A Catch in Time Read online

  For a while, conversation was limited. Laura considered going to bed but was delayed by the coziness.

  “I don’t guess they’ll ever find her.” Kate remarked, bringing the sad plight of the couple once more to everyone’s mind.

  “I wonder how long they’ll keep looking,” said Eli.

  “The search is her hope,” Catherine said, “and her downfall.”

  “Her poor husband,” Kate said. “It was his kid, too, and he’s stuck taking care of his crazy wife.”

  “I wonder how many people went nuts after the blackout,” Eli mused. “Most people must’ve lost some family.”

  “Yeah,” Kate frowned. “Maybe the TV shrinks are right about the second blackout, that it was a backlash, some kind of mass mourning.”

  Laura stared into space while she listened, but when the silence lengthened, she found that all eyes had turned to her. Their mixture of anticipation was comical. She smiled, held up her hands, and said, “Come on, what do you want me to say? I’ve already told you what I know.” Even Eli, though profusely apologetic, had been openly skeptical.

  “See how she doesn’t say what she thinks it is?” said Kate. “See how she says what she knows it is?” Smugly, she added, “Face it, Laura, you’re hopeless.”

  “It’s time we seriously consider our self-defense,” said Catherine somberly. “Today could have taken a tragic turn. That woman, unbalanced as she was, could have easily shot Kate or Laura. We were completely unprepared.”

  “That was a fluke, Catherine,” Kate protested. “You can’t expect us to be armed all the time.”

  “That is exactly what we must do,” Catherine said. “I suggest we avoid use of public facilities. It was wrong to suggest it and I would never have forgiven myself had it ended in tragedy.”

  “She’s right,” Josiah said. “What’s the point in trying to find a safe home, away from the—Shaitan,” he glanced at Laura, “if we don’t assume strangers could be dangerous?”

  “Even after everything that’s happened,” said Eli, obviously perplexed, “the world changed, the death and weirdness, it’s hard to think differently.” He met Josiah’s gaze. “You know?”

  Josiah nodded sympathetically at his friend. “Yeah, I know, Eli. But we really don’t have a choice. Things are different.”

  Kate groaned. “We train ourselves to be assassins and no one gets near us. We live the rest of our lives with no one to talk to but each other.”

  Laura laughed. “We just need to screen people, Kate. Besides, I think we make a nice group. I wouldn’t mind hanging out together, forever.” She willed herself not to look at Josiah.

  Kate grinned. “Together, forever, that’s okay by me, as long as you promise that we won’t have to forsake all others. No offense, but I’m still a young and, whaddyacallit—vital—woman. If the four of you chase off every eligible man, I’ll go nuts.”

  The discussion stalled when the children’s awareness of weapons became a question.

  “We demand they don’t touch our guns,” Eli insisted.

  “We keep the guns hidden,” Kate muttered. “If that little monster knew we had loaded guns, he’d shoot us all.”

  By now, everyone knew Kate’s view of Lucas, and her reasons for it. Even Josiah, who’d barely interacted with either child, now kept watch on Lucas.

  Laura, thinking how often Lucas appeared unexpectedly in a doorway, found herself becoming wary. The boys’ room was at the end of the hallway. They can’t hear anything, she thought. We’ve been talking quietly.

  “Kate’s right,” Josiah said. “Our best option is to keep guns out of sight. If the time comes, we’ll deal with it then.”

  “You guys ever notice how Josiah keeps score?” said Kate, having endured enough serious discussion. “Kate’s right,” she mimicked, chalking the air with her finger,

  “Catherine’s right”—another slash—“Eli’s right”—slash. She paused, forefinger aloft and gave Laura a pitying look. “Sorry, honey, I can’t remember if he ever gave you any points.” Her expression dissolved into innocence. “Or does he do you privately?”

  Laura’s cheeks flamed. “Jesus, Kate,” she sputtered.

  Kate’s gibe at Laura surprised Eli. Yet, a glance at Josiah brought confirmation. So that’s how it is, he thought. Laura? How did I not know? He rose and made a show of stretching tiredly, knowing he wasn’t pulling it off. He was all angles and jerks. “Time to hit the sack,” he said, then glanced at Kate and Catherine. “How about it?”

  Kate rolled her eyes. “Oh, brother. If that’s not—” a look at Josiah changed her next words, “—an invitation, then I don’t know what is.” She rose, and jokingly pinched Eli’s cheek. “But not tonight, honey. I’m beat.” Waggling her fingers over her head, she said, “Good night, all.”

  Catherine shook her head as Kate flounced out. “Irrepressible,” she said. “Josiah, you must teach me the look you gave her. She’s exhausted my skills.” With a small smile and a nod, she left, and Eli trailed behind her.

  Waiting until the last door clicked shut, Josiah laughed softly. “Kate’s a piece of work,” he said. He walked over to Laura and held out his hand.

  Laura placed her hand in his, heart pounding in her ears. He did want her. As their hands touched, she felt the silky heat of his flesh on hers, a sensation of erotic warmth. My God. And that’s just his hand!

  He drew her up and they stood, eyes locked. His face lowered to hers and their lips touched. They sank to the couch, lost in a universe of two.

  CHAPTER 24

  DAYS LATER, EXHAUSTED FROM THEIR GRIM JOURNEY, Laura and the others found a place to call home. The strangers they’d encountered were suspicious, aggressive, often frightening. The weapons and ammunition they’d taken pains to find had been worth the trouble. Being unarmed was now unthinkable.

  They came upon the old farmhouse in the late afternoon of a cold, overcast day that had been full of tense encounters, shouted warnings to move on, and brandished shotguns. Tired and hungry, they cautiously rounded the last tree-lined bend of a long dirt road and saw the large house in a small clearing. It had all the signs of having been abandoned.

  The old house was a mile off the main road, in a sparsely populated section of Butte County, in northern California. The rambling two-story, solid structure had an attic and a deep, wrap-around porch. An orchard lay south of the house, and vegetation indicated good soil.

  It took them several days to unload supplies, sanitize the house, and settle in. They set up generators and primed the well pump to restore use of the water system. In an overgrown clearing below the north side of the house, they found the decomposed, scavenger-ravaged body of an old man.

  Josiah and Eli wrapped the grim remains in an old tarp and, late that afternoon, buried it far from the house. Kate and Laura sat on a knoll and watched the men disappear into the woods with the body. The January sun cast a pale, cold light, sharpening the clear air so that distant snow-covered peaks of the Sierras stood in perfect relief against the dark thunderheads hovering over them.

  Laura had watched Josiah until he and Eli disappeared among the trees. She savored thoughts of their night together, of his skin against hers, but her heart ached.

  No matter how often she replayed their discussion the following morning, she couldn’t understand why he’d retreated from her. You’re so beautiful, he’d told her, such a beautiful person, but we can’t do this again. I’m sorry.

  She’d been speechless, the closeness she’d felt now suspect. Awkwardly, she’d probed for an explanation, but none of his tender words helped her understand.

  Maybe he’d felt the depth of her emotion—she hadn’t tried to hide it—and that was why he’d retreated. She knew Josiah, and the thought that he might be frightened by commitment left her feeling flat.

  Maybe it was the baby, she thought, another man’s child, coming between us.

  Gazing still at the point of the trail where she’d last seen Josiah before he and El
i vanished with their burden, she wondered how far they’d go before they found a place to lay the poor old man to rest. How far into unknown forests they would all have to travel.

  Josiah tramped through the brush, shoulders bowed beneath a heavy weight; not the corpse, he barely felt that brittle load of bones and shriveled flesh. The weight came from Laura’s gaze from atop the knoll. He moved quickly to put a screen of trees between them.

  He’d actually convinced himself he and Laura could come together casually. Dumbshit, he berated himself. You did know better. Truth was, he’d indulged himself, at her expense. He’d had to see what the wild tug he felt would become. And it had surpassed any speculation.

  But, shit. The way she’d looked at him—both during and after—she might just as well have put her heart on a platter and thrust it before him.

  Even though he wanted Laura as much this very minute as he had before, he knew he’d tire of her, eventually. And the breakup would be messy, putting a strain on everyone. He had to think of the group and, mostly, Eli. Eli was comfortable here, with them.

  Shifting his grip on the tarp, he ducked under a branch, warned Eli of it, and emerged into a small clearing.

  As Eli stopped next to him, Josiah knew Laura’s future played a part in his decision. He liked and respected her, didn’t want her hurt, and he wanted to keep it that way.

  Laura. Friendship. Not like Eli, but still, nothing but friendship.

  Laura, no longer able to see Josiah, looked down at the wet grass.

  “I wonder if the old man lived here alone,” she said to Kate. She wanted to stop thinking about Josiah. Friendship was the only possibility now. Perhaps it could be fixed later.

  “Maybe,” said Kate. She stared down at the narrow, wooded valley below them, then up to where it widened toward the foothills, and farther yet to the distant mountains. The mild weather that had allowed them to leave Reno continued, leaving the foothills brilliant green with new growth. “The house is too neat for any of those kids in the photos to have lived here,” she added.

  Framed photos had covered the walls, tabletops, and fireplace mantle. She, Laura, and Catherine had carefully packed them away, speculating on their identities.

  “Sad,” Laura said.

  “Aw, come on. The guy’s probably thrilled he didn’t have to stick around after the shit hit the fan. Anyway, by your reckoning, we’re probably sitting on him right now.” She yanked up a fistful of weeds and shook it. “Go find somewhere else to reincarnate, you old turdball.”

  She frowned at her handful of weeds, picking through and discarding them, until there was only a single, purplish-gray one left. “Hey, Laura, look at this.” She thrust the oddly shaped and colored bit of vegetation in front of Laura’s eyes.

  Laura pushed Kate’s hand back for a better perspective. “And?”

  “Look at it. The weird spikes? They’ve got little suction-cup thingies on them.”

  Laura shrugged. “So what? Maybe it’s one of those insect-eating plants. What are they called?”

  “Insectius eatemupus? Crap, how would I know?”

  Kate placed the weed on her palm and examined it closely. Suddenly, she yelped, startling Laura.

  “What?”

  “Damn.” Kate shook her hand upside down, flapping it wildly. The weed remained stuck to her.

  “It’s got some kind of sticker. Ow. Shit.” She grasped the weed at its root with two fingers of her other hand and pulled gently. Laura scrabbled to her knees and leaned close. At the place where the plant stuck on Kate’s palm, three of the tiny suction cups were firmly flattened against her skin. “Fuck, it burns!”

  She yanked the weed off and tossed it aside. On her palm, one tiny purplish saucer remained, along with two perfect circles of flared red where the others had been attached. “Goddamn!” She scratched at the remaining sucker with a fingernail until it curled into a ball and dropped off.

  They hurried to the house, Kate blowing on her palm and shaking her hand.

  The evening meal was subdued, everyone exhausted. Kate’s wounds, three perfect red spots of inflammation, had been displayed and, as they sat in the living room, children upstairs in bed, she reapplied the medicated ointment Laura had selected.

  Catherine sat in the matching armchair opposite Kate, both angled toward the fireplace. The room was lit with kerosene lamps, candles, and the fire Eli was tending as he sat cross-legged before the hearth, idly nudging the burning wood with a poker. Laura snuggled beneath an afghan on the couch and Josiah, a kerosene lamp in hand, inspected bookshelves at one side of the fireplace. Muffled rumbles of thunder occasionally broadened into deep booms.

  “Are you certain there weren’t any more?” Catherine asked again.

  “For the zillionth time, Catherine, yes.” Kate didn’t bother looking up.

  “No need for that tone. Although you’ve looked, it’s improbable that just one plant would grow in such a large area.”

  “I know, I know,” Kate muttered. “But it’s not that impossible. Seeds can be carried by wind or birds. Maybe it flew in from Golden Gate Park.”

  “Does it still hurt?”

  “That goop took most of the burn away.”

  Eli turned and looked at Laura. “Don’t you come from this area?”

  “Not quite,” Laura answered. “We lived farther northeast.”

  “And you never saw this weird plant?”

  Laura shook her head. “And I’m sure I would’ve. We kids would have been warned about something that could hurt us like that.”

  Josiah selected a book, crossed the room, and sat on the floor with his back against the couch.

  Catherine thumped her cane on the floor beside her chair. “It’s time,” she said decisively. Assured she had everyone’s attention, she nodded. “It’s time we come to some conclusions, the first of which is that Reina’s puppies must be disposed of.”

  “What?” Laura exclaimed.

  “What do you mean, ‘disposed of’?” Eli asked.

  Josiah stared intently at Catherine. She met his gaze and said, “You’ve noticed, haven’t you?”

  He nodded.

  “Noticed what?” Eli asked.

  “They’re not normal,” Catherine said.

  “Normal how?” Kate sounded confused. “They’re four weeks old. How can you tell they’re not normal?”

  “By observing Reina. She has to be coaxed with treats to stay in the box while the puppies nurse. And I cannot blame her a bit. They behave like demons. Her reprimanding nips have no effect, and, despite the availability of several swollen teats, the two pups always fight over the same one. They’re vicious and revolting.”

  “Pups do that, don’t they?” Eli asked.

  “Not to that extent,” Catherine stated. “They’re far more competitive than normal, particularly with a healthy mother. They show threatening abnormalities and we must not allow them to mature.”

  “You want us to kill them?” Laura asked in disbelief.

  “Yes. However, I don’t expect you, or anyone else, to do it. It was my suggestion. If you’ll occupy the children tomorrow, I’ll take care of it.”

  “You’ve been itching to shoot something ever since we met,” Kate said.

  Catherine sniffed. “I won’t be wasting our ammunition on them.”

  “Then how—”

  “I’ll take care of it, Catherine,” Josiah said, looking up from his book.

  “I still don’t get it, Catherine,” Eli said. “What do some weird plants have to do with puppies?”

  Catherine was about to speak when the storm broke with fury. Instantly, the room was filled with sounds of the downpour on the roof and sharp reports of drops gusting against the windowpanes. Looking at the shade-shuttered windows, they listened without a word spoken until, moments later, the sound steadied into heavy winter rain.

  “As you all know,” Catherine said above the sound of the storm, “I am a firm believer in science and have little patience with con
clusions drawn from hope or emotion. However,” she gazed sharply at each of them, “strange events seem to be changing this world. And the pace is not slowing.” She leaned forward on her cane. “We can no longer afford the luxury of awaiting information before we decide on a course of action. Despite risks, we must draw premature conclusions if we want to survive.”

  Rain and snapping fire was all that could be heard. Josiah closed his book and set it aside. Laura pulled the afghan tightly around her legs. Kate looked silently at nothing.

  “Okay,” said Eli to Catherine. “So you’re saying that we do the puppies now so they can’t hurt us later?”

  Catherine nodded.

  “What else?” he prodded.

  “Kate’s hand,” Catherine said. “The plant that injured her is toxic and none of us is familiar with it. If it’s natural, we simply avoid it. But, if it’s unnatural, the change is most likely some reaction to the blackout. We must act as if the second possibility is the true one.”

  “What kind of reaction?” Kate asked.

  “Mutation,” Catherine responded. “Natural mutations—those that account for species’ survival—are minor, gradual. Gross mutations rarely survive. Yet we now have evidence of two gross mutations, the puppies and the plant, that are surviving. I say again, the world is changing.”

  Laura thought of Reina’s litter: two stillborn, one deformed, and two … vicious?

  “I don’t get it,” Kate said belligerently. “The damn plant could be natural. Why blame it on the blackout?”

  “Kate, dear, you must try to understand.” Catherine’s voice was gentle. “What is at stake now, as we make all decisions, is our survival.”

  Kate’s indignation grew. “Are you saying man-eating plants and deformed monsters are going to start popping up all over the place?” She jumped from her chair. “Laura already thinks Night of the Living Dead is real, and now you’re bringing in Alien and Attack of the Killer Tomatoes. Listen. Things will get back to normal. We just sit tight and wait it out. That’s all.” She threw herself back into her chair.