TWO

Terrill was pretty sure the guy had died with the second shot. He didn’t scream or cry out. Just a short grunt and the guy was down. Then Terrill shot him in the head just to be sure. After that, he looked across the roof of the car. Ray had the girl unconscious now.

Lee drove up then in the Nissan Maxima. Ray put the girl in the trunk and shut it down. Terrill moved the guy’s body behind the car so that he couldn’t be seen from the road. His hope was that they were far enough from the house that no one had heard the shots. Terrill got on his knees to roll the guy’s body under the back of the car. You would have to be right up close to the car to notice him. It would give them some time. He got into the Maxima and Lee drove them out of there.

Lee said, “Is it her?”

“No,” Ray said, “we grabbed someone else.”

“I’m just asking.”

“Calm down,” Terrill said. “Both of you. It’s her, Lee. Just keep it under the speed limit.”

“I am.”

Lee Ensler had stolen the car the day before. The plates had been switched. Still, they would switch the car with another one about two miles away. Terrill had taught Lee to steal cars. Prior to meeting Terrill, Lee had never committed a felony in her life. She had been a journalist. Several of her pieces had been about Terrill. Only one had been written after she interviewed him. Then she had gone underground. She was twenty-nine years old.

From the backseat, Terrill reached up and put a hand on her shoulder. “You’re doing fine, babe.”

They came to an intersection and stopped. A car made a right turn in front of them and then they went through.

Lee said, “I finished writing it, Terrill.”

“You did?”

“Yeah. I think it’s good. Maybe you can take a look at it when we get back.”

“All right, Lee. Everything in time.”

“But you said we need to have it ready for tomorrow’s news. We—”

“We will, babe. Everything in time.”