Page 11 (2/2)

"I didn&039;t say you were"

"I didn&039;t mean it like that" Moore shook his head, ran a hand over his face "I was never superstitious; I never believed in any of the stories about ju wasinside the U-boat, and I felt I felt"

"What?"

"I felt hatred," Moore said, "I felt the presence of hatred and evil inside there Maybes hated us, Kip And they wanted to rip us to pieces"

"I didn&039;t see anything but old corpses inside the boat," Kip said brusquely "If you think there was anything else, you&039;rethe eyes An echo that sounded like soases did to our senses - amplified noises and made shadows into, well, into whatever you think you saw"

"Then where the hell is your lantern?" Moore asked hi; the da in on me, and I suppose I dropped it"

"You suppose?" Moore asked incredulously, a wave of anger and e within him "YOU SUPPOSE?"

"Keep your voice down!" Kip cautioned

"Godda beside you! I couldn&039;t say for certain what it was, but"

Kip suddenly reached over and grasped his friend&039;s sleeve, his gaze hardening "Okay," he said in a low, controlled voice "Now you listen to me These people are a superstitious, fearful breed, David Tell theet it, and they&039;ll be carrying da themselves behind their doors"

"Maybe they should," Moore insisted, unwilling to give any ground "There&039;s so terrible about what&039;s inside it, Kip You know that as well as I do"

Kip looked at him uneasily for a moment He lay so hoet some sleep I hope you&039;ll do the saently "There&039;s been tooto have it towed out to deep water and have the hull cut open You&039;ve got your Nazi trinket, and I&039;ve got a h"

"I hope to God you can get rid of it that easily," Moore said in a hollow tone

Kip turned away and vanished in the crowd as healone

As the constable wound his way through the clustered tables he passed the group of poker players, and one of theerly, eyes widened and voice lowered Kip strained to hear, seeing the taut expressions on the faces of the others "it that godda "Me, I afraid to even go down there and see it I doan want nothin&039; to" He looked up suddenly into Kip&039;s face, as did the otheraround the table

The lanced across to the dealer "Two fuckin&039; cards," he said

Kipcircles of sht And as he walked along the street to his jeep he caught the fetid odor of rot, a stench hanging in the air, blown across the island in the grip of the evening&039;s breeze He knehat it was: the decay froh the cracks and holes like a disease to infect all of Coquina

He reached the jeep, slid behind the wheel, and paused before starting the engine He could lie to David Moore; he could lie to all of them, perhaps, as part of his responsibility as peacekeeper of Coquina But he could never lie to hi unspeakable in its evil, down in the guts of that U-boat

The wafting coils of rot ca at his throat He started the engine, put it in gear, and drove through the darkness toward home