Chapter 22. “Put that watering can down.”

“P ut that watering can down.”

Elizabeth glanced up from her garden, startled by the sound of a deep, booming voice. Then she broke into a laugh. It was only Frank, teasing her.

“It has not rained all week,” she protested. “My flowers are thirsty.” She straightened her straw bonnet and continued watering the garden.

Frank stepped closer to her. “All right, water them,” he teased. “I will go for a walk in the woods by myself.”

She pouted. “I am almost finished. There.” She set the watering can down. “Let me come with you. I would not want you to get lost.”

She took off her sunbonnet and left it on the grass. Her hair was tied back with a red satin ribbon. Frank took her hand and they started off through the woods.

Every day, when the weather was fair, Frank and Elizabeth walked through the woods to the clearing with the two flat rocks. Elizabeth looked forward to their walks more and more. No one else in the family knew about them.

I am not keeping our walks a secret, exactly, Elizabeth thought. I just have not mentioned them.

Elizabeth knew that her mother would want to come on the walks—but that would ruin them. They would not be the same with her mother—not at all.

Anyway, Frank has never done anything improper, she thought. I have no reason to worry.

Now they had reached the clearing. Elizabeth sat down on her rock, the smaller one. But instead of sitting on his rock, Frank lingered behind her.

Elizabeth felt a gentle tug on her hair, and then felt it fall loose about her shoulders. She sighed. Frank had untied the ribbon from her hair.

She leaned back against him. Frank playfully draped the red ribbon across her throat. She giggled. He tugged on it lightly. She giggled again.

Then Elizabeth sat still, quivering with excitement, waiting to see what would happen next.

Behind her, just out of her sight, Frank held the two ends of the ribbon in his hands.

He wound each end around his index fingers.

Elizabeth sat in front of him, trusting her fate to him, completely in his power.

He smiled.

Then he tugged on the ribbon, preparing to strangle her.

Дата добавления: 2015-07-20