Part 5 (2/2)

She was still half asleep, but she was almost sure about the intruding noise that woke her up. Her pulse was already racing. Her heart floated up into her throat. Jesus G.o.d, no. Jesus G.o.d, no.

She stayed very still, huddled near the head of her bed. A few more nervous seconds pa.s.sed slowly, like centuries. Not a move from her. Not a breath. Bone-white slants of moonlight played across the windowpanes, creating eerie shadows in her bedroom.

She listened to the house, listened with total concentration to every creak and crack the old building made.

She didn't hear anything unusual now. But she was sure she had. The recent murders and the news stories about the kidnappings in the Research Triangle area made her fearful. Don't be gruesome, Don't be gruesome, she thought. she thought. Don't get melodramatic. Don't get melodramatic.

She sat up slowly in bed and listened. Maybe a window had blown open. She had better get out of bed and check the windows and doors.

For the first time in four months, she actually missed Peter McGrath. Peter wouldn't have helped, but she would have felt safer. Even with dear old ”Peter-out.”

Not that she was totally frightened or vulnerable; she could hold her own with most men. She could fight like h.e.l.l. Peter used to say that he ”pitied” the man who messed with her, and he meant it. He had been a little physically afraid of her. Well, prearranged fighting in karate dojos was one thing. This was the real thing.

Kate slipped silently out of bed. Not a sound. Not a sound. She felt the roughness and coolness of the floorboards under her bare feet. It sent a wake-up call to her brain, and she moved into a fighting stance. She felt the roughness and coolness of the floorboards under her bare feet. It sent a wake-up call to her brain, and she moved into a fighting stance.

Whap!

A gloved hand came down hard hard over her mouth and nose, and she thought she heard cartilage crack in her nose. over her mouth and nose, and she thought she heard cartilage crack in her nose.

Then a large and very strong male body tackled her. All of his weight was pressing her into the cool, hard floorboards, pinning her down.

Athlete. Her brain was computing every bit of information. She tried to stay clear and focused. Her brain was computing every bit of information. She tried to stay clear and focused.

Very powerful. Trained!

He was cutting off her air supply. He knew precisely what he was doing. Trained!

It wasn't a glove that he was wearing, she realized. It was a cloth. It was a cloth. Thick with dampness. It was suffocating her. Thick with dampness. It was suffocating her.

Was he using chloroform? No, it was odorless. Maybe ether? Halothane? Where would he get anesthetic supplies?

Kate's thinking was getting fuzzy, and she was afraid she was going to black out. She had to get him off of her.

Bracing her legs, she twisted her body hard to the left and threw all of her weight away from her attacker, toward the pale, shadowy bedroom wall. Suddenly, she was out of his grasp, free.

”Bad idea, Kate,” he said in the darkness.

He knew her name!

Chapter 18.

THE STRIKE of a hawk... timing was everything. Now, timing was survival, of a hawk... timing was everything. Now, timing was survival, Kate understood. Kate understood.

She tried desperately to stay alert, but the powerful drug from the dampened cloth had started to act. Kate managed a three-quarter-speed sidekick, aiming at his groin. She felt something hard. Oh, s.h.i.+t! Oh, s.h.i.+t!

He was prepared for her. He had on an athlete's cup to protect his mushy genitals. He knew her strengths. Oh, G.o.d, no. Oh, G.o.d, no. How did he know so much about her? How did he know so much about her?

”Not nice, Kate,” he whispered. ”Definitely not hospitable. I know about your karate. I'm fascinated by you.”

Her eyes were wild. Her heart was hammering so loudly she thought he might hear it. He was scaring the living s.h.i.+t out of her. He was strong and fast, and knew about her karate, knew what her next move would be.

”Help me! Somebody, please help!” she shrieked as loudly as she could. Kate was just trying to scare him off with her screams. There was n.o.body within half a mile of the house on Old Ladies Lane.

Powerful hands like claws grabbed at her and managed to catch her arm just above the wrist. Kate howled as she ripped herself away.

He was more powerful than any of the advanced black belts at her karate school in Chapel Hill. Animal, Animal, Kate thought. Kate thought. Savage animal... very rational and crafty. Professional athlete? Savage animal... very rational and crafty. Professional athlete?

The most important lesson her sensei at the dojo had taught her broke through the numbing fear and chaos of the moment: Avoid all fights. Whenever possible, run from a fight. Avoid all fights. Whenever possible, run from a fight. There it was-the best of hundreds of years of experience in martial arts. There it was-the best of hundreds of years of experience in martial arts. Those who never fight, always live to fight another day. Those who never fight, always live to fight another day.

She ran from her bedroom and down the familiar, narrow, twisting hallway. Avoid all fights. Run from a fight, Avoid all fights. Run from a fight, she told herself. she told herself. Run, run, run. Run, run, run.

The apartment seemed darker than usual that night. She realized that he'd closed every curtain and blind. he'd closed every curtain and blind. He'd had the presence of mind. The calmness. The plan of action. He'd had the presence of mind. The calmness. The plan of action.

She had to be better than him, better than his plan. A saying of Sun-tzu's hammered through her head: ”A victorious army wins its victories before seeking battle.” ”A victorious army wins its victories before seeking battle.” The intruder thought exactly like Sun-tzu and her sensei. Could it be someone from her karate dojo? The intruder thought exactly like Sun-tzu and her sensei. Could it be someone from her karate dojo?

Kate managed to reach the living room. She couldn't see a thing. He had closed the curtains in there, too. Her vision and sense of balance were definitely way off. There were two of just about every shape and s.h.i.+fting shadow in the room. G.o.dd.a.m.n him! G.o.dd.a.m.n him!...

Floating in the soft drug-induced haze, she thought of the other women who had disappeared in Orange and Durham counties. She'd heard on the news that another body had been found. A young mother of two children.

She had to get out of the house. Maybe the fresh air would help to revive her. She stumbled to the front door.

Something was blocking her way. He had pushed the sofa against the door! Kate was too weak to shoulder it away. He had pushed the sofa against the door! Kate was too weak to shoulder it away.

In desperation she screamed out again. ”Peter! Come help me! Help me, Peter!”

”Oh, shut up, Kate. You don't even see Peter McGrath anymore. You think he's a b.l.o.o.d.y fool. Besides, his house is seven miles away. Seven point three miles. I checked.” His voice was so calm and rational. Just another day at the office of psychopathology. And he definitely knew her, knew all about Peter McGrath, knew everything.

He was somewhere close behind her in the electrifying darkness. There was no urgency or panic in his voice. This was a day at the beach for him.

Kate moved quickly to her left, away from the voice, away from the human monster inside her house.

Excruciating pain suddenly shot through her body, and she let out a low groan.

She'd clipped her s.h.i.+n on the too-low, too-dumb-for-words gla.s.s table her sister Carole Anne had given her. It was Carole's well-meaning effort to cla.s.s up the place. Ohhh, Christ, G.o.d-dammit, how she hated that table. There was a shooting, throbbing pain in her left leg.

”Stub your toe, Kate? Why don't you stop trying to run around in the dark?” He laughed-and it was such a normal-sounding laugh-almost friendly. He was enjoying himself. This was a big game for him. A boy-girl game, in the dark.

”Who are you?” she screamed at him.... Suddenly, she thought: she screamed at him.... Suddenly, she thought: Could it be Peter? Has Peter gone mad? Could it be Peter? Has Peter gone mad?

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