Ridley Pearson - The Angel Maker

"Oh, man, did I ever fuck up."

Tegg slowed the car to a crawl. "Can I help?"

"Could you?"

"Well, I wouldn't exactly feel right about abandoning you out here. What exactly is the problem?"

Hysterical, Michael Washington ranted and raved about being lost, about dogs, a woman's voice, and needing help. Something linking sexual perverts to backpackers. "Calm down a minute," Tegg said, trying to convince himself as much as his passenger. He pulled to the side of the road. Stopping the car won the boy's full attention. Little people were so predictable. "I'm telling you, there's a woman up there who needs help!"

"You saw her? " Tegg wondered if his heart could endure this. The wheel was slippery from the sweat on his palms. He let go of the wheel.

An expression of doubt crossed the young man's face. It dissipated quickly as he reminded himself emphatically, "The barn was locked."

"A barn?"

"More like a small hangar. A Quonset hut. There were dogs."

"A kennel?"

"It was a woman, I'm telling you."

Tegg explained, "Well, we can be at the Sheriff's in about thirty minutes. Or we could call." He pointed to his cellular phone. "I can get a clear signal a few miles down the road. But you better have your story straight."

"Meaning?"

"Your name?"

"Michael."

"Michael, have you ever heard a cat at night? Hmm?

Have you ever heard that peculiar screaming of a cat during fornication and thought you heard a woman?" Now Tegg's hitchhiker looked puzzled. "Don't get me wrong-Im not telling you what you heard. I wasn't there. You're the one who'll explain it to the Sheriff, but you mentioned dogs and that made me think of cats and how much they can sound like a woman. A woman screaming. Cats fornicating. A mountain lion can sound that way. What was it you said you heard?"

His passenger didn't answer at first. Then he stated emphatically, "I heard a woman scream."

Tegg added, "I don't know how you feel about involving the cops, but they're not my favorite people. Were you on private property? Was that property posted? Did you have the owner's permission to be there? They ask you things like that. Don't forget that."

"I know that. I also know what I heard."

"And you're prepared to deal with them? Fine." Tegg went through the motions of pretending to engage the car. "You ask me, cops are stupid. They're little people."

"What choice is there? I have to do something." He added, "And what about those dogs?"

Tegg nodded. The important thing was to remain in control, to give this person the sense that he, Tegg, had all the answers, even though he was making this up on the fly. The key to such manipulation was in allowing the other person to believe that all the good ideas were his. To fill in gaps that were never left in the first place. For so many animals in the wild, the key to survival, the way they snared their prey, was through convincing camouflage. Tegg knew his most effective camouflage was to appear to be this man's friend. How quickly we place our trust in those we like. And Tegg could be quite likable when he tried. "Listen, if you're saying I should go back there with you," Tegg suggested, "I suppose that makes some good sense. It's a good idea. The police are certainly more likely to believe the two of us, aren't they? Of course they are!" He didn't wait for an acknowledgment; he had the boy right where he wanted him: confused. No one likes to disclaim authorship of a good idea. He turned the car around. He would have to pretend he didn't know the way.

It was strange how long the ride seemed to take. In reality it was only a, few minutes, a couple of miles. For Elden Tegg, attempting to work this out in his head, those minutes passed slowly. Another complication. This heart harvest had brought him some bad luck, but he wasn't going to bail out. Not with Wong Kei's money in hand. Not with a donor all lined up. You seized a problem by the throat and you squeezed until it died. It was as simple as that. Problems left breathing came back to life. You killed them the first time, or you suffered the consequence.

Michael directed Tegg through the turns that lead Tegg onto his own property. Tegg remarked convincingly, "I've been coming up these country roads for years. Never knew this place existed." "Me either," Michael said. "You're on foot, are you?" Tegg asked, needing as much information as possible. His hope was to discourage this person, to convince him he had heard wrong, send him on his way. But if this failed, what then? Where was a person like Maybeck when you needed him the most? "Hiking." "You're a long way from anywhere." He added, "I was under the impression this is mostly private land out here." It was all privately leased land now-timberland owned by paper companies. The hiker had been trespassing-probably knowingly and this seemed useful ammunition. You preyed on a person's vulnerabilities. It was always the weakest link that broke first.

When his passenger failed to respond, Tegg said, "The thing of it is, the police may wonder what you were doing up here in the first place. Especially if it turns out to be a wild goose chase-a couple of cats fornicating. You say you were hiking? Are there trails up here?"

"There's an old railroad grade," the young black man snapped defensively. "I don't care what the police say!" Tegg knew all about the old railroad grade, about the Nature Conservancy's attempts to purchase much of this land. He remembered the tree spiking. The radicals who chained themselves to the trees.

He glanced over at his passenger, who seemed so righteous, so determined. Tegg rolled down his window and fished for air. What next? He thought of a possible way out. "We won't have any trouble with those dogs you mentioned," he said, once again getting the other's attention. "At least we shouldn't. Hmm? Did I tell you I'm a veterinarian?" There it was, the biggest risk to take, but if offered as an asset he hoped it might be accepted as such. "No shit?" the young man asked. "The rangers keep a couple horses out here," Tegg lied convincingly. "Out at the reservoir," he added, keeping his story straight. He glanced over at his passenger-was that relief he saw? He explained quickly. "I have my kit in the back. If the dogs give us any trouble we'll be fine."

"It's just up here," his passenger informed him. "Did you speak to anyone in the house?" Tegg asked as they rounded the bend in the road that revealed the cabin. He felt in more control now, though his adrenaline was still pumping. He felt slightly giddy with anticipation. "Are you kidding? I mean, what if someone is in the house? What if there is a woman locked up in that hangar?"

"There isn't," Tegg said, asserting some authority. "There are some strange people back in these woods."

"I know that."

"I mean really strange."

Tegg pulled the Isuzu to a stop. The dogs barked ferociously.

With one eye on the cabin Michael stated, "Leave it running. If they're armed … if there is someone here, and they turn out to be armed, we should be prepared to leave in a hurry."

"Agreed." They both climbed out. Tegg felt suddenly enlightened-what a perfect idea. "You've given me an idea. I just happen to have something that might help us." Feeling stronger now-himself again-he returned to the car, opened the back door, and rummaged in his veterinary supplies.

One thing was for certain: If he made it through this, a few things were going to change. He would leave Felix uncaged, free to patrol the aisle. Free to attack if a stranger opened the door. And he would muzzle the woman. The Bitch. No more screaming. "This ought to help us," he said, showing it to Michael Washington. "A gun?"

"A dart pistol. Armed with something called Ketamine. Quite effective, I assure you. Now, let's have a listen." He motioned the young man over to the structure. "Over here. I heard her over here," Michael said, indicating the north side of the structure. "We won't hear anything with this barking," Tegg said. "Maybe if we just sit here," Michael Washington said, "they'll calm down." He seemed nervous about the possibility of somone coming from the cabin. He checked it, continually. "I haven't got all day, young man. Hmm?"