Blood Runs Cold

60

It was the worst possible thing to do to Salem Swade. But Malcolm Wardwell knew that. He made a haunted old vet stand with his back to the room while there was a gun somewhere behind him. Someone like Salem needed to face the room and face the door and feel safe. He started shouting; nonsense and swearing and orders and names and places and -

‘You — shut up, you crazy son-of-a-bitch, shut up!’ said Jason.

Salem stopped. But he was shaking violently, sweat soaking into the thin red fabric.

‘Let Salem go,’ said Ren. ‘Please.’

‘Let Ren go,’ said Salem.

Oh, God. ‘Salem, I’m going to be OK. You don’t need to worry about me.’

‘Stop talking,’ said Malcolm. ‘Silence.’

Jason Wardwell was wired, his father eerily still.

‘You,’ he said, ‘can take care of this.’

Jason opened his mouth and closed it.

‘At least,’ said Ren, ‘let Salem stand in front of the mirror.’

‘Why would I do that?’ said Jason.

So he can see the whole room. ‘What harm is it going to do?’ said Ren.

Salem started to move sideways toward it. Jason didn’t stop him.

‘Jason,’ said Malcolm, ‘put your gun to Salem’s temple and shoot him if Agent Bryce here doesn’t do what she’s told.’

Jason did as he asked.

‘Hold your arms up in the air,’ said Malcolm.

Ren held her arms up. He reached in and removed her gun from the holster under her arm, his hand brushing off her breast.

Her stomach turned. He bent down to her ankle holster. There was no gun there. He frisked her and found nothing else. He walked over to the battered old sofa and slumped down into it.

What is going on here?

Ren watched Salem. He had started shouting again. And sobbing. If Jason Wardwell, pumped-up and edgy, was going to do something, it would be directed at Salem first, it wouldn’t be directed at her. Because, no matter what, she was an agent and Jason Wardwell didn’t know yet if he was going to make it through this.

‘You need to shut the fuck up,’ said Jason to Salem.

‘He can’t,’ said Ren. ‘He’s afraid.’

‘He better get over it,’ said Jason. ‘Right now.’

Ren saw how Salem had realized he could see her face reflected in the mottled mirror in front of him. He fixed her with beautiful, terrified eyes.

Ren started humming, quietly — a John Prine song, top of the Most Played on Salem’s little iPod when she’d charged it. Everyone looked at her. Salem stilled. Ren hummed a little louder, holding him with her eyes.

Jason swung the gun her way, ‘What are you — ’

Then there was no more shouting. Only the sound of Ren humming. The others turned to watch Salem, subdued. Jason turned the gun back to him. Ren could see Salem blinking rapidly, his chest heaving. Ren started to sing, ‘We lost Davey in the Korean War and I still don’tknow what for, don’t matter any more.’ Her voice was shaking.

‘Shut up, you crazy bitch,’ said Jason. ‘What is wrong with you all?’

‘Salem, sweetheart,’ said Ren. ‘You’re going to be OK. Stick with me, OK?’

Tears poured down Salem’s face. He started to sob.

Ren kept singing, ‘You know that old trees just grow stronger. And old rivers grow wilder every day.’

‘Stop,’ said Jason. ‘I mean it. Stop.’

Salem was rocking again, his sobs growing louder and louder.

‘Shut up! Shut up!’ said Jason, raising the gun, lowering it, running the back of his hand across his forehead. ‘Shut up!’

‘No,’ said Ren. ‘No. Let him go, Jason. Let Salem leave. Let him get out.’

‘He’ll call the Sheriff — ’

‘Think about it, Jason,’ said Ren calmly. ‘How can Salem do that? Salem has no way of doing that.’

‘She’s right,’ shouted Salem. ‘I don’t. I really don’t.’

‘Stop talking,’ said Jason, taking a step toward him.

Salem flinched, throwing his arms up, covering his head. ‘No,’ he said, over and over.

‘Stop,’ said Jason. ‘Stop.’

Ren started again, singing the rest of the song, her voice steady, but low: ‘… people just grow lonesome. Waiting for someone to say … hello in there… hello.’

Ren stopped as Jason raised the gun again toward Salem. Salem was swaying gently, his eyes closed, his hand across his stomach. Ren wanted to shout at Jason, to tell him Salem was quiet now, to tell him he wasn’t a threat, that she would be quiet too. But she knew she would startle Salem and she didn’t want him to have to open his eyes to this scene, unless she knew he was going to make it out alive. But in the new silence, Salem opened his eyes and locked on to hers again. Ren smiled at him.

Jason pulled the trigger.