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They pulled Penny carefully from the front seat and Emory carried her back to the highway as tenderly as he carried his baby daughter.

They saw sparks flying from a live wire that suddenly leaped toward them, coiling and uncoiling wildly. The wire suddenly snapped at Claus, nearly got his leg before he jumped back. They watched the wire finally settle into the snow, sparks still leaping out of the end of it.

Dix said, “Everyone okay?”

“Just shook up a bit, Sheriff,” Emory said as he leaned over Penny, checking her pupils. “But Penny, her head’s still bleeding and she’s unconscious. I don’t like how she looks at all.”

Claus cocked his head. “I hear sirens. We’ll have help real soon.” He looked at the flaming truck. “Nope, it sure don’t look good for the bad guys.”

CHAPTER 9

MADONNA WATCHED THE sheriff hug his boys against him. They had been terrified for him, but they were boys and they were trying as hard as they could not to show it. They were silent, but they clutched their father so hard he must have had trouble breathing. She knew they weren’t talking because they were afraid if they did, they’d cry. As for her, she felt helpless, useless as a eunuch on his wedding night, and hated it.

Dix spoke quietly to his sons, telling them he was very proud of them, and he thanked them for watching over Madonna, which made her smile for a moment.

Finally, Rob pulled away. He stared up at his father. “There’s blood on your face.”

“It’s not mine, don’t worry.”

“You scared the shit out of us!” Rob drew back his fist and slammed it against his father’s arm.

“Don’t cuss,” Dix said automatically. He rubbed his arm, grinned down at his boy. “Not bad. You’re going to lay me flat in a couple of years. You guys give Madonna any grief?”

“Nah,” Rafer said, taking a bit longer than his older brother to pull himself together. “She made cocoa and we told her the story about old man Steeter’s house, how he used to steal little kids and hold them prisoner. She said she couldn’t tell us any stories because she doesn’t remember any.”

Dix raised his eyebrows. “That story would certainly make her feel better tonight, made her wish she’d made up a story for you.”

Rob said, “Madonna wants to see the house, see if there are any secret passageways.”

Dix said to her, “Old Mr. Steeter died some ten years ago, left his big old Victorian house to a nephew who never came to claim it, lots of legalities preventing anyone from buying it and fixing it up. The kids around here make a big deal out of it.”

Madonna said, “It would be fun to explore if you swear no kid-ghosts would come out after us. You want a cup of cocoa, Sheriff?”

“That’d be great.” Dix stripped off his coat and gloves, excused himself to wash the blood off his face in the downstairs bathroom. When he came into the kitchen, he sprawled down in one of the kitchen chairs, Rob and Rafe closed in beside him.

“You’re going to tell us all about it, Dad?”

“Did you get those guys who shot at Madonna? Where’d the blood come from?”

“It was pretty hairy, Rafe. We had a car chase on the interstate. Penny must have hit their gas tank because their truck blew up. The bad guys didn’t make it. That was Deputy Penny’s blood on my face. She took a head wound, she’s in the hospital, resting comfortably. She’s going to be all right. The fire department is bringing in the remains of the truck.”

He’d given the boys enough to satisfy their blood lust, Madonna thought, but not enough to make it too real for them. But still, even those bare facts were terrifying.

“Did those guys get burned up?” Rafe asked.

“Yes, Rafe, they did.” Blown up and burned up, Dix thought, can’t get more gone than that.

Rob said, “Did Penny have to get stitches in her head?”

“Yeah, about ten, all set real pretty by Dr. Oliphant.” Dix shook his head at Rafe, who looked disappointed, then yawned real big.

Dix said, “It’s going to be light in a couple of hours. Let’s see if we can’t get some sleep, okay?”

“Rob and I could stay up all night