Twenty-Five
BEFORE I CAN REPLY to this, I hear a familiar, feminine voice, call out, “Clayton, are you in there?”
“Yes, I’m here, Chief Parr,” he calls back. “And I’ve got your hubby-to-be with me.”
“Tom?” I hear her call calmly. “Are you OK?”
I look at Clayton before replying. He nods his head, so I call out, “Yes, Helen, I’m fine.”
“But he’s not going to stay that way if you try to rush me,” Clayton hollers, his voice echoing through the empty space. “I know that you have the manpower to break in and take me out, but I have a knife and I will make sure that he goes before I do.”
I wonder about this, trying to figure out if I can knock him down and run before he can get up. As I consider this, I hear Helen say, “Look, Clayton, no one else has to die, including you. How about you com
