Jan Burke - Sweet Dreams, Irene

Raney shut the door and leaned against it, arms folded. Devon began sweeping up the glass. His eyes moved from Raney to me. I lay curled on my side on the mattress. Devon was right. It was damned cold in the room now. But, I kept repeating silently, it was worth it.

“What took you so long?” Raney said testily.

Devon kept his own voice calm and low. “It was out when I got there. I had to wait until they brought it back in.”

“Damn. Didn’t think he’d do that this time of year.”

“I think he had a client with him, an investor or something.”

“I had to leave this bitch here alone while I made the call. I’m gone fifteen minutes and look what happens.”

Devon laughed, and after a moment, so did Raney. The two of them carried on like they were recording a laugh track for I Love Lucy instead of standing over someone they had been beating the tar out of for two days.

“Man, when I came in here, I thought you were going to kill her.”

“I wanted to. I wanted to. She’ll freeze her ass off.”

Devon looked down at me.

Suddenly Raney said sharply, “Pick her up.”

“Why?”

“Just do it.”

Devon shrugged and set the broom aside. I groaned as he started to lift me, and he looked at me with concern. “Damn, Raney.”

“Just get the bitch off the mattress.”

He held me close to him and stood.

As soon as he straightened up, Raney pulled the mattress back. He held up the shard I had placed underneath the mattress, the second one, for Devon’s appraisal. I tried to hide my joy that the distraction was working. Now if they only would be satisfied that they had found my treasure, and not search further.

“She was going to cut our throats! That bitch was going to try to kill us!”

The look on Devon’s face turned to one of cold fury. His hands tightened on me in anger. Raney stood up and laid the edge of the shard against my cheek. This was not something I had counted on. Being carved up was not on my agenda. I was afraid and I knew it was showing; I could see the pleasure of it on Raney’s face.

“Let’s cut her.”

Devon’s fury faded. “No man, he’ll do worse to us. Like you said. He wants to work on her.”

I tried to get myself back under control. I realized that this was getting harder for me to do. I ferreted out the anger I felt for them. Raney backed down, whether from Devon’s warning or because he no longer saw fear, I don’t know.

Devon sighed. Raney searched beneath the mattress, but finding nothing else there, walked out of the room with the glass. Devon sat down on the mattress, still holding me. I wanted him to let me go, leave me alone, and yet the warmth of his body took the edge off the cold.

He was stroking my oddly cut hair again, and he began rocking me. As bruised as I was, it made me groan again. He stopped and set me down as if I were a favorite rag doll. He left, taking the lantern and bolting the door shut. I was relieved, and closed my eyes. In a moment, I told myself, I would check on the shard in the mattress.

I reached over and felt the edge of it. I was about to draw it out when I heard footsteps. I quickly moved my hand. Devon came in. He didn’t bring the lantern and I hadn’t seen him in the doorway, but I knew his step. He knelt beside me. I felt my throat tighten.

Something fanned out over me; he had brought a rough woolen blanket. He spread it over me, then tucked it in around me.

“See, Irene? I want to be nice to you. When you feel a little better, you’ll see what I mean.”

“Help me escape,” I whispered.

“No, I can’t do that. What would happen to my brother?”

“Brother?”

“Yeah. Raney’s my brother. Half-brother, really, but I don’t like that way of saying it.”

He was silent. I wanted him to leave.

“If I helped you, my brother would be killed, and that would be like killing me. He’s like my twin, even if we don’t have the same dad.”

This bit of genealogy was hard to absorb in my condition, but I remembered thinking they looked like brothers the first time I met them, in the shelter. As if remembering that same moment, he said, “Where’s the journal, Irene? Tell me. I’m being really nice to you.”

I didn’t say anything.

“Tell me,” he said softly, leaning close to my ear.

I turned my face from him. He laughed as softly as he had spoken, and left.

From beyond the door, I heard them talking.

“Man, you should have let her freeze. Teach her a lesson.”

“She’ll still be cold.”

“Yeah. Pretty soon she’ll be really cold.” They laughed together.

Raney sobered first. “I gotta pick him up tomorrow. I don’t want you trying to get into her pants while I’m gone.”

“He’s going to have her. Why should he get to have her and I don’t?”

“Think about what he did to the old lady. Think about that witch.”

Devon was silent for a moment, then asked, “Why are they following him?”

“He says they’re following everybody who made out on the old lady’s will.”

“Even the cop?”

“I guess so.” Raney laughed. “Can you believe it? We’re beating the shit out of a cop’s squeeze.”

“She’s gonna be a mess when he finds her. You can bet on that.”

Their amusement over this lasted some time.

I COULD NOT MAKE much out of what they had said at the time. I lay there trying to fold the throbbing of the latest blows into the back of my awareness. I felt along the mattress edge until I found the shard and pulled it out. I tore a piece of fabric off the bottom of the mattress, using some of the batting and the strip of worn cloth to wrap the wide end of the glass. I touched its sharp point, relieved it had not broken when Raney had moved the mattress about. Possession of a diamond necklace could not have pleased me more. Carefully, I returned it to its hiding place. I thought of Sammy and Mrs. Fremont. I thought of Frank. I admonished myself silently again and again, until I could hear the words beyond the border of my sleep: You will be able to do whatever you need to do to survive. You will live.

IAWOKE WHEN I HEARD Raney go outside the next day. Soon I heard the Blazer pulling out of the drive. I rubbed my skin wherever I could stand it, trying to warm up. I sat up and moved my arms. I was still sore here and there from my fistfight with Raney, but I wasn’t really any worse off than I had been before. I checked the bottom of my left foot, and found it was not as tender as I was afraid it might be. I knew I would be able to put my weight on it when I had to. Would I be able to do whatever else I had to do? Yes, I told myself.

With Raney gone, I had no doubt that Devon would take his chances with me. I heard him pacing around nervously and felt my own tension rising. The sooner he came in, the better. I wanted it over with. Before long, either I would escape the cabin, or I would have cheated them of doing me further injury.

But his fear of the Goat was stronger than I thought. Devon paced and paced, as if he were as caged as I. Just as I was beginning to lose hope of a chance to try my plan, I heard the bolt slide.

Somehow, as he stood there, looking at me, my courage fled. He was much more physically powerful than I; even if I had not been beaten, even if I had more sleep and more to eat, he would still have been able to overpower me. A smile crossed his face.

“You’re afraid of me, aren’t you?”

I didn’t answer, but drew deep breaths, trying to calm myself. This is your chance, I thought.

He closed the door behind him. I pulled the blanket up.

He grinned. “Yeah, I can see you are.” He moved closer, and I felt myself tense. Survive.