Chapter 11 Chapter Eleven

Dutton greeted them politely.They sat on two chairs next to his desk.Sam said, "Have you heard...the trouble we've had..." "Inspector Concierge came with a report and asked for relevant data. We have issued an arrest warrant for Cady. Unless he leaves this area, he won't be able to hide for long. How is your son?" "He's fine. We're lucky." "How long can our good luck last?" Kai Luo said coldly. Dutton gave her a quick look. "Are all your children in a safe place?" "We think so; we hope so," said Sam. "But there's no guarantee of such a thing. That man's a madman."

Dutton nodded: "As far as what happened, it is assumed that he fired the shot coldly. I think your statement is very reasonable, Mr. Bowden." Dutton listened, the expression on his face unchanged, as Sam told him about the loose caps on the car tires. "All I can say to you is that I hope he can be arrested as soon as possible. I don't know what else I can promise you. I have tried to prioritize this case. If you can... wait carefully until us--" "You want us to hide?" Kai Luo asked sharply. "You may say the same, Mrs. Borden." "You want us to hide and wait, and then, after he's wanted for murder, you're going to prioritize this case."

"Well, wait a minute, Mrs. Borden, I explained to your husband—" Kai Luo stood up: "There are too many explanations. I didn't think of coming here, and I regret coming here. I know you are very kind and reasonable. Captain Duton, I knew you a long time ago. Just pat us on the head, send us away, and let us think that your people can handle this." "Hey, you—" "I'm not finished, Captain Dutton, I'm speaking to you, I hope you'll listen. We were going to set a trap for that...beast. We were going to use me as bait, we Was going to rely on the pistol you had my husband carry. I didn't think you'd advise him to take a gun. But when everything was settled, he felt he had to be here to see you again. I knew early on that it wasn't going to be the same as before."

"Caro..." "Don't tell me, Sam, the world is full of small people, full of self-righteousness and petty bureaucracy, but not a little imagination and compassion. So you go fill out your priority investigation forms, team leader, we're going home Going to try our way. Of course, unless you can cite some law that restricts us from even trying. My child is threatened, team leader, if I can kill Mr. Cuddy, I will be very happy Anyone who wants to kill him with a gun, a knife, or a stick. Come on, Sam." "Sit down, Mrs. Borden." "I don't see anything—"

"Sit down!" The man's voice was commanding and authoritative for the first time.Caro sat down. Dutton turned to Sam. "How the hell are you planning to trap Cady for you?" "There are too many ifs in the plan. If I can hide in the station wagon and go back and sneak into the kids' room in the barn. If he's watching our house. If our alarm system works. If he thinks Caro is Alone at home and decided to shoot her. If I could shoot him and hit him." Dutton looked at Kai Luo. "Do you think he's watching your house?" "I think so, yes," Caro said. "Maybe we're just being too neurotic. But I think he's staring at us. We're pretty desolate out there."

"Please wait here a moment." After Duton finished speaking, he quickly left the office. "I'm sorry, honey," Caro said, her mouth quivering. "You're amazing." "I was really embarrassed, but he made me so angry." "tigress." "No, I'm ninety percent a rabbit." Dutton was gone for a full fifteen minutes.When he came back, he brought a young man with him.The brown-skinned lad was about twenty, small and stocky, with mild blue eyes, a lip that barely covered his protruding teeth, and brown hair that looked in need of trimming.He was wearing a white shirt, dark blue trousers, and a yellow pencil tucked behind his ear.

He stood at half-attention as Dutton walked around his desk and sat down. "This is Officer Andy Kosek, an active, unmarried, top-notch pistol shooter who is bored with his current communications job. Andy, these are Mr. Bowden and his Ma'am. I've been in touch with the Sheriff's Office and the State Police, and temporarily relieved him of his communications duties. Andy was an infantry soldier in the Korean War. I can send him to you for three days, Mr. Bowden. He Get a general idea of ​​the situation. You go over the details of the plan with him, and accept his suggestions for revisions. Good luck to you. And, Mr. Borden..."

"What's the matter?" Duton smiled slightly. "You have an amazingly efficient wife, and a very handsome one at that." Kai Luo blushed, she smiled and said, "Thank you, Team Leader Duton." They conferred with Kosek in a room just big enough for six chairs, a table, and an electric heater.Sam explained their original plan, drawing in a yellow blotter a rough sketch of the main house, barns, and surrounding terrain.Andy Kosek, shy and awkward at first, became more articulate as he took an increasingly active interest in the subject. "Approximately how far is the main house from the barn, Mr. Bowden?"

"One hundred feet." "I think I'd better hide in the cellar, where I can wait until nightfall. Mrs. Bowden, please open a cellar window for me." "The basement is damp." "I'm OK." Much to Sam's delight, Kosek hadn't asked in any way whether Cady would come, which made the whole plan seem more down-to-earth and more formal. After getting whatever gear he thought he needed, they drove him to his place, where he changed into a pair of old black trousers, a black shirt, and a pair of black tennis shoes. Before they reached the village, Sam and Kosek were lying in the back of the station wagon under a dusty old car blanket.Sam knew all the turns he was familiar with, he felt the steepness of the uphill, and he knew when she had to slow down to get on the drive.As she drove into the barn, the light in the blankets dimmed, and the sound of the engine grew louder before she turned it off.She opened the rear left car door and took out a bag of groceries to take back to the house.

"Careful," Sam whispered. She nodded and kept her mouth shut.He got out of the car with Kosek, and he stood far away from the dusty window, watching her hurry across the grass to the main house, in the near-dusk sun, so familiar and intimate to him. Walking in an elegant posture, he saw her unlock the door, walk in, and close the door again.He turned to see Kosaek very nervously on alert. "What's wrong?" "He may be waiting inside, she only has a chance to call." Sam cursed himself for not thinking of that beforehand.They stood and listened attentively in the dead silence of the barn.The cooling engine of the station wagon groaned, and suddenly they were both startled when the buzzer in the room above went off—three short beeps.

"All is well," said Sam cheerfully. He quickly climbed the ladder and answered her signal.The time is exactly four o'clock in the afternoon.Kosek helped him carry things up and put them in order.Kosaek's own supplies were left under the ladder.They sat upstairs on an old camp bed, surrounded by battered toys, half-finished children's stuff, hundreds of pictures cut out of magazines, tacked and glued to the rough walls .They talked in low voices.Sam told Andy Kosek all about Max Cady. The only small cobwebbed window faced the main room, and from where Sam sat, he could see the thin wire hanging down and up, entering the house through the small hole drilled in the window frame of Nancy's room.He could see part of the hill behind the house, but he didn't try to see more because he didn't want to get his face too close to the window. Every hour on the hour, Caro will send out three short beeps.When the two men had finished talking about Cady, Kosek talked about the Korean War and what it was like on the battlefield, how he was hurt, how he felt, and so on.The two of them read for a while—Kosek picked up a few from the huge pile of dusty comics in the corner.In the end, it was so dark that we could neither read nor smoke. Caro sent signals at nine o'clock and ten o'clock sharp, and Kosek covered the buzzer. He was worried that the sound would be transmitted far in the silent night. "Time to go," Kosek said. He seemed shy again.He held out his hand and Sam took it. "I don't want anything to happen to her," said Sam. "It'll be fine." His voice was full of promise and confidence. Sam groped his way down the ladder after him.Kosek stepped into the night outside.He didn't make a sound.Sam stared at him with wide eyes, but couldn't see where he was.Kosek's face was smeared, his clothes were all black, and his movements were easy and alert, with a trained air. The dim light from the windows of Nancy's room went out at half past ten.He tried to sleep, but couldn't.He listened to the sounds of long summer nights, the chirping of insects and the barking of dogs in the distance, the few cars passing by on the road, the sound of trucks further away, and further still, the sound of diesel trains passing by in the valley. The first rays of dawn woke him up.He moved the lathe back as far as possible from the window.There was no signal at six o'clock.He resisted the temptation to signal first, and the minutes ticked by, the hour from six to seven almost as long as an eternity.At seven o'clock still no signal from her.The whole house seemed lifeless and lifeless.Were they all in the house, killed while he was asleep?At five past seven, he couldn't wait any longer, so he sent the signal first.Twenty seconds later, just as he was about to reach out to press the send button, his mouth was dry and his heart was beating hard, when the reply signal came.He took a long, deep breath and immediately apologized for waking her up.She really needs sleep. He ate.The long morning passed.A salesman parked in front of the house, went to the gate, waited for several minutes, and finally gave up and drove away.A cat with patterns of coffee and white was staring at a little bird on the other side of the grass, its tail was shaking, its ears were pressed forward, its body crouched, and then it jumped up and rushed towards it, but failed.He looked up at the elm for a while, then sat down, washed his face, and wandered off, while the bird taunted him in the tree. By noon, he became more and more worried about the children.If Cady somehow managed to find them... But Caro had promised to call them twice a day, and if anything went wrong, she'd be running towards the barn. He couldn't remember ever having a longer day than today.He watched the light and shadow on the ground change and elongate.At six o'clock, the sun set behind the clouds in the west behind the house, and night fell earlier than usual.She gave her last signal at ten o'clock, and shortly thereafter, the lights were turned off. There was a misty dream in the deep sleep, and the dream was interrupted by the alarm clock in the morning. He reached out to grab the alarm clock that didn't exist, and suddenly sat upright in the darkness.His reactions were blurred with sleep, and for a few long, precious seconds he didn't know where he was or why his heart was beating so fast. When he suddenly figured out what was going on, he rolled out of the cot and tried to reach for the pistol and flashlight.His body was inflexible due to drowsiness, so he knocked the flashlight and rolled away, only to find it later in the dark.Quickly he descended the trapdoor in the floor, groping with his toes for the rungs of the ladder.He hadn't imagined that climbing down in total darkness with a gun and a flashlight would be so difficult. His foot slipped, and when he tried to stabilize himself, his hand slipped away again.He fell and landed with his right foot on something uneven.He fell from a height of eight feet and landed with the weight of his entire body on his right ankle.He felt as if white sparks had exploded in his ankles.He fell heavily, passed out from pain, fell on his stomach, hit a wheel, rolled in the dark, his hands were black, his sense of direction was completely confused, and he supported himself on his hands and knees. Standing up, he groaned in pain.Then he found that the long warning signal of the buzzer had stopped.He began to grope in the dark, sweeping the ground with outstretched hands, looking for a pistol and a flashlight. He found Yuanyuan's flashlight, grabbed it, and pushed the switch, but the flashlight didn't turn on.He heard a scream of horror and shock that seemed to tear a long sliver of flesh out of his heart, and then he heard the low, clear double-shot of the Woodsman. Frightened, angry, and whimpering in pain, he felt the handle of the revolver, grabbed it, tried to get up, and when his weight was on his ankles, he fell again, and he crawled Go to the wall and stand yourself up.At this moment, he heard a second scream trembling in the night sky, like a silver thread stretched to the limit, and then collapsed into a dead silence worse than the scream. He started to walk with the strength he didn't know where, and then he started to run with a strong limp.The night was pitch black, with fine rain and mist splashing on his face.He felt as if he was running in chest-deep water, his right foot swinging uselessly, and every time his weight rested on it, it was as if he stepped into white-hot coals that sank into his ankle. He flopped on the front steps, struggled to get up, found the front door, and was desperate to find that it was locked and he didn't have the key, and he didn't know how long it would take him to go around the back of the house and find Cardi breaking in The place.It was yet another thing they hadn't considered, another tragic oversight.But where was Kosek? Just then, he heard a voice that must have come from a human throat, but it was nothing like any human voice he had ever heard.It was a growl, a roar, full of rage and madness and bestiality.Then came a weapon much heavier than a Woodsman, with a deep, echoing bang that shook the window panes. Then there was a loud crash, followed by a series of ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, ping, something as if something had run or tumbled down the stairs, carrying the pots and pans that Caro was stringing all the way down, a series of sounds. , making the whole room shake. Before he could make a move, the locked front door suddenly opened, and a dark figure, wide, hard and strong, rushed out with unbelievable speed and collided with him. and made him fall backwards on his back.He only felt a nausea that seemed to be floating up, and he flew out from the steps, and then fell flat on his back on the wet grass, making a loud noise, which also made him breathless.He barely managed to hold the revolver in his hand, then he rolled over to his knees, gasping for air.He heard footsteps running across the grass and saw something running toward the corner of the house, and he fired at the figure three times, straight up, without aiming.He got up and limped to the corner of the house.He was still gasping for air, but barely holding his breath, listening carefully.He heard something running very hastily and panicked, stumbling all the way to the bushes on the hill behind the house.He fired two more shots at the sound, then listened again.I heard the voice gradually go away, getting weaker and weaker, and finally disappeared completely. When he turned again, his ankle snapped again, and he fell against the side wall of the house, hitting his head.Crawling on his hands and knees, he climbed the steps, entered the open front door, found the switch in the hallway, and turned on the light. He heard a faint voice, a hopeless voice full of fear, pain and heartbreak, so much like the haunting voice in the alleys of Melbourne all those years ago that he felt his heart almost stop. He climbed up the stairs on his hands and knees, and the sound continued.Halfway up the climb, he put the empty gun aside.After he climbed upstairs to the corridor, he turned on the light. Kosek was lying on the corridor outside Nancy's room door. The door was open, and the room was pitch black. of. Kosek's body blocked the hallway, his gun landed about five feet away from him.Sam had to crawl over him, as gently as he could, and Kosek let out a groan as he crawled over him.He turned on the light in Nancy's room.The small table by the bed was overturned, the lamp was broken, and Kai Luo was half lying under the bed, curled up into a ball.She was wearing loose pajama pants, her upper body had been ripped off and hung on the remaining sleeve.There were two deep cuts on her back that were still bleeding, and he crawled towards her, and she made that endless, staccato whimper with every breath she took.When he tried to pull her out from under the bed, she fought back, her eyes closed tightly. "Caro!" he called, "Caro, dear!" The whimpering continued, then stopped.She opened her eyes cautiously, and when she turned her head, he saw a bruise covering the left side of her face. "Where have you been?" she whispered, "Oh my God, where have you been!" "are you OK?" She slowly crawled out from under the bed, sat up, and buried her face in her hands. "Is he gone?" "Yes, dear, he's gone." "Oh, my god!" "Are you okay? Did he... hurt you?" "Like a beast," she gasped. "He smelled like some kind of beast too. I didn't hear a sound, except that something was scratching on the door. Then I found the transmitter. , pressed hard for a long time, also took the gun in his hand, and then he broke through the door, slammed right in, as if the door was made of paper. I fired, screamed, and wanted to resist. Then He hit me." "Did he...do anything to you?" She frowned, as if trying to concentrate. "Oh, I see what you mean. No, he meant to. But then... Andy came." She tried to look behind him: "Where's Andy?" "Put on your nightgown, dear." She seemed to be struggling to compose herself. "I'm devastated. I've never been so scared. I'm sorry, but where have you been? Why haven't you come?" "I fell," he said. Then he turned and crawled out into the hallway.Kosek's breathing was difficult, blood was coming from the corner of his mouth, and the leather handle of a hunting knife protruded from his side strangely, just inserted under his right armpit. His nose bridge was broken, and his nose was crooked. spread on the face. He crawled down the corridor back to their bedroom, hoisted himself onto his bed, grabbed the receiver of the phone next to the bed, and dialed the operator. "I'm Sam Bowden," he said. "Lives at Milton Road Hill. We need a doctor here, and the police. Come right away. Urgent. Tell them to hurry. And an ambulance, please. .” Five minutes later he heard the sirens of the first police cars coming up the hill through the foggy night.