Teacher's Pet

by Richie T Cusick

  “Just—go away. Leave me alone.”

  “Don’t talk, save your strength.” Kate shrugged out of her jacket and wrapped it around him, shocked at the wetness of his clothes, the coldness of his skin. Beneath his injured leg the ground was staining dark. Gritting her teeth, Kate eased off his shoe, gently pushed up the leg of his jeans, and rolled off his sock. The ripped flesh and exposed bone almost made her swoon, but she managed a shaky smile at him over her shoulder. “Well… it could be worse….”

  “Help me up.”

  “You’re not going anywhere. Don’t even think about it.”

  As Pearce moved his leg, a look of pure anguish contorted his face and again he fell back, stunned. “Jesus…”

  “Just be still and don’t talk,” Kate said again, more firmly this time. “Do you have a handkerchief? Anything?”

  He nodded distractedly and pulled a rag from his back pocket. Kate bit her lip and applied the rag carefully, tying it above the wound, wincing at the expression on his face.

  “I’m not going to leave you. My teacher—Miss Bunceton—is just down the trail. When I don’t come back, she’ll either start looking for me, or she’ll send help. Anyway, someone’s bound to be here soon.”

  Another vague nod. As a chill raced through his body, Kate tucked the jacket tighter around his shoulders and sat down beside him, pressing close.

  “Does your head hurt? It looked like you hit pretty hard when you fell—we have to make sure you stay awake, okay?” When he didn’t answer, she touched his arm, trying to focus his attention on her. “I can’t believe somebody set that trap—just left it here like that—someone could have been—”

  Biting her lip, she left the sentence unfinished, leaning down to scrutinize him. He was trembling all over. He turned his face away, and his voice was husky.

  “You’d like to believe that, wouldn’t you?”

  Startled, Kate pulled back, her hand falling from his arm. “Believe what?”

  A long silence passed. Pearce tensed at a fresh wave of pain. “Do you really think this was an accident?” His head moved toward her; to Kate’s alarm more color drained from his too-white cheeks. “Do you really think this was meant for me?”

  A slow dread crawled through her, and she peered urgently into his face. “What… what are you talking about?”

  Pearce didn’t answer. He shifted his eyes away from her, gazing numbly at the trees.

  Loosening the tourniquet, Kate berated herself for not having gone for help right away. The sun was slipping behind the trees, and the wind was biting cold. Surely Miss Bunceton had gotten concerned by now and gone for help. Surely when Kate didn’t return to camp, Gideon would get worried and come looking for her. If she left now, she could get there before dark—and maybe Pearce won’t fall asleep, maybe he doesn’t have a concussion, maybe he won’t pass out—

  “Careful,” he mumbled. “You have to be… so careful….”

  Startled, Kate glanced down to see Pearce’s eyes on her, glazed even darker with pain. She stared at him, wondering if he’d slipped into shock or was hallucinating.

  “Careful? What do you mean?”

  There was no answer. A gust of wind swept down from the woods.

  “I’m cold,” Pearce whispered.

  Alarmed, Kate eased down beside him, stretching her body along his. She couldn’t feel any warmth from him anywhere.

  “You’re going to be okay,” she whispered. “I promise.”

  He tried to shift his position… gave a soft moan. Kate’s heart ached at the sound, and she lay one arm carefully across his chest. Slowly his head turned until his midnight-black eyes were inches from her own, their agony holding her so that she couldn’t look away.

  “Kate…” he mumbled.

  “Yes?” And she was holding him closer, trying not to cry. “What can I do? Just tell me.”

  “I…” His voice was low, so low that she could hardly hear. “I don’t… want anything… to happen to you.”

  She found his lips… and they were so cold… so unresponsive… yet as she kissed him, his hand moved upon her back… beneath her sweater… against her bare skin… trying to hold her with strength he didn’t have.

  “It’s all right,” she whispered. “It’s going to be all right….” And she felt his heart against hers… and she wished more than anything that she could take all his suffering away….

  “Kate!” The voice drifted through the trees, echoed by other voices, startling Pearce and Kate and splitting them apart. Flustered, Kate jumped up and shouted back.

  “Yes! Yes! I’m here! Pearce is with me, and he’s hurt!”

  She could see the lights then, flashlights and lanterns bobbing down the hill, and in another few seconds, the area was swarming with people, and Gideon was there, gathering her into his arms.

  “Good Lord, Kate, we thought the worst. What in the world—?”

  “He got caught in a trap.” Confused, Kate wanted to pull away, out of Gideon’s arms, but they were so strong… so safe. “I was coming here to write, and he was checking the cave and the next thing I knew—”

  “Pearce?” Gideon cut her off, kneeling beside Pearce and lowering the lantern close to the injured foot. Even in the half-light Kate could see his face struggling for composure. “It looks like he’s lost a lot of blood. We’ll have to carry him back and get him to a doctor. Careful now—don’t hurt him.”

  “Gideon—when he fell, he hit his head against that rock—that’s why I was afraid to leave him—”

  “I’m so sorry, Kate. This must have been terrifying for you.” Gideon looked down at the tourniquet, his expression grateful. “Thank God you knew what to do for him.”

  Kate stood back, the whole scene playing out before her like a dream. She saw several of the men make a chair with their arms and carry Pearce away; she saw Gideon stand for several long moments, staring down at the trap, his features finally contorting in fury.

  “Damn!” He kicked the trap so hard that it hit the rocks, bouncing back with a clatter. As Kate jumped away, she saw Denzil and Tawney hovering a few feet behind her, not sure whether to approach or not. Gideon’s hands knotted into fists, his voice shaking with quiet rage. “Who could have done this? Who could have done such a thing?”

  Catching his breath, he spun on his heel and stalked away, leaving Kate to gaze after him.

  “Kate, are you all right?”

  Denzil and Tawney ran up then, catching Kate between them in a gigantic hug.

  “I’m okay,” Kate said weakly, “But Pearce… it’s so awful. I wanted to get help but…” She bit her lip, trying not to think about what had happened, and in the dim light, spotted something shiny on the ground. “What’s that?”

  Denzil glanced down, disinterested. “Looks like a watch to me.”

  “It must be Gideon’s.” Kate retrieved it and shoved it into her pocket. “He must have dropped it when he was helping Pearce—”

  “Oh, Kate!” Tawney flung her arms around her friend again. “You’re so brave! I wouldn’t have known what to do!”

  “Yeah, well, let’s get back and warm you up.” Denzil shrugged out of his jacket and put it around Kate, the three of them heading back for the trail. “If it hadn’t been for Miss B, you’d probably still be here.”

  “I knew she’d go for help,” Kate said gratefully. “I knew she’d miss me sooner or later.”

  “It was later,” Denzil laughed. “And the only reason she came back to camp is ’cause she sat in poison ivy. You were almost an afterthought.”

  “I should have known. Is she okay?”

  “Not really. She’s got the most beautiful rash you’ve ever seen, and she’s swollen twice her size.”

  “That’s big.” Tawney nodded solemnly.

  “We had to take her to the clinic in the village,” Denzil went on. “I don’t reckon you’ll have a roommate for a while.”

  Kate caught his meaningful look, which Tawney couldn’t see. Her bod
y ached from cold, and she felt dead tired. There was so much she had to think about, to sort out, but right now her brain just wouldn’t function.

  “—eat,” Denzil was saying. “Come on there, kid, you’re lagging behind.” He flung one arm around her shoulder and squeezed her to his side. “Hot chowder and homemade bread and lots of strong coffee and —”

  “I’m not hungry,” Kate said, smiling her thanks. “I just want a nice hot shower right now.”

  “Okay, but you don’t know what you’re missing.”

  As they approached the lodge, Kate saw the truck take off toward the village, and she stood there watching, a strange, empty feeling inside.

  “Hey, you sure you’re okay?” Denzil asked softly, and Kate pulled her attention back with an effort. “Sure you won’t change your mind?”

  “Thanks, but I just want to get out of these damp things.”

  “Anything happen back there I should know about?”

  Kate’s hands lifted to her burning cheeks, and she was glad for the darkness. “No. I mean, he wasn’t particularly terrifying, lying there caught in that trap.”

  “Okay. Come back when you’re changed.”

  She gave him a vacant nod, handing his jacket back, and squeezed Tawney’s hand good-bye. Then slowly she made her way to her cabin, two images pounding mercilessly in her mind:

  Pearce’s lips… exploring hers so tenderly in the dark….

  And Pearce’s voice. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

  Chapter 14

  KATE LEANED IN THE cabin doorway, surveying her room. Everything was just as she’d left it with things straightened and returned to their places. There was a new pillow on her bed.

  Walking cautiously to the bathroom, she flicked on the light and gazed at her reflection in the clean mirror. She looked haggard, and there were dark circles under her eyes.

  Turning on the heater, she knelt beside it, holding her palms toward the glowing coils. Night lay black beyond the windows, seeping cold through the thin walls. She stared down at her shirt and saw Pearce’s blood still smeared there. Fighting down a wave of nausea, she threw off her clothes and heard something clatter to the floor.

  Gideon’s pocket watch.

  Sinking onto the edge of the bed, she turned the watch over in her hand and saw that it had some sort of inscription on the back. She held it to the light, squinted at the tiny lettering, then felt her breath catch in her throat.

  To Gideon… Love, Rowena

  “Rowena!”

  Immediately the eerie meeting came back to her… the black-veiled figure… the ominous rhymes…. “Kate… Kate… doomed to your fate…”

  “Rowena,” she mumbled again. She’d put it out of her mind after hearing Gideon speak of William’s odd crowd… she’d just assumed… what? That William’s friends had heard Gideon say how talented she was… or that he liked her more than a teacher might care about a promising student? That Rowena’s bizarre rhymes had been nothing more than a macabre game? Except now, as Kate stared down at the inscription, she realized it really must have been a game—a joke on her—and maybe she’d been assuming too much.

  Cheeks burning, Kate hurried into the shower, turning on the water as hot as she could stand it. God, Kate, you’re so stupid! Stupid to think Gideon really singled you out—that he thought you were special—and all this time—Rowena! She’s not William’s girlfriend at all—she’s Gideon’s—and how they must be laughing at you now….

  Leaning her head against the wall, Kate took deep breaths, remembering Gideon’s eyes… Gideon’s kisses… and Pearce… Pearce watching her… “you have to be so careful… I don’t want anything to happen to you.” Pearce must have seen what was happening, her infatuation with Gideon—he’s probably seen it happen so many, many times before….

  She got dressed, not really planning to go back to the kitchen and call Denzil away from his dishwashing.

  “Hey, you did change your mind! I thought you might—lucky for you I saved some—”

  “No.” Kate stopped him. “I’m not hungry. I just wondered if you could tell me something.”

  “Have you been crying?” Denzil scrutinized her closely.

  “Of course I haven’t been crying—what do you think I do, fall apart just because of a little accident?”

  “Okay, okay.” He stepped back, hands raised. “Don’t go sidewinder on me. Back! Back!”

  Kate tried to gather her emotions. “Do you know where Gideon lives?” I found it accidentally; I’d never find it again.

  “Yeah, I told you, upstate some—”

  “No, I mean here. You said it’s back in the woods.”

  “Yeah… but they don’t like visitors. I could get fired.”

  “I’m not asking you to show me. Just tell me.”

  “Why?” Denzil’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Don’t tell me you and Gideon have some kind of rendezvous tonight.”

  “No, we don’t, and that’s dumb of you to even think. I just… want to return something.”

  “What?”

  “Denzil, will you just tell me and stop asking all these—”

  “Not that watch.” He folded his arms, cocking his head at her. “Kate, that is lame. You could just give it to him tomorrow in class. Besides, he probably won’t even be home—he went to the clinic with Pearce.”

  “I know where he went. Just please tell me—”

  “What are you up to?”

  “Nothing! Now will you just—”

  “Jeez….” Denzil hung his apron on the door and steered her outside. “Come on, I’ll take you—but if I get in trouble—”

  “I don’t want you to go with me. Read my lips.”

  “Kate, you’re acting like Tawney,” Denzil sighed impatiently. “That really makes me nervous.”

  “It’s private.” Kate glared at him. “Okay, Gideon asked me to come. And I lost the directions. He wants to… loan me some books.”

  “Books.”

  “That’s right.”

  “Let me see the watch.”

  “Denzil, forget about the watch, just—”

  “Where is it? Here in your blouse?”

  “Will you stop!”

  As Kate twisted away from him, she felt his hand slide smoothly into the pocket of her jeans and withdraw again. Biting her lip, she watched as he held the watch in his upturned palm and slowly turned it over. After another second, he handed it back to her and she snatched it away.

  “Kate,” Denzil said sensibly, “think of William. Or at least what we think’s happened to him. You don’t wanna go off in the woods by yourself at night—there might be a murderer out there.”

  “I don’t want to hear about William or murderers. And I don’t need your help.”

  For a long moment Denzil stared at her, then at last he nodded and stepped away.

  “That inlet where you and Tawney were swimming—there’s a path that forks. Take the left one. When that forks, go right. You can’t miss it.”

  “Thanks.”

  She waited till she was out of sight before she started to run, and with Denzil’s directions, found the house easily. Rattling the gate, she discovered it locked, but since there didn’t seem to be any other way in, she hoisted herself over the top and landed clumsily on the other side.

  Kate strained her ears through the deep night, surveying the house with apprehension. One light burned from a downstairs window; another window glowed on the second floor. Is it really worth it? Can’t it wait till tomorrow? Is this really important at all…?

  She tapped with her flashlight on the door. The knock seemed to echo… on and on… back through empty rooms.

  To her surprise, the door creaked slowly open.

  “Hello?” Kate’s voice was a whisper. “Is anyone here?”

  Through dim light she could see a large hallway with doors opening off either side. At the end and straight ahead of her, a staircase rose up into half shadow.

  “Gideon?
Hello?”

  For some reason Kate suddenly thought of William… the glove in Pet’s mouth… the horrible thing inside it….

  She felt her feet moving her forward… up the stairs.

  “Gideon?” Had she called out loud or was it only in her head? “Gideon, are you home?”

  She thought she heard something… some soft, hidden movement… and saw a closed door with light seeping out underneath. She lifted her hand… curled her fingers around the knob….

  The groan went on forever, echoing down the hall as the door moved back on its hinges. Kate stood in the threshold, unable to believe what she was seeing.

  It looked like a funeral parlor.

  As her shocked eyes swept over the black-draped canopy bed to the black-skirted vanity table, she sagged weakly back against the wall. Everything in the room was black—bedspread, curtains, a pile of clothes dropped carelessly upon the floor, even the walls—and though the air was chilled and damp, an overpowering smell of dried flowers hung in the air.

  Stunned, Kate’s gaze went to the nightstand. A vase of dead roses stood beside a black velvet ribbon. A wreath of dead vines entwined with black streamers and black lace hung upon the wall. A sampler, cross-stitched with black thread, lay half finished upon a chair: YEA, THOUGH I WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH… death… death… death….

  Kate didn’t hear the footsteps move silently up the stairs.

  Their stealthy approach behind her in the hall… .

  Her cry of fear rang out as hands clamped onto her arms, pulling her back into the light.

  “Kate! What are you doing here?”

  As the grip slackened, Kate fell back against the wall, escape impossible.

  “Gideon!”

  There was no mistaking his total surprise—yet despite the intensity of his stare, he was pale and obviously shaken.

  “What… what are you doing here, Kate? However did you find this place?”

  “I’m sorry, Gideon, I know I shouldn’t have come in, but—”

  “This house is off-limits to everyone—guests included—”

  “I’m… I’m sorry—only the door was open and I thought—” She thrust the watch out to him, her voice trembling. “Your watch. You dropped it back by the cave. I thought… you might need it.”