Chapter 56
Once she was settled at the Motor Inn—she’d even been given the same room again—Sabine undressed slowly, filled the bathroom sink, and bathed with a washcloth.
The nurse had instructed her on how to wrap the bandaged area in plastic when she showered, but it was too much trouble to go to, even without worrying about the potential consequences of slipping while getting in or out of the tub.
Her jeans were muddied, and one of the knees was torn, so she set them aside and put on her pyjama bottoms and sweatshirt.
She’d have to wait for Sadlier to return with her car and overnight bag before she could finish dressing.
She sat on the bed. From her jacket pocket she removed the strands of Mallory Norton’s hair, held them to her nose, and inhaled.
She closed her eyes and tried to bring to mind the mass of emotion and negative energy that had sent her sprawling in the dirt, but no, she could not recall any hint of Mallory’s presence.
In the quiet of the motel room, she sifted through her memories of the incident.
Yes, the Theriault boy was definitely in there somewhere, but he was not the one that worried her.
It was the Other, and even as it tried to conceal itself from her, it could not disguise its nature or its name.
Sabine lay down and napped for a while, to be woken by a knock at the door, followed by Tim Sadlier’s voice.
She set aside any further thoughts of the forest and opened the door to him.
He had changed his clothes, brushed his hair, and put on aftershave.
In one hand he was holding a plastic bag with what smelled like a roast chicken inside, and in the other was a second clear bag containing a six-pack of beer, a bottle of wine, a quarter pint of vodka, and what might have been cans of tonic water.
“How many more people are we expecting?” she asked.
“None, I hope.”
Sabine invited him to step inside. As he did, she kissed him.