15
"Jesus fucking Christ!" Bartelli said.
Susan was sobbing. She stood half turned away from him, trying
ineffectually to shield her nakedness from his eyes. He appeared to be stunned
by the sight of her bound, exposed body. it was several moments before he could
even move to shut the door behind him. He did it without taking his eyes from
her.
"Please..." Susan sobbed. "My hands...untie me...please..."
Bartelli stayed rooted to the spot. "What the hell..." he rasped
finally. "What the hell happened?"
"They--they raped me!" Susan gasped desperately. "They... they came in
and--and raped me, and they left me like this! Oh god, untie me..."
Still the man did not move. His eyes, never leaving her body, slowly
narrowed. "Raped you, huh?"
"Yes! Oh, please..."
"How'd they get in, Mrs. Garson?"
"W-what?..."
"How'd they get in?" Bartelli repeated. "Door's not busted. The lock's
not forced. How'd they get in?"
"Well...they--they came...they..."
For the first time his eyes left her to look around the room. "Don't
look like much of a struggle," he said. "Everything nice and neat." He saw her
skirt on the floor where she had dropped it, and moved to pick it up. Then he
picked up her panties. He examined both garments with interest, then dropped
them again. "Clothes ain't torn," he said.
"For god's sake!..."
Bartelli peered into the bedroom, seeing her blouse and brassiere lying
neatly on the bed. He turned back to her with a look in his eyes that made her
start to tremble.
"Well now," he said slowly. "I guess what we oughta do, Mrs. Garson, we
oughta notify your husband about this."
Her head snapped up, her eyes wide with fear. "No!" she cried loudly.
Then she bit her lip.
Bartelli's mouth twisted into what might have been the beginning of a
grin.
"No?" he said. "Not tell your husband? About how you been raped and all?
You don't mean that, Mrs. G arson."
She couldn't look at him any more. She shook her head helplessly, her
eyes on the floor. "No," she choked. "Please... don't tell him...don't...please
don't..."
"Well..." Bartelli said, and then, very slowly, he began to walk across
the room toward her. "Well, okay, Mrs. Garson. If you say so. I won't tell him.
I won't tell anybody. It'll be like a secret between us, right?" He stopped
directly in front of her. She did not look up. "You sure are a pretty girl, Mrs.
Garson," he said.
Fresh tears flowed from her eyes. "Oh, god..." she sobbed, but she did
not move as he reached out to put his hand over her breast.
