Backtracker (106 page)

*****

Chapter
76

For a long time, no one spoke on the beach. Larry sobbed; Dave watched and listened.

Eventually, Dave lowered the gun to rest his aching arms. Though he still gripped the weapon with both hands, he let it fall from its position of readiness; the revolver slipped down to his abdomen, barrel pointing at the sand instead of at Larry
'
s skull.

Just as the gun dropped, Larry stopped crying. He sucked in a great breath and held it for a moment.

When he released the breath, his head swung up and his eyes snapped open.

"
Okay,
"
he said, his voice steady, amazingly steady in the wake of his torrential weeping.

"
Okay,
"
he repeated, and his eyes seemed to clear, fixing upon Dave with a focus which seemed newly calm and direct.

"
If I gotta
'
go, I gotta
'
go,
"
said Larry.
"
No use crying over sold souls.
"

Dave
'
s arm tensed; the gun twitched against his abdomen.

"
With any luck,
"
Larry said steadily,
"
my loophole will work.

"
Hopefully, now that I
'
ve changed your future, my past will never be. Since you
'
ll live a better life than I did, you won
'
t become me. You won
'
t have any reason to try to go back in time and change things...so you won
'
t sell your soul.

"
So far as I know,
"
said Larry,
"
when it comes to souls, there
'
s only one per customer. Since you
'
re me, if you don
'
t sell yours, maybe I don
'
t sell mine.

"
I
'
ll just cease to exist or something. That
'
s what I
'
m hoping for. Time will just wipe me out like a mistake.

"
If not,
"
shrugged Larry,
"
then
c
'
est la vie
. Too late to turn back now, eh?

"
I
'
ll just have to acquire a taste for brimstone,
"
said Larry. The tiniest smirk curled onto his face, then quickly disappeared.

Dave
'
s stomach twisted. The killer
'
s changed disposition made him nervous.

"
Okay then,
"
nodded Larry.
"
This is goodbye. The party
'
s over.
"

Ever so slightly, Dave moved the gun away from his abdomen.

"
There
'
s just one thing I want you to do for me,
"
said Larry.
"
I want you to marry Darlene.

"
Doesn
'
t have to be right away...but don
'
t let her go. Whatever you do, don
'
t let her go.

"
She
'
s the one, and I think you know it,
"
said Larry.
"
Don
'
t let her go.
"

Again, Dave shifted the gun slightly.

"
Oh, and one more thing,
"
said Larry.
"
There
'
s a surprise for you under the sofa at home. I left it when I stopped to see Mom and Dad.

"
Use it in good health,
"
said Larry.

For a moment then, he was silent. He gazed at Dave with calm, bright eyes,
didn
'
t
say a word.

The rain continued to pour; the child continued to howl.

Dave
'
s heart hammered.

"
It
'
s been fun,
"
Larry said at last, and he smiled.

Larry smiled, and then he spun around.

*****

Chapter
77

Dave knew. Even in his dazed condition, he knew.

He
didn
'
t
have to be a mind
-
reader,
didn
'
t
even have to be in his right mind to know what Larry meant to do.

Larry was whipping around, sweeping one fist high. That fist would make a fine bludgeon when it plunged down to its mark.

Dave
knew
.
He
wasn
'
t
in his right mind, but he knew.

As Larry spun, Dave snapped the gun up in front of him.

He knew. He knew exactly what Larry meant to do.

With steady hands, Dave flicked the muzzle toward the killer; with steady eyes, he drew a bead on Larry
'
s head.

Larry
'
s back was turned to the gun. His blackened fist began its descent.

Dave
'
s finger hugged the trigger.

He knew.

He knew what would happen if he
didn
'
t
shoot.

He knew what was back there; he could hear it.

He knew that the child was back there.

*****

Chapter
78

Larry
'
s fist dropped.

The child. The child was back there; it was still shrieking.

Dave
'
s finger hugged the trigger.

The child.

'
If he grows up, he
'
ll kill your parents,
'
Larry had said.

Dave remembered; he remembered what Larry had said.

'
He
'
ll break into your house and shoot them both.
'

Dave remembered.

'
They were asleep...they didn
'
t even know he was there...and he killed them anyway!
'

Larry
'
s fist was dropping.

Dave knew what would happen if he
didn
'
t
shoot.

'
I
'
m...
you
,
'
Larry had said.

Dave knew.

The child was back there.

'
If he grows up, he
'
ll kill your parents.
'

It was a baby. It was only a baby.

'
He
'
ll break into your house and shoot them both.
'

Only a baby.

'
I
'
m...
you
.
'

Red and red and red.

Dave remembered red and red and red.

'
I
'
m...
you
.
'

Most of the face was gone.

'
I
'
m...
you
.
'

Dave had seen it.

That
wasn
'
t
and could never ever be never ever never Billy.

Dave had seen it all.

'
I came back...to
fix
things.
'

Dave knew.

That
wasn
'
t
Billy Bristol.

Dave knew.
He'd
seen.

Larry
'
s fist was dropping.

'
I
'
m...
you
.
'

Dave knew.

'
He
'
ll kill your parents.
'

Dave knew.

'
I
'
m...
you
.
'

Only a baby. It was only a baby.

Dave pulled the trigger.

*****

Chapter
79

Larry
'
s fist never finished its descent.

'
Just pretend you
'
re shooting milk jugs out in my back yard,
'
Billy Bristol had said.

The shot was true. There was a burst of red from Larry
'
s head.

'
Remember, it
'
ll be just like target practice,
'
Billy Bristol had said.

Just like target practice.

Dave mashed the hammer back and pulled the trigger again.

'
I know you can do it,
'
Billy Bristol had said.

The second shot struck Larry between his shoulders.

'
I
'
m...
you
,
'
Larry had said.

Again, Dave jammed back the hammer and pulled the trigger.

The third shot blew into the middle of Larry
'
s back.

'
Good luck,
'
Billy Bristol had said.
'
This one
'
s for the Double
-
Doubleyoo, man.
'

Larry pitched into the sand.

Again, Dave mashed the hammer back.

Just like target practice.

'
If he grows up, he
'
ll kill your parents.
'

Again, Dave pulled the trigger.

Red and red and red.

'
This one
'
s for the Double
-
Doubleyoo,
'
Billy Bristol had said.

Again, Dave thumbed back the hammer and pulled the trigger.

He did it again after that.

He tried it again, but the gun was empty.

By then, Larry Smith was still in the sand.

'
I
'
m...
you
,
'
Larry had said.

'
I
'
m...
you
.
'

*****

 

Chapter
80

The child was screeching. As the last echo of the last gunshot faded over the lake, the infant
'
s wails continued to surge; the cries were all that was left, the only remnants of the cacophony of a moment ago.

Peering through the darkness, Dave could see the tiny, pale body thrashing in the sand, a vivid counterpoint to the dark form crumpled beside it.

So the child was safe. Larry Smith
hadn
'
t
beaten the life from it and his falling corpse
hadn
'
t
crushed it.

So the child was safe.

Dave let his arms drop. He let the gun slip from his grip.

For a moment, he stood and stared at the three figures before him. Uncomprehendingly, he gazed at the tumble of bodies, two of them silent and motionless; he saw the child, then the young man, then something else, something dark and disfigured...something reminiscent.

It was familiar; it stirred a memory.

Most of its face was gone.

Dave felt dizzy, and he turned away. Sluggishly, he staggered away from the wreckage.

'
I
'
m...
you
,
'
Larry Smith had said.

With halting steps, Dave stumbled through the sand. Aimlessly, he weaved along the strip of beach, unintentionally drifting toward the water
'
s edge.

'
I
'
m...
you
,
'
Larry Smith had said.

Dave
'
s feet sloshed through the fringe of the lake. His shoes were already soaked through, had been soaked for a long time.

He stopped. Slowly, he turned around, gazed again upon the product of that day, of the past weeks.

He knew. From where he stood, he
couldn
'
t
distinguish all details, could see little more than huddled shapes in the darkness...but he knew.

He knew.

That was Billy. That was Billy Bristol in the sand.

He knew.

That was Billy Bristol.

That was Billy.

That was Billy.

Dave moaned softly and fell to his knees.

That was Billy.