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"Which means you don't know." |
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Not for the first time Bryan wondered why he kept Conrad around. The man was loyal enough, but his familiar attitude and manners . . . |
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"Look," Bryan snapped, "you see that crystal?" Conrad nodded. "As long as I know exactly where she is, I can align that crystal to her life energy. As long as the crystal is clear, she's okay. If it turns black . . ." |
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"So how long? I mean, how long before you know it's safe?" |
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Bryan tapped his finger on the pages of the book on the table. "It's all right here. If this witch doctor has killed half as many people as reported, then all we have to do is lay low till All Hallows' Eve and the spirits of his victims will take care of him for us." |
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"All Hallows' Eve? When's that?" |
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"Halloween, Conrad. Halloween. It can't come too soon." |
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Cyrus rolled out of bed well before sunup. He dressed quietly and slipped out of the motel room without waking Kyna. After a quick stop at the front desk to ask directions to the closest park or playground, he set off two blocks north to an elementary school in the middle of a large open field. As soon as he was loose, he began his morning run, pounding along in the fringe of grass between the sidewalk and curb to save his knees. It was a glorious morning. The sun was out, the sky was high and blue and in the distance, hazy white clouds sat atop the Wasatch mountains like meringue frosting. Pop-up sprinklers sent rotating arcs of water high over the field, cooling the air and covering the grass with liquid diamonds and rainbows. As he ran, Cyrus thought about his brush with the wolf the day before, and about the hours he had spent at the hospital in Vernal. |
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At first the ER nurse had refused to believe their story. Then, after the doctor had talked to the ranger on the telephone |
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