Blood Games

    An arm darted up, flinging water, and Finley’s fist hammered Abilene’s cheek. The blow snapped her head sideways. She staggered backward a step and started to fall. Finley lunged at her. She cringed, expecting another punch, but Finley grabbed the front of her blouse with both hands and a rough yank stopped her fall.

    ‘You okay?’ Finley gasped.

    Behind her, Vivian jumped into the pool.

    ‘You hit me,’ Abilene said.

    ‘You hit me.’

    ‘Knock it off,’ Cora snapped. ‘For Godsake. Give Vivian a hand.’

    They both looked at Vivian. Who’d refused to let the pool water touch her since hearing Helen’s story about the headless body. But who’d jumped in to help Jim and was now completely submerged.

    As they waded toward her, she broke the surface. She pulled Jim up by the same rope Finley had used to haul him off his perch. His emerged face first. Water spewed from his mouth.

    Vivian scowled at Finley. ‘Just stay there. Haven’t you done enough?’

    Finley didn’t come back with a crack. All she did was lift her shirt back onto her shoulder.

    Vivian helped Jim to his feet. He stood in front of her, gasping and coughing. She put her arms around him. She drew him against her and patted his back. ‘It’s all right,’ she soothed him. ‘You’ll be all right.’ Still embracing him, she looked over her shoulder at Abilene. ‘Come over here and untie his hands.’

    ‘Hey!’ Finley blurted. ‘Fuck that!’

    Abilene ignored her. She made her way through the water and stepped behind Jim. She fingered the rope around his wrists and began to pluck at the knot.

    ‘Don’t do it,’ Finley warned.

    ‘Go ahead,’ Cora said.

    ‘Are you nuts! ’

    ‘I’m not gonna leave him tied up,’ Abilene said, ‘so you can jump him every time you get the urge.’

    The knot loosened. Jim worked his hands free and Abilene lifted the twisted rope out of the water.

    He put his arms around Vivian.

    ‘Isn’t that sweet,’ Finley muttered.

    Abilene tossed the rope out of the pool. She stepped backward and sank down onto the submerged shelf. She fingered her face, wincing as she touched the knot of swelling at her cheekbone.

    Finley didn’t do this to me, she realized. It had been Batty’s work with the skull.

    But Finley had struck her in the same place.

    It felt hot and sore.

    I hit her first, she told herself. I had it coming.

    As she gently rubbed the sore lump, it occurred to her that Finley, though right-handed, had punched her with the left. Just a matter of convenience? she wondered. Or had Finley swung with the left to spare her a stronger punch?

    If she was taking it easy on me, why’d she use a fist?

    Finley sat down beside Abilene. ‘Are you all right?’

    ‘I’ll live.’

    They both watched Vivian and Jim. They were still embracing. Jim was breathing hard, but no longer coughing.

    ‘Sorry I slugged you,’ Finley said.

    ‘I hit you first. I’m sorry, too. But what were you doing, trying to drown him?’

    Finley didn’t answer for a while. Then she muttered, ‘I don’t know.’

    Then Vivian eased Jim away from her. He didn’t resist. She guided him to the side of the pool, and he lowered himself onto the shelf. Vivian sat next to him.

    Meeting Finley’s eyes, she shook her head.

    ‘Okay, I was a bad little girl,’ Finley said. ‘So crucify me.’

    ‘Just leave him alone from now on,’ Vivian said.

    ‘We’ve got enough to worry about,’ Cora added, ‘without having to keep an eye on you.’

    ‘Yeah. Right.’ Finley climbed out of the pool. Without another word or a look back, she started striding away toward the corner of the lodge. Her sneakers made squelching sounds.

    Or yellow foot, Abilene thought, and felt a rush of sadness.

    ‘Where are you going?’ she called.

    ‘That’s my business.’

    ‘Come on back. Jeez.’

    Finley kept walking.

    ‘Let her go,’ Cora said.

    ‘She’ll be all right,’ Vivian said.

    Probably, Abilene thought. Hank won’t be coming along till after dark. If Jim’s been telling the truth.

    Still, she didn’t like the idea of Finley going off by herself. ‘We’ve been kind of tough on her.’

    ‘She’s been acting nuts,’ Cora said. ‘Ever since Batty’s place.’

    ‘It freaked her out, being grabbed like that.’

    ‘You’d think she would’ve enjoyed it,’ Cora said. ‘Being Finley.’

    ‘Hey, come on.’

    Jim raised his head. He frowned at Abilene. ‘Ya had a run-in with Batty?’

    ‘Did we ever,’ Cora said. A corner of her mouth turned up. ‘Broke his arm, killed his cat, stole his shotgun and boat.’

    ‘Do you know him?’ Vivian asked.

    ‘Or her, as the case may be,’ Abilene said, and realized it was the sort of remark Finley might make.

    I oughta go find her, she thought.

    ‘Batty does conjure stuff,’ Jim said. ‘Ya don’ wanta make him mad at ya.’

    ‘Too late for that,’ Vivian said.

    ‘Batty’s the one let us know about Juniper. My sister? Hunters from the lodge here, they done killed her dead. We didn’t know nothing ’bout it, but Batty saw it all in a vision and come over ’n let us know. Then he made us up a poison we used on them folks.’

    ‘We?’ Abilene asked. ‘Were you in on it? Were you with them at the lodge that night?’