We're out in the middle of the woodswith three crazy girls....
The light had stopped.
Mary-Lynnette stopped, holding out an arm thatMark immediately ran into. She was staring at thelight, trying to make sure it really wasn't moving away.
No. It was steady. It was pointed at the ground.
"Let's get loser," Mark whispered, putting his lips against Mary-Lynnette's ear. She nodded and began to creep toward the light, as slowly and silently asshe knew how. Every few steps she paused and stood absolutely still, waiting to see if the light was going to turn her way.
It didn't. She got down and crawled the last ten feet to the edge of the clearing where the girls had stopped. Once there, she had a good view of what they were doing.
Digging. Kestrel had shoveled the pine needles aside and was working on a hole.
Mary-Lynnette felt Mark crawl up beside her,crushing sword fern and woodfem. She could feel his chest heaving. She knew he saw what she saw.
I'm so sorry. Oh, Mark, I'm so sorry.
There was no way to deny it now. Mary-Lynnetteknew. She didn't even need to look in the bag.
How am I going to find this place again? When I bring the sheriff back, how am I going to remember it?
It's like a maze in one of those computer fantasy games-Mixed Evergreen Forest in every direction,and nothing to distinguish any bit of it from any other bit.
She chewed her lip. The bed of moist needles she was lying on was soft and springy-actually comfortable. They could wait here for a long time, until the sisters left, and then mark the trees somehow.
Takephotographs. Tie their socks to branches.
In the clearing the flashlight beam showed a hand putting down the shovel. Then Rowan and Kestrellifted the garbage-bagged bundle-Jade must beholding the flashlight, Mary-Lynnette thought-and lowered it into the hole.
Good. Now cover it up and leave.
The beam showed Rowan bending to pick up the shovel again. She began quickly covering the hole with dirt. Mary-Lynnette was happy. Over soon, she thought, and let out a soft breath of relief.
And in that instant everything in the clearingchanged.