Flight to Darkness (18 page)

Leda. I could feel her skin against my palms,
see her eyes spinning down there in the darkness, hear her heart
beating and smell the wild uprush of memory.

I stood there for quite a time, listening to
myself think. Finally, I walked back through the kitchen and out
the rear door. Just as I closed the door a car rumbled swiftly down
the sand road leading to the barn.

This time it was another convertible, with the
top down. It was Leda at the wheel, her auburn hair gleaming in the
myriad-hued sunset in the western sky above the Gulf. The car slid
to a stop and she sat there watching me as I slowly walked toward
her.

“
Hello, Eric,” she said. “I came as
quickly as I could.”

Chapter 13

This was fine. Now that I had her here within
reach there was nothing I could think of to say. Or whatever I did
think, I couldn’t say. She wasn’t long on talk at that moment,
either.

“
Eric,” she said.

I looked at the car, the sky, the long stretch
of sand road and browned waist-high grass, the trees, and beyond
them the faint line of bayou showing between patches of Spanish
moss. But my gaze always came back to her. She wore the same white
shorts and halter, her hair was windblown, her wide, full-lipped
mouth damp and red, her eyes bright and impatient. She smiled, her
teeth gleaming strong and white. “Why don’t you say something,
Eric?”

“
Sure,” I said. “Let’s wear that
record out.”

The smile went away, she moved her legs, undid
the top button on the halter. The shorts were very short, her legs
very long, and there were only two buttons on the
halter.

“
Get in the car,” she said. “We’ll
go some place.”

I couldn’t tear my eyes away. The lush,
graceful lines of her body beneath her tight clothing shaped up
inside me. My hands began to tremble; I rammed them into my
pockets.

Her eyes were troubled now. She brushed soft
thick hair away from her forehead, flicked her tongue across her
lips, took a deep breath. That did it. I was half-afraid now, then
slow anger knotted inside me.

“
I’m humble,” she said. “I’ve come
to you.” she looked straight into my eyes, and her own softened as
she shook her head. “I’ve made a terrible mistake.” She lowered her
voice. “I thought I was being smart, selling your car, pulling a
stunt like this. I was afraid maybe, too. Only more just being
smart. Only I’ve hurt myself early. Your brother went overboard all
the way up there in Alabama, Eric. But I only hurt myself. I can’t
stand it, Eric.” Her tone went slightly shrill. “I need you. I’ve
needed you ever since I left. I was insane, not you. You’ve got to
help me.” She paused, her hands gripping the steering wheel. “That
last day with you, at the sanitarium. Oh, God, I was mad. I’d just
left your brother. That’s why I was like that, so I
couldn’t—”

“
You’re my brother’s
wife.”

“
You love me, Eric. I know you do.
And I love you. Our plans. You’ve got to help. I don’t know what to
do.”

“
I don’t want to talk about it. And
your friend Lenny told me your story. Said you wanted to see me.
But you’re married, and that’s that. Did Lenny show you his
collection?”

She ignored it, but her eyes flashed. “Frank
won’t divorce me, won’t let me do a thing. I’ve tried everything.
Can’t even get it annulled, because . . .”

“
You’ve got what you wanted.” I
suddenly wanted to hurt her as she had hurt me, make her cry for
it, and then not give in to her. “I don’t want to talk about
it.”

“
You’ve got to help me.” Excitement
came into her voice now and her eyes began to burn. She spoke
rapidly, leaning toward me now, and I could smell her perfume, and
the excitement and the memories crowded in. “Listen, Eric. I lay
awake thinking, remembering. It can’t have been so short a time,
all this has happened. He’s not like you, nobody’s like you. I’ve
got to—” She bit her lower lip, then went on. “I’ve got to be with
you. I’m not going to hold back, damn it, Eric. We know each other
too well for that. I go crazy every time I think of
you.”

“
You’ve made your bed,” I told
her.

“
Darling, it’s not bed. I’m alone
in it. Good Lord, Eric. Can’t you see? Can’t a person make a
mistake?”

I thought of her walking out and leaving me in
that place in Alabama, behind bars, and said, “Yeah,
sure.”

“
You made one toady,” she said. “A
bad one. Bantram knows you beat up Frank. You broke his nose, did
you know that? It’ll be all over town. Horace Bantram may be a
doctor, but he’s an old lady—a gossip. Of course, nobody knows
what’s been going on with you, you and your dreams, and all—out
there in California.” She waited, breathing hard. “I know what they
think of you in Cypress Landing, and they’re going to think worse.
Frank’s telling it around already that your coming home killed your
mother. I’m sorry, Eric. But being sorry doesn’t help.”

I didn’t say anything, but I damned Frank
under my breath. That was just the kind of move he’d make. Not that
it made any difference how people felt. And the dream. She would
stick that in.

Suddenly she said, “I’ve got to get back.
He’ll wonder where I am. What with everything the way it is.” She
tried to smile. “I’ll be back.”

“
There’s no reason,” I said.
“Nothing to say.”

Her temper changed and abruptly the old energy
returned as she lowered her voice. “All right,” she said. “We’ll
play it that way, then. You’ll take me back, and I’ll see you
later. I’ll see you a lot. I don’t care what people think. I know
you want me. And by the way, I notified the sanitarium that you
were home, and it’s all right. I signed your brother’s name,
because he’d never do it.”

“
All this is no use,
Leda.”

She smiled, watched me slyly. “No?”

“
I won’t see you. We
can’t—”

She interrupted bitingly. “I’ll haunt you,
darling. This isn’t a game of new love, remember? I know how you
feel about me. Don’t forget that. And I know something about that
other one, too. Norma?” She started the car’s engine. “But she’s
out of it, and you know it. I’ll be back and I’ll find you. I’m not
going to beg, but you’ll see, Eric.”

The car roared into reverse and as she backed
swiftly toward the main road I realized the abrupt change that had
come over her. I tried to tell myself she couldn’t come back, she
wouldn’t—but I knew she would and I knew what would
happen.

On the main road, she gunned the car viciously
and rapped twice on the horn. I stood there and thought I knew what
had to happen, and never realized I had no idea at all. . .
.

Chapter 14

Without returning to the barn, I hiked it back
to the main road and caught the beach bus into town. There was
still time before the stores closed and I wanted to buy a
second-hand car. As I walked down the main street I knew the
smartest move would be to leave Cypress Landing. But I knew I
wouldn’t leave.

A gray Stetson swayed up the street with a
florid, toothy face beneath it. Clyde Burkette, Sheriff. He was a
big man, big and broad, with black-button eyes and overlarge hands
and one of the drawlingest backwoods drawls I’d ever
heard.

“
Eric, Lord, yes. Eric Garth. Bless
my soul.”

“
Hello, Clyde.” We shook hands.
Mine was lost in his immense grip and I have a large hand. He never
smiled, he grimaced, showing his teeth, which he picked
continuously with his right thumbnail. It made a sharp clicking
sound and the louder he clicked the madder he was
becoming.

“
You’ve lost weight,” Burkette
said.

“
Have I?”

He nodded. “What brings you back
here?”

I shrugged. I got to thinking how bad it would
have been with him on my tail if Leda hadn’t notified the
sanitarium. He would have enjoyed plucking me up.

“
Yeah, I reckon so. I knew you was
in town, all right. Word gets around fast. You know that, too,
hey?”

“
Yes.”

“
Sorry about your mother, Eric. A
good woman.” His eyes narrowed and he started to say something, but
thought better of it. “Word gets around mighty fast.”

“
It’s been good seeing you,” I
said.

“
Sure. Your brother’s doing great,
isn’t he?”

“
Looks like it.”

“
Sure. He married up with a fine
girl, there. She’s sure a looker. I keep telling Frank he should
watch his step, though. Playing a mite too close to his vest for
real comfort. The Hewitt boys—you remember the Hewitts?”

I nodded. We were standing in front of the
First National Bank. Down the street a block on the other side the
large neon sign spelled out the name FRANKLIN GARTH in red letters
against a white-and-blue background—literally spelled the name out,
then flashed it all once, then spelled it again. The sign seemed to
monitor the whole street.

“
Old man Hewitt died a couple
months ago. The boys are down on Frank. Airy one of ’em wouldn’t
check himself to crack down on Frank with a Winchester.”

“
Oh?”

Burkette began to pick at a front tooth.
“’At’s right. They say Frank sold ’em short. They lost their farm.
Your brother owns it now. Legal. Frank sure’s no Garth from the
neck up. I mean—” he hastened to add, “so far’s business is
concerned. Plumb legal. A smart one. He better stay off the back
roads, though.” Burkette grimaced.

“
Probably no real danger,” I
said.

“
Probably.” His black-button eyes
snapped. “You bust his nose today, Eric?”

“
It’s been good seeing you, Clyde.”
I shoved on by. He stood there nodding and picking his
teeth.

Word did get around fast and Burkette didn’t
like me. It still made no difference. I went on around the corner
and crossed the street to a second-hand car lot.

The owner was just locking up as I walked in.
I didn’t care much what kind of a car it was so long as it ran. My
top price was low. But I needed the car.

I came away twenty minutes later driving a
beat-up Ford. When the owner realized who I was he wanted to sell
me the whole lot. But that would’ve been trading on Frank’s name.
The car’s engine had been souped up so there was plenty of speed,
but I figured one more rattle and it’d fall apart in the
street.

So it was all over town that I’d come home and
caused my mother to die of a heart attack, then broken my brother’s
nose. By now there were doubtless many additions to this tale.
Among them Frank’s word that he had managed to deal his rummy
brother out of the business he’d built up. I could visualize Frank
exclaiming how I’d returned to collect now that he’d put the
business on its feet.

It smelled.

The barn was dark when I drove the car up
behind it. I’d had the feeling Norma might relent and return. She’d
gone off in a huff and I didn’t like it. Maybe she wasn’t alone.
Maybe today had cracked the case in more ways than one.

I went into the kitchen, remembered that I’d
forgotten to check with the light company about turning on the
electricity. I had used to work here all the time, hardly ever
going near the house toward the end. I found a candle and lit that,
took it with me into the studio. I stood the candle on an empty
stand and heard a sound from the old couch.

“
Hello, darling. I told you I’d be
back.”

Leda was lying on the battered couch, her eyes
shining in the candlelight and she wore a dress now, bright green
with a sheen, and black, high-heeled pumps. Prepared for the
execution. She had her legs on the couch with her head propped
beneath her arms. She was smiling.

“
Did you see Lenny again?” I
said.

“
Lenny? No. I’ve been here about
twenty minutes. He wasn’t around here, darling.”

I didn’t ask about Norma. If Norma had seen
Leda come here there was no telling if she’d ever speak to me
again. Norma had a dark and specific imagination.

“
Did you drive?” I said.

“
My car’s parked over in the
bushes.”

It was all twisted up inside me. I hadn’t been
able to straighten any of my thinking yet. Too many things had
happened. Because of my mother’s death I hated to admit it even to
myself, but all I could think of was Leda.

“
You can’t hang around here,” I
said. It amazed me to be able to say these things, act this way,
when I wanted her more than anything in the world. When one look at
her set the blood pounding with memory because I was hungry for
her; impatient for the fierce unrestrained loving I knew now was
mine. “You can’t stay,” I said again.

“
Can’t I?” She lifted her arms, ran
her palms down over the thrusting mounds of her breasts, softly
down across her hips and thighs. “Afraid of your brother? Afraid to
take what’s yours?”

I couldn’t answer. The dress fitted her like a
tight filmy sheath and desire was in her eyes.