“Eden, you’ve got to help me!” The words tumbled fast, buzzing into my ear over an imperfect connection. My stomach lurched. I held the phone back and checked the number again—yes, it was definitely local.
“Malachi?”
I was downtown on a city sidewalk, and even though it was late I was well within view of the still-crowded Pickle Barrel, so I was probably within hearing distance of anyone seated up on the roof. I lowered my voice and turned my head away from the restaurant.
“Malachi, where are you?”
He answered me too quickly to be understood. He was keeping his words soft, as if he too was afraid of being overheard.
“Stop it stop it stop it,” I ordered. “Wait just a second. ”
I withdrew my keys from my pocket and let myself inside the car. When I closed the door behind me I hit the locks, halfheartedly paranoid. Clutching the phone between my ear and my shoulder, I strapped myself in and started the engine.
“Okay. One more time. What’s going on—and where are you?”
“You’ve got to help me!” he repeated, hissing in his fright or worry.
“I think I got that part. Keep talking, I’m listening. ”
“I’m at Moccasin Bend. ”
I nearly dropped the phone. “You’re where?”
“I’m at the Bend. You’ve got to come get me. ” He sounded like he was about to cry; and if he wasn’t, I planned to give him something to cry about when I caught up to him.
“Are you insane? Hell, what am I saying—of course you’re insane! That’s why they sent you there in the first place! You came up here, didn’t you? I told you to stay in Florida, but you wouldn’t listen; you came up here, and you got caught. Christ, I swear to God—”
“Don’t talk that way, Eden. ”
“How in the hell do you expect me to get you out of there? If I show up saying nice things about you, they’re likely to chuck me inside with you. Call Harry or something. Call a lawyer. Call Eliza, if she’s still alive—but the craziest thing you could possibly do is call—”
“Would you listen to me, please? I’m not inside the hospital. I’m just on the grounds. I’m outside. I tried to get in but I couldn’t. And now my car won’t start and I’m stuck. Can you please come and get me?”
I had no choice but to go quiet. I was too confused and surprised to say anything else, until he prompted me again.
“Please? You can run me out to the airport if you want, and I’ll be on the next plane back to Florida. You can call Harry and let him yell at me. You can do whatever you want—just please don’t leave me here tonight. I’m wet, I’m cold, and I think I’ve been bitten by a snake. ”
“A snake?”
“It might have been a copperhead. I couldn’t see it. ”
Pulling to a stop in front of a red light, I rubbed at my eyes and then, very slowly, I beat my head up and down on the steering wheel. “When were you bitten by a snake, Malachi?”
“Huh? I don’t know. Maybe it was, I don’t know…What time is it now?”
I glanced down at the blue LED on my dashboard. “It’s after midnight. ”
“About thirty minutes ago. It happened before I tried to see Kitty. But I couldn’t talk to her. Something’s happened to her. She’s scared, Eden. And I’m scared. I think something’s out here, on the grounds. Something is…” His voice fuzzed in and out, and I missed the last half of the sentence.
“Malachi? Malachi?”
“Come and get me, please?”
The light had turned green; but there was no one behind me, so I took another moment to hit my forehead on the wheel some more. If there had been anyone else Malachi could have called, he would have. If he’d had anyone in the world other than me, I wouldn’t have been beating a groove above my eyebrows.
But he didn’t have anyone else, and no one knew it better than I did.
Headlights spilled towards me, reflecting off my rearview mirror. I lifted my head and took my foot off the brake. I put my right blinker on and turned onto Market Street.