“Just look at it,” I said, my voice crooning. “Try and figure out what it is. Listen to my voice. You trust my voice. You know me. I’m your fr...end. Trustworthy.”“Trustworthy...” said Rita. “You’re our friend.”“Friend,” Holly said as my finger twisted the amulet. “Trust ... worthy...”“I’m here to teach you how to discipline your daughters,” I said. “Aren’t you tired of how they act?”Holly’s head nodded.Rita’s forehead furrowed. Her head shook minutely. She disagreed. I’d educate her.“Your. It was a chilled summer night in a valley of wine country. The horizons were blocked by large green mountains on each side, and above their ridges every twinkling constellation in the sky could be viewed. I took a look around, a few deep breaths of fresh air, then opened the side doors and climbed in to the back seats, where I squatted down next to Christine. She was fully conscious by then, yet surprisingly mellow. Frightened, no doubt, though she wasn't struggling as much as you'd. . __________________________________ ‘Madeleine, Miss Townsend, I’m Dr Payson. You awake?’ Madeleine shook herself awake, tried to focus on the woman floating above her, but she felt foggy and on fire. She nodded at the woman. ‘Madeleine, the antibiotics and anti-venoms haven’t done the trick. Gangrene is setting in. We’re going to have to operate on your leg. I don’t think we’ll have to amputate, but we’ll probably have to take some tissue. Do you understand what I’m saying, Madeleine?’ ‘Yes,. There was no hair on them, but they were up against the hair on her outer lips. The question was: how was I gonna shave the outer lips without cuttin' the inner lips? It looked like the best way was fer me ta grab an outer lip an' pull it taut with my left hand while I held the razor in my right hand. That worked better than I expected on the right side, but I couldn't find a way ta make it work on the left side.Then I had an inspiration. I had Kitty ta lie down on the bench an' stepped over.