He collected the handset . “ Cell ?”
She shook her head . No . She pressed her lips into a tight line . It was a lie . The cell phone waited in her handbag beside her chintz chair . She edged closer to it slowly to avoid suspicion .
“ Okay , so you take a seat there , and I ’ ll be out of your hair before you know it .” He nodded as she perched on the edge . “ No funny business and nobody gets hurt , ok ?” He put his big hands on either arm of the chair and leaned close to her face . “ Got it ?”
She nodded , inwardly cursing the macular degeneration that impeded an accurate view of his face . Still , she saw enough to recognize a predator . As he rifled through the desk in her study , she crept to the back door . Better to get away than risk the phone . Every arthritic creak made her cringe . Slow , calm progress saw her through and into the back yard . He yelped an acknowledgement of her absence .
She forced her legs forward . “ Help !” Her aged voice didn ’ t carry over the sounds of a busy community . She remembered her younger self and her years of high school track meets . It seemed a lifetime ago , was a lifetime ago . Try as she might to conjure some of that youthful speed , she couldn ’ t outrun him .
He wrapped an arm around her mouth and another around her middle . Although she kicked and whirled her arms to escape , he li ed her from her feet with ease . His fingers painfully imprinted on her delicate skin . Bruises would mark his rough handling .