Elena saw the look in Matt's eyes then, and the flaming of his cheeks, and she knew - and immediately tried to hide the knowledge from Damon - what he was going to do.
He was going to commit suicide.
"If we can't talk you out of it, we can't talk you out of it," Meredith said to Mrs. Flowers. "But - there are things out there - "
"Yes, dear, I know. And the sun is going down. It's a bad time to be outside. But as my mother always said, two witches are better than one." She gave Bonnie an absent smile. "And as you very kindly did not say before, I am very old. Why, I can remember the days before the first motorcars and airplanes. I might have knowledge that would help you in your quest for your friends - and on the other hand, I am dispensable."
"You certainly are not," Bonnie said fervently. They were using up Elena's wardrobe now, piling on the clothes. Meredith had picked up the duffel bag with Stefan's clothes in it and dumped it on his bed, but the first time she picked up a shirt, she dropped it again.
"Bonnie, you might take something of Stefan's with you as we go," she said. "See if you get any impressions from it. Um, maybe you too, Mrs. Flowers?" she added. Bonnie understood. It was one thing to let somebody call themselves a witch; it was another thing to call someone very much your senior one.
The last layer of Bonnie's wardrobe was one of Stefan's shirts, and Mrs. Flowers tucked one of his socks in her pocket.
"But I won't go out the front door," Bonnie said adamantly. She couldn't even bear to imagine the mess.
"All right, so we go out the back," Meredith said, flipping Stefan's lamp off. "Come on."
They were actually walking out the back door when the front doorbell rang.
They all three exchanged glances. Then Meredith wheeled, "It could be them!" And she hastened back to the dim front of the house. Bonnie and Mrs. Flowers followed more slowly.
Bonnie shut her eyes as she heard the door open. When there were no immediate exclamations about the mess, she opened them a slit.
There was no sign that anything unusual had happened outside the door. No smashed insect bodies - no dead or dying bugs on the front porch.
Hairs on the back of Bonnie's neck rose. Not that she wanted to see the malach. But she did want to know what had happened to them. Automatically, one hand went to her hair, to feel if a tendril had been left behind. Nothing.
"I'm looking for Matthew Honeycutt." The voice cut into Bonnie's reverie like a hot knife through butter, and Bonnie's eyes snapped all the way open.
Yes, it was Sheriff Rich Mooseburger and he was all there, from shiny boots to crisp collar. Bonnie opened her mouth, but Meredith spoke first.
"This is not Matt's house," she said, her tone quiet, her voice even.
"In fact I have already been to the Honeycutt house. And to the Sulez house and the McCulloughs'. Every one of them, in fact, suggested that if Matt weren't at one of those places, he might be out here with you."
Bonnie wanted to kick him in the shins. "Matt hasn't been stealing stop signs! He would never, ever,ever do something like that. And I wish to God I knew where he was, but I don't. None of us do!" She stopped, with the feeling that she might have said too much.
"And your names are?"
Mrs. Flowers took over. "This is Bonnie McCullough, and Meredith Sulez. I am Mrs. Flowers, the owner of this boardinghouse, and I believe I can second Bonnie's remarks about the stop signs - "
"In fact this is more serious than missing road signs, ma'am. Matthew Honeycutt is under suspicion of assaulting a young woman. There is considerable physical evidence to support her story. And she claims that they have known each other since childhood, so there can be no mistake as to identity."
There was a moment of stunned silence, and then Bonnie almost shouted, "She? Shewho ?"
"Miss Caroline Forbes is the complainant. And I would in fact suggest, if any of the three of you should happen to see Mr. Honeycutt, that you advise him to turn himself in. Before he is taken by force into custody." He took a step toward them as if threatening to come through the door, but Mrs. Flowers silently barred the way.
"In fact," Meredith said, regaining her composure, "I'm sure you realize that you need a warrant to enter these premises. Do you have one?"
Sheriff Mossberg didn't answer. He made a sharp little right turn, walked down the pathway to his sheriff's car, and disappeared.
Chapter 25
Matt lunged at Damon in a rush that clearly demonstrated the skills that had gotten him a college football scholarship. He accelerated from utter stillness to a blur of motion, trying to tackle Damon, to bring him down.
"Run," he shouted, at the same instant."Run!"
Elena stood still, trying to come up with Plan A after this disaster. She had been forced to watch Stefan's humiliation at Damon's hands at the boardinghouse, but she didn't think she could stand to see this.
But when she looked again, Matt was standing about a dozen yards from Damon, white-faced and grim, but alive and on his feet. He was preparing to rush Damon again.
And Elena...couldn't run. She knew that it would probably be the best thing - Damon might punish Matt briefly but most of his attention would be turned to hunting her down.
But she couldn't be sure. And she couldn't be sure that the punishment wouldn't kill Matt, or that he would be able to get away before Damon found her and had leisure time to think of him again.
No, notthis Damon, pitiless and remorseless as he was.
There must be some way - she could almost feel wheels spinning in her own head.
And then she saw it.
No, not that...