Bill Pronzini - The Hidden

“Repressed childhood trauma?”

“That’s it. My mother and Tom were away visiting my aunt; I had a cold so I was left home with my father. Loud night noises woke me up and I went down the hall to see what they were. My old man … he was in bed with a woman he must’ve sneaked into the house after I was asleep. One-night stand, or somebody he’d been cheating on my mother with all along … no way I’ll ever know. They were screwing, but I had no idea that’s what I was seeing. In my kid’s mind it got twisted into something a lot more horrible.”

Shelby said, “A monster feeding on something still alive.”

“Right. I must’ve made a noise because he saw me, reared up off the woman, and started yelling. I ran and he chased me, caught me trying to hide in my bedroom closet, dragged me up by one arm—must’ve felt like the arm was being torn off. I was so scared I peed all over myself. What he was screaming at me … my subconscious turned it into whispers because the words were too terrifying. Something like ‘Forget what you saw tonight. You ever tell your mother or anybody else I’ll rip your fucking head off, I’ll chew you up like hamburger.’ ”

“My God. Six years old … no wonder you repressed it.”

He was starting to lose focus, to drift and fade. He said quickly, “The fear he put into me built a mental block: Don’t ever confide anything to anyone, keep it all locked away inside. But the block’s gone now, I’m done hiding.”

Shelby didn’t say anything. Still skeptical.

“Give me the chance,” he said, “I’ll prove it to you. Will you?”

The nurse picked that moment to come in and call for an end to the visit.

Shelby got to her feet.

Macklin gave her a pleading look. “Will you?”

“Heart melter,” she said softly.

“What?”

“Never mind. I’ll think about it.”

“… I love you, Shel.”

Almost under now, his eyelids so heavy they wouldn’t stay open. He didn’t see her face when he heard her say, “Yes, I know.”

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I’m indebted to Sam Parsons, former EMT, South Coast VFD, for sharing his expertise.

Thanks also to George Gibson of Walker & Company and my agent, Dominick Abel, for their ongoing support. And to Marcia, for all the usual reasons.

A NOTE ON THE AUTHOR

Bill Pronzini is the author of more than seventy novels, including three in collaboration with his wife, the novelist Marcia Muller, and is the creator of the popular Nameless Detective series. A six-time nominee for the Edgar Allan Poe Award (most recently for A Wasteland of Strangers ), and two-time nominee for the International Association of Crime Writers’ best novel of the year, Pronzini is also the recipient of three Shamus Awards and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America. He lives in northern California.

Also by Bill Pronzini

Blue Lonesome

A Wasteland of Strangers

Nothing But the Night

In an Evil Time

Step to the Graveyard Easy

The Alias Man

The Crimes of Jordan Wise

The Other Side of Silence

Copyright © 2010 by Bill Pronzini

All rights reserved.

Published by Walker Publishing Company, Inc., New York

ISBN: 978-0-8027-1800-6 (hardcover)

First published by Walker Publishing Company in 2010