Page 23 of Call Off the Dark

When no answer came, Helen turned back and saw the man standing in the middle of her kitchen.

She hadn’t unlocked the door for her husband.

She’d unlocked the door for a stranger.

He was tall with dark hair and several days of stubble. He had on a thick coat and well-worn jeans. She felt a dangerous energy crackling around her as she became aware of her bare feet. The man standing in her kitchen wore work boots.

For a moment, they stared at each other.

The violin music got more urgent.

The man moved to the record player and lifted the needle. The song cut out abruptly. Now, eerie silence.

Helen’s eyes roamed the kitchen, settling on a table lantern made of metal and wood, heavy with sharp edges. Then she saw that the cooking knife was within reach.

She said, “I’m much closer to that knife than you are.”

The man looked at her strangely.

She said, “I promise I would stab you faster than you would stab me.”

The man showed little outward reaction except he studied the knife, as if assessing the blade. Finally he spoke, and the voice that came out was steady, but there was a roughness to it. “I think you’re misunderstanding,” he said. “Is Wade here?”

“Yes, he is. He’s in the back.”

The man’s eyes were dark, gripping, and Helen felt certain he knew she was lying. She braced for whatever was coming. When the man said nothing and didn’t move, she spoke again. “You know Wade?”

“You must be his wife.”

His familiarity with her circumstances meant nothing. He could have seen them in town together. Maybe he’d seen Wade alone in town tonight and knew it was his chance to catch her out here alone.

“Who are you?” Helen asked.

“I’m Isaac.”

“And how do you know Wade?”

Isaac raised an eyebrow. After a long moment, he said, “I’m his brother.”

She tried, and failed, to keep the surprise from her face. Wade had told her he was an only child.

Isaac chuckled but it had a cheerless sound. “He didn’t tell you about me, did he?”

She hesitated.

“It’s okay. You don’t need to cover for him. Where is he?” Isaac walked to the living room entry and peered in. “Wade?” he called out.

Helen used the opportunity to grab the kitchen knife. When Isaac turned back to her, he went still.

When he eventually spoke, his voice was softer, a tone to soothe wild horses. Or trick them. “I’m sorry. He’s not here, is he?”

So far, Isaac had met every one of her questions with a question of his own. But this was her kitchen, and she was the one holding the knife, so she didn’t answer him.

Finally, Isaac took a few careful steps back toward the front door. He shoved his hands in his front pockets and leaned against the wall, a picture of submission.

Helen knew what to do if she encountered one of the more dangerous wild animals in the woods. With bears, you were to stay calm, stay large, back away slowly, and not make eye contact. With cougars, it was the same protocol except you were to hold eye contact the entire time and talk to it. With men who broke into homes, she wasn’t sure. They behaved without patterns.

The overhead lights in the kitchen flickered.