“Is this the route the traders take?”
“Yes. This is the same area where I first saw the Lost Girl,” Tom said. “This is where I found the first couple of zoms that Lilah killed. I told you they were all similar in size and look.”
“Yeah,” Benny said. “Like she was hunting one person over and over again. Hard to believe that a little girl could do that.”
“What, kill a full-grown man? All it takes is stealth and the right weapons.”
“No,” said Benny. “It’s hard to believe that a little girl could kill anyone. I mean, sure, zoms … but how does a kid get to the point where they want to take a life?”
“Fair question, Ben, but let me ask you one in turn. If Charlie Pink-eye was in front of you, right now this minute, would you want to kill him?”
Benny nodded. “In a heartbeat.”
“You’re sure?”
“After what he did?”
“Even if we get Nix back unharmed?”
“No question about it, Tom.”
Tom studied him for a while before he said, “Couple things about that. I hear you when you say you’d kill Charlie, and for the most part I believe you, but there’s a little hesitation in your voice. If I’d have asked the same question last night, you’d have said yes without the slightest hesitation, because the hurt was immediate. It was right there in your face. But this is hours later. The blood cools, and the more distance you put between the heat of passion and any act of commission makes something like killing much harder to do. When people talk about killing in cold blood, they’re referring to something someone does even after they’ve calmed down and had time to think. If it takes us a month to find Charlie, you might not want him dead at all. You might want to see him put on trial, you might want to see the system work instead of getting blood on your own hands.”
“Okay, okay, I get the idea. You said there was a couple of things. What’s the other?”
“Why do you want Charlie dead?”
“Is that a real question?”
“Sure. I mean, he didn’t physically hurt you. He didn’t kill anyone in your family. He didn’t kill Nix, at least as far as we know. … And I don’t think he has, even now.”
“He …,” Benny began, but faltered. “Because of Mr. Sacchetto and Nix’s mom. Because of what he might be doing to Nix. What kind of question is that?”
“So, you want to kill him for revenge?”
Benny didn’t answer. Apache blew loudly, scaring some robins from the grass.
“Will that bring Rob Sacchetto or Jessie Riley back from the dead? Will it fix Morgie’s head or guarantee that we’ll find Nix safe and unharmed?”
“No, but—”
“So, why do you want Charlie dead? What good will it do?”
“Why do you want him dead?” Benny snapped, frustrated by Tom’s questions.
“We’re not discussing me,” said Tom. “We can, but we’re not right now.”
Benny said, “Charlie’s hurting people that I care about, and last night we agreed that Charlie’s going to come after us. To shut us up or whatever. He knows that we know, and he knows that we’re not going to let it go, even if the court clears him.”
“Right,” said Tom. “Charlie’s smart enough to have figured that out. So … you want to kill him to prevent him from killing you?”
“Us, not just me. But, yeah. That makes sense, man. Doesn’t it?”
“Sadly, yes, it does.”
“Why sadly?”
“Because it’s the way things still seem to be among us humans. Like Leroy Williams said, we never seem to learn.”
“What’s the alternative? Do nothing and let Charlie kill us?”
“No. I’m a pacifist by inclination, but I have my limits. And on top of that I’m not a martyr.”
“So, you intend to kill Charlie?”
Tom’s eyes were black ice. “Yes.”