Der Schädelring: Thriller (German Edition)

on it."
    Julia didn't know if Walter was talking about his late wife or Mabel Covington. "Mrs. Covington?"
    Walter went to the open door without looking at her. "Nothing. The past don't matter none."
    He was going to walk out. He was going to act like nothing had happened. She couldn't let him do that. She didn't want to lose this little bit of whatever feeling stirred inside her chest every time he was around.
    Julia hurried after him, wondering if Mabel Covington was over on her porch, watching and straining her ears for tomorrow's gossip. "Walter, the past does matter. Especially if it hurts."
    Walter turned in the doorway, a sad smile across his face. "No. If it hurts, you forget it. You bury it deep as hell, like you do your favorite childhood pet when it dies. Then you get on your knees and pray, but mostly what you do is wonder why the Lord would do such an awful thing.”
    Julia found herself spouting Dr. Forrest's aphorisms. "No. You have to dig it up, bring it to the surface, acknowledge its power over you. And then you can heal."
    Walter shook his head. "Sounds like the slogans on that New Age crap in that little crystal shop downtown.”
    "You’re religious. What do you think God wants you to do about it?"
    "Keep living. Finding something worth hanging on to, a reason to get out of bed in the morning." Walter finally met her eyes. His gaze was hot, the gray in his irises gone, a bright golden color radiating there. “And hanging on to faith despite it all. If this world fails you, at least you got the next.”
    Julia wondered why his anger hadn't scared her. Unlike Mitchell's, Walter's anger was directed toward something larger, something beyond his reach. If he was a Creep, his belief made him even more threatening, because it touched a larger mystery she couldn’t understand.
    Walter looked out the door to the dark forest. "We were asleep in our tent, up in the woods north of town. I woke up in the middle of the night and she was gone. It was pitch black, the moon was down, there was hardly a star in the sky. I wandered all over the woods looking for her, yelling her name until I was hoarse. It's a wonder I didn't fall off one of those cliffs."
    Tears glistened on Walter's cheeks. He turned away and continued. "When morning came, I drove all over the mountain, calling for help. We looked for a solid week. Never did find any sign of her. It was like she up and walked off the face of the Earth."
    Julia wanted to touch him, to hold his hand, but she hardly knew how to deal with her own emotions, much less comfort someone else. "What do you think happened?"
    After a long pause, in which Julia could hear the cold chirping of crickets outside, Walter said, "I figured she was close by. She left her shoes in the tent. They found some of her footprints the next day. Other footprints were found up there, too, so the trail got confused. The hounds hit on her trail for awhile, but then it disappeared into a creek. Even if she was sleepwalking or something, that cold water should have woken her up."
    "I'm sorry, Walter."
    "It ain't your fault."
    "I know, but—"
    "Forget it," he interrupted. "That was a long time ago. When something bad happens, you can either freeze up like your busted clock yonder, or you can get over it and move on. She’s with the Lord now, so maybe she’s better off anyway."
    Get over it. Was Walter like her, only half alive, part of him having been fatally wounded years ago? Even his Christianity wasn’t enough to fix his damage.
    Julia folded her arms across her chest. "You're not telling me the whole story," she said.
    "There ain't no story," he said. "Hell, most of the people in town think I did away with her. Do you know how it feels to have eyes latched on your back when you walk down the street? Like somebody's always watching from the shadows?"
    Oh, yes. Julia knew what that was like. She was the poster child of panic and paranoia.
    "Sorry to keep you up," he said. "You don't need my problems. You're the one that had a Creep break into her house."
    "Thanks for watching out for me. Helps me sleep better."
    "Got that deadly bat handy?" he asked.
    "I'm ready for anything."
    “I’m praying for you.” He waved goodnight and left. Julia looked at the clock and the baseball cards and hurried after him.
    From the door, Julia called, "If I can ever do anything for you—"
    He was gone, lost in the dark, and she heard the Jeep's ignition fire.
    "Just let me know," she whispered.
    She