A Perfect Place to Pray by I.L. Goodwin

Author:I.L. Goodwin
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-58571-541-1
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2009-08-01T00:00:00+00:00

EIGHT

“I think it moved.”

“And I think you’re a crazy woman,” Malcolm replied, turning the radio up. Smooth jazz floated from the speakers, filling the van with a liquid rhythm. Deborah released the clasp on her seatbelt, turning in her seat to get a better look. A large gurney sat in back, the frame attached to the rear door handles with strips of colorful bungee cord. Deborah shivered, thinking the cords resembled snakes with their fluorescent diamonds gleaming at her in the dark.

Slowly, carefully, her eyes moved over the black plastic shroud. She shuddered, thinking of what lay beneath. Victims caught in an abandoned house fire on the outskirts of the city, a mother and her five-year-old daughter. Burned beyond recognition, no identifying information available. No family to claim their remains. They were assumed to be transient, frequently shifting from one hollowed-out shell to another until their luck finally ran out. What luck that Malcolm had been preparing to discharge them to the county crematorium when she’d burst into cold storage with this incredulous, insane idea fresh in her mind.

Deborah faced forward again, locking her seatbelt a second time. She leaned her head against the window, watching the bright city lights of Philadelphia slowly fade to blankets of onyx. She remembered how upset he’d been at first. They slept in separate rooms for days before he would even speak to her, but somehow she’d been able to convince him there was no other way…

She gazed at Malcolm, watching him expertly maneuver the large white van toward their destination. She placed a hand on his leg, giving it a playful shove. He winked at her. “Well, Deb, they haven’t gotten up yet. Think we’re finally safe?”

“I think you’re not very funny right now, Malcolm Williams.”

“Hey!” he laughed, shoving her back. “What’s life without humor? You do what I do all day, and you learn to take a joke where you can get one.” He glanced in the rearview mirror. “They’re not rolling around back there, are they?”

She shook her head. “Nope. The bungee cords really helped.” Her hand floated over to him again, gently caressing his cheek with the backs of her fingers. “Thanks, Mac. I don’t know what on earth I’d do if you weren’t with me now. I don’t think I’ve ever been so frightened in my life.”

“That’d be both of us, Deb. The both of us.” He angled the vehicle to the far right, heading for a turnoff. Deborah sat up to read the writing on the mint-green sign: “Elysium State Park –20 mi.”

“You bring everything?”

Deborah nodded, tapping a small knapsack lying at her feet. “I went over to the house when I was sure Rick would be on duty. Used Mae’s spare key—I can’t believe she still keeps it in such a lame place—birdhouse on the porch, under some seed. Anyway, I grabbed a couple of things he wouldn’t miss. I even managed to find this.” She reached inside her jacket pocket, pulling out a tiny gold locket. “Lily’s,” she explained as she held it up for him to see.

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