Cold Fire

Lisa nodded once, with evident gratitude for the warning.

As he started to follow her through the doorway, he saw the contents of the narrow closet that had come open when he'd backed against it: shelves of homemade videotapes. On the spines were titles hand-printed on strips of white adhesive tape. Names. The titles were all names.

CINDY. TIFFANY.

Joey. Cissy. TOMMY. KEVIN. Two were labeled SALLY. Three were labeled WENDY. More names. Maybe thirty in all. He knew what he was looking att, but he didn't want to believe it. Memories of savagery.

Mementoes of perversion. Victims.

The bitter blackness welled higher in him.

He followed Lisa through the motor home to the door, and out into the blazing desert sun.

Lisa stood in the white-gold sunshine on the shoulder of the highway behind the motor home. Her daughter stood at her side, clung to her.

Light had an affinity for them: it slipped in scintillant currents through their flaxen hair, accented the color of their eyes much the way a jeweler display lamp enhanced the beauty of emeralds on velvet, and lent an a most mystical luminosity to their skin. Looking at them, it was difficult to believe that the light around them was not within them, too, and that darkness had entered their lives and filled them as completely as night filled the world in the wake of dusk.

Jim could barely endure their presence. Each time he glanced at then he thought of the dead man in the station wagon, and sympathetic grief twisted through him, as painful as any physical illness he had ever know Using a key that he found on a ring with the motor home ignition key he unlocked the iron rack that held the Harley-Davidson.

It was a FXRS-SP with a 1340cc. single-carburetor, two-valve, push-rod V-tw with a five-speed transmission that powered the rear wheel through a toothed belt instead of a greasy chain. He'd ridden fancier and more powerful machines. This one was standard, about as plain as a Harley could get. But all he wanted from the bike was speed and easy handling; and if it was in good repair, the SP would provide him with both.

Lisa spoke worriedly to him as he unracked the Harley and looked over.

"Three of us can't ride out of here on that.”

"No," he said. "Just me.”

"Please don't leave us alone.”

"Someone'll stop for you before I go.”

A car approached. The three occupants gawked at them. The driver put on more speed.

"None of them stop," she said miserably.

"Someone will. I'll wait until they do.”

She was silent a moment. Then: "I don't want to get into a car with strangers.”

"We'll see who stops.”

She shook her head violently.

He said, "I'll know if they're trustworthy" "I don't. " Her voice broke. She hesitated, regained control.

"I don't trust anyone.”

"There are good people in the world. In fact, most of them are good.

Anyway, when they stop, I'll know if they're okay.”

"How? How in God's name can you know?" "I'll know." But he could not explain the how of it any more than he could explain how he had known that she and her daughter needed him out here in this seared and blistered wasteland.

He straddled the Harley and pressed the starter button. The engine kicked in at once. He revved it a little, then shut it off The woman said, "Who are you?" "I can't tell you that.”

"But why not?" "This one's too sensational. It'll make nationwide headlines.”

"I don't understand.”

"They'd splash my picture everywhere. I like my privacy.”

A small utility rack was bolted to the back of the Harley. Jim used his belt to strap the shotgun to it.

With a tremor of vulnerability in her voice that broke his heart, Lisa said, "We owe you so much.”

He looked at her, then at Susie. The girl had one slender arm around her mother, clinging tightly. She was not listening to their conversation. Her eyes were out of focus, blank-and her mind seemed far away. Her free hand was at her mouth, and she was chewing on her knuckle; she had actually broken the skin and drawn her own blood.

He averted his eyes and stared down at the cycle again.

"You don't owe me anything," he said.

"But you saved-" "Not everyone," he said quickly. "Not everyone I should have.”

The distant growl of an approaching car drew their attention to the east.

They watched a souped-up black Trans Am swim out of the water mirages.

With a screech of brakes, it stopped in front of them. Red flames were painted on the fender back of the front wheel, and the rims of both the wheel wells were protected with fancy chrome trim. Fat twin chrome tailpipes glistened like liquid mercury in the fierce desert sun.

The driver got out. He was about thirty. His thick black hair was combed away from his face, full on the sides, a ducktail in back. He was wearing jeans and a white T-shirt with the sleeves rolled up to reveal tattoos on both biceps.

"Somethin' wrong here?" he asked across the car.

Jim stared at him for a beat, then said, "These people need a ride to the nearest town.”