Death in the Desert Read Online Free Page B

still,” the woman said, “how could they leave you?”
    Finally, she looked over at Clint.
    â€œMr. Adams?”
    â€œThat’s right.”
    â€œPlease,” she said, “come inside.”
    â€œThank you,” he said. “You’re not going to shoot at me again, are you?”
    â€œNo,” she said, “I promise I won’t.”
    They went into the house, closing the door behind them. The woman set the rifle aside and turned to face Clint.
    â€œI’m sorry about the rifle,” she said. “When people started dying, there were looters. I had to fight to keep them out of here.”
    â€œDid you get sick at all?” he asked.
    â€œI did,” she said. “I succumbed just before the mass exodus began. I was in bed when they all left.”
    â€œSo was Emily.”
    The woman put her hand on the girl’s head.
    â€œPoor dear,” she said. “How could her parents leave without knowing for sure if she was alive or dead?”
    â€œI suppose they panicked.”
    â€œI guess you’re right. Have the two of you eaten?”
    â€œWe have,” Clint said. “Emily cooked for me over at Flo’s Café. We were actually looking for someplace to spend the night.”
    â€œWell, stop looking,” she said. “I have plenty of empty beds here.”
    â€œHow does that sound, Emily?” Clint asked.
    â€œIt sounds good to me!”
    Clint looked at the woman. She was in her thirties, very attractive despite looking somewhat bedraggled.
    â€œDo I keep calling you Aunt Kathy?”
    â€œMy name is Kathleen Logan,” she said. “‘Aunt Kathy’s’ just the name of the boardinghouse, Mr. Adams.”
    â€œMy name is Clint,” he said, “Kathleen.”
    â€œHow about some pie?” she asked Emily.
    â€œApple?”
    â€œOf course.”
    â€œYay!”
    â€œAnd you, Clint?”
    â€œWith coffee?” he asked.
    â€œOf course.”
    â€œYay!” he said with a grin at Emily.

NINE
    They went into the kitchen and Kathy served them their pie with coffee for Clint and hot tea for Emily.
    â€œI’m sorry, but the milk went bad a long time ago,” she said.
    â€œThat’s something Emily hasn’t been able to tell me, Kathy,” he said. “When did all of this happen?”
    â€œOh, it started about six weeks ago. Within two weeks, many people were dead.”
    â€œWere they burying any of the dead?”
    â€œYes,” she said, “there’s a graveyard just outside of town. But soon the people decided to just pull out. They stopped burying people and started packing to leave about three weeks ago. I—I got sick and ended up in bed. I was unconscious when the last of them finally pulled out, probably about a week ago.”
    â€œEveryone?”
    â€œI don’t know,” she said. “As I said, I was unconscious in bed.”
    â€œBut when you woke up, they were all gone?”
    â€œFar as I can tell,” she said. “That was about a week ago.”
    â€œAnd you have enough food to just hole up here?”
    â€œRemember,” she said, “I was running a boardinghouse. I had enough food to feed my guests. Once it was just me, I had plenty.”
    â€œWell, poor Emily has been scrounging all around town,” Clint said.
    â€œI’m sorry she didn’t come here sooner,” Kathy said. “I would have taken her in.”
    Emily was eating her pie and not really listening to them.
    â€œDid anyone die in this house?”
    â€œOne man early on. We were able to bury him. The rest of my boarders got scared and left. So there were no bodies in my house when I woke up—thank God.”
    â€œWhy didn’t you leave when you were able to, Kathy?” he asked.
    â€œI thought about it,” she said. “But this place is all I have. I—I couldn’t just leave it. Besides, maybe the people will