Part 3 (1/2)

”Because I'm...” he said, his following words mumbled and incomprehensible.

”I didn't hear. Because you're what?”

He tried again. ”Impotent.”

That made her pause. ”You can't react-but it made you react?”

He nodded miserably.

This could be significant indeed, as a confirmation of her conjecture. ”Mr. Demerit, let me explain what may have happened, and I will not talk of this elsewhere. You may have a psychological condition, as some men do, and there is really no shame in it; it happens to most at some time in their lives, and the equivalent to women. I suspect I suffer from something similar myself. But pheromones can cut through that and have an effect anyway. They are not psychological, they are physical. They make the body react on its own. So this is evidence that this is the case here; that body was doused in pheromones, and we can feel the lingering effect.”

He was surprised. ”You too?”

”Yes, I felt it; that's why I asked. I a.s.sure you I am not keen on s.e.x, so I was suspicious when I felt that particular effect. I think we have learned something important, though this is hardly what I antic.i.p.ated.”

He looked relieved. ”I thought I was turned on by a corpse.”

She smiled. ”No. There is nothing psychological here. It's a chemical influence, and evidently it affected the hunter and brought him to his death. And I think we had better get well away from here before nightfall, because if whatever did this to him stalks at night-”

He nodded emphatically, and turned to retrace their route. She followed, not objecting to the pace. She was getting scared herself.

She made it up the steep slope of the ramp at a rate she had hardly thought possible, and followed him at a brisk pace back the way they had come. She no longer noticed the scenery; she just wanted to get back to her car, her bastion of safety. The thought of being consumed by a monster horrified her, but the thought of being lured or compelled s.e.xually by it was worse. Was it like those exotic plants that imitated the sight and scent of female insects, so that the males of those species tried to mate with the surrogates and were caught? Could this monster emulate the male as well as the female, so that creatures of either s.e.x were vulnerable? She greatly feared this was the case, and she most emphatically wanted not to become a victim. The ground seemed to tilt, sending her stumbling. She lurched past small pine, almost colliding. When she had been told to drive to Florida, she had visualized hotels along white beaches, with graceful coconut palms, their fronds waving in the sea breeze. This was far different, here in the interior! Oaks and pines and deep mine pits. But there certainly was sand! And heat.

She tried to go on, but the globe tilted again; it was all she could do to keep her feet. What was happening?

Then Demerit loomed close. ”...matter?” he asked.

”I'm all right,” she said, and took a step, and found the sand coming up at her.

”Heat stroke,” he said. ”Get you to shade.” He put his hands under her arms and hauled her, feet dragging, to the impressive shade of a spreading live oak tree. Spanish moss dangled down in ma.s.ses like stalact.i.tes, forming a partial canopy.

”No!” she protested, pointlessly.

He propped her up against the trunk. ”...fetch water,” he said. ”You rest. I'll be back.”

She struggled to rise. ”I don't-”

”Wait there,” he said. ”Won't be long.”

She realized that this made sense. Heat stroke? It was possible. Her suit was sweat-sodden, but her hands were dry; she wasn't sweating now. Exhaustion, perhaps. Now that she was sitting still, in shade, she felt better. Probably it wasn't serious, just a combination of things, which was pa.s.sing as she relaxed. But she probably would do best to wait for his return.

Then she remembered the monster. Suppose it stalked her during Demerit's absence?

* 5 - GEODE LEFT HER under the tree, flushed and fainting. He didn't like her, but she had done him one favor: she had clarified what had happened when he moved that body. Pheromones-that explained a lot. Smell-traces that set someone off involuntarily. It was what brought all the male dogs when a b.i.t.c.h was in heat. It had nothing to do with appearance or personality; it was just a straight signal to the genitals. So it had made him have an erection, even though he couldn't do the same with a woman. He only wished he hadn't had to tell her.

But she was working for Mid, and he worked for Mid, and he had put in the report about the dead hunter. He had to cooperate. At least now it wasn't just his responsibility; the Flowers woman could decide what to do about the hunter. If Mid had sent her, she was competent; she would know what to do. Just as soon as he got her some water, and got back to her car, so she could be on her way.

He was moving fast, now that he was alone. He had learned to run with a minimum expenditure of energy, so that he didn't get as hot as he might have, but on a day like this there was no way to avoid sweating. He should have realized that the woman couldn't keep the pace. He hoped he had stopped her in time; heat stroke was no casual business, but she hadn't quite reached that stage, and should be all right if she stayed in place.

He pa.s.sed her car at the corner and ran on down beside the road. In another five minutes he reached the house. The alarm went off as he unlocked and opened the door; he stepped in and punched 1206 to make it stop. He fetched a canteen, filled it, punched 12 to arm the system again, and headed for his bike; he could make it back much faster and cooler on that.

The door-chime rang. Geode paused while it completed eight bongs. That meant the far entrance gate. Who could be coming this time?

He could ignore it, and the visitor would go away, a.s.suming that no one was here. But Geode didn't like to do that; he was here to attend to whatever needed attending, and not many cars came here without reason. For all he knew, it could be Mid himself. He had better see what it was. But he couldn't spare much time, because that woman was out there alone, and so was the monster, and he didn't know how avidly it stalked people. Mid might not care what happened to a poaching hunter, but he would care about his investigator!

He compromised. Opened the door again and shut off the alarm. He punched 01 to open the gate, then rearmed, closed the door, and continued to the bike. He would intercept the car on its way in, and with luck be rid of it quickly so he could get to the Flowers woman.

He rode swiftly up the road, winding around the edge of the planted slash pines, and to the north-south straightaway leading up to the corner. He saw the parked car.

Oops! The visitor would have to pa.s.s right by that on the way in. Well, what did it matter? This was a private drive, and a private car could be on it if Geode didn't object. He needed to offer no explanation for it.

Then he saw that the incoming car had stopped just west of the Flowers car. What was it doing?

But as he came closer, he understood. It was Deputy Tishner! The worst possible visitor right now!

He rolled up to the two cars. Tishner was standing outside, noting the license tag. He glanced up at Geode. ”Friend of yours?”

”No.” But he knew that wouldn't put the man off.

”Then it must be a trespa.s.ser. I'll buzz the station and have a tow truck out here to take it away.”

”No!” Geode protested. ”I know the owner. Just-” He couldn't think of anything to say. He knew Mid didn't want Flowers's presence here known, because then someone might catch on why she was here.

Tishner contemplated him. ”Demerit, come clean. You lied to me before, and the only reason you're not lying now is you can't think fast enough. What's going on here?”

Geode was at a loss. He had never been apt at dealing with people, and the authoritative ones were the worst. He couldn't tell the truth, and he couldn't evade it, and he couldn't afford any long delay.

”Got something to do with that missing hunter?” Tishner prompted. ”Now don't try to lie again; I can see I'm on to something here. Come clean, and we'll get along fine.”

That was what Geode couldn't do. But what was he to do? He was in trouble either way.

”Let me tell you something, Demerit,” Tishner said. ”I'm on two cases now. One's the missing hunter, and I've traced him here, or close to it. The other's the bags of bones. Are they connected?” He stared at Geode, and read the truth there. ”Yeah, I figured they were. And your boss doesn't want a noise, to mess up his hideaway. I'll make you a deal: you tell me what you know, and I'll keep your boss's name out of it. I know you didn't go out killing any poachers, you're just covering up on orders. I don't know what this car's doing here-but I'll bet it's related. You help me, I'll help you. Deal?” He put out his big hand.

Geode considered. He knew there was no way to get rid of the man now, but he wasn't sure how much he could tell him. ”I'll take you to someone who knows,” he said.

”Okay.” The deputy sheriff pushed his hand forward, and Geode had to take it. They had a deal, of a sort.

”She's in the forest, a quarter mile. Heat stroke, maybe. I was taking water to her.”

”I'll help you get her back here. Lead on, MacDuff!”

The man thought he didn't recognize the allusion to Shakespeare. Geode put his bike in low gear and headed north. The deputy followed afoot, making fair time in the sand, but expending a lot more energy. They squeezed through the hedge and moved on. In a few minutes they reached the live oak.

The Flowers woman was there, in good order. Geode stopped the bike and handed her the canteen as she stood. ”He intercepted me. You'll have to talk to him.”

She unscrewed the cap and drank. By that time the deputy huffed up. Geode hoped she had figured out what to say.

”Come on, woman, it's hot out here,” Tishner said. ”Let's get you to your car, and we'll talk. I know something's up, and I figure you must work for Middleberry and you know something I need to know. Here, I'll give you a hand.” He reached for her elbow.

She rejected it. ”I'm all right. I merely became fatigued.”