The shadow in the doorway stood still, illuminated by the light behind him. His silhouette loomed, stretching across the floor of the barn in a towering, menacing figure. After a pause, he strode forward with purpose.
"I hope you're quite comfortable, my dear," he spoke in a sickening sweet tone. Cassie felt her skin crawl at the tone of his voice.
"Nice of you to show your face for a change," Grace called out proudly. Her voice sounded thin and ragged, but she thrust it forward to the best of her ability, showing her defiance.
Peabody chuckled. "Always the tough woman, aren't you? Well, you'll be singing a different tune in a couple of hours when your little friends deliver your long-guarded secret into my waiting hands." He allowed himself a heartier laugh at his own jest.
"Your vile little friends' hands, more accurately," Grace needled. "Let's hope they can be trusted to deliver to you as requested."
This brought a sharp end to Peabody's laughter, appearing to touch a nerve, perhaps one he hadn't considered before. "You can try to be clever," he spat back, "but I've known Clark and Johnson for decades, and they're more loyal to me than your precious Lillian."
He was trying to turn Grace's probing sense of doubt back onto her. Lily winced as she heard him speak, poised to hear her cut him down in reply.
Grace ignored the jibe and instead asked "what have you done with Carter's illustrations? They are very fragile, you need to take good care of them."
"They are well cared for," he assured her. "Have you given any further consideration to the proposal I extended to you? There's no reason we can't do this in a more civilized way. I've spent a long portion of my life caring for that old fool, and I'm willing let both of you go and forget all of this if you'll just cooperate."
Lily was wishing that she could actually see Peabody and get a read on his body language. But Peabody had barely come into the barn, and the only way she'd be able to observe him would be to stand up and walk out into the open. So she kept herself quiet, and tried to read his state of mind strictly from his tone of voice.
"I wouldn't besmirch Joe's name to do any such thing," Grace said firmly. "You're an insolent son of a bitch to even suggest comparing yourself to him."
Peabody snarled at the insult, and started forward toward Grace, who quickly continued speaking.
"Keep coming asshole!" She taunted. "I'll break this god-damned chair and wrap it around your skull, you miserable prick!"
Peabody pulled up short with a terrific sigh. He realized that Grace was just taunting him to cause a reaction, and he was letting her manipulate his emotions. Deciding to control himself, and recognizing that she was securely tied to the chair and unable to harm him, he paused to control his outburst.
He stepped forward three more paces, bringing him to a spot about twenty feet in front of Grace, where he could look down on her, and sneered.
"Your gimmicks are touching, but they won't save you," he advised. "In two hours, I'll have your puzzles to go with his drawings, and we'll be on our way back to civilization. Then your time will be up."
Peabody was standing in full view of Lily and Cassie now, as if he'd been posed there. They could see he was average in height and build, with a balding head and thin beard. He was holding a riding crop in his right hand, occasionally slapping it against his left for emphasis.
Grace stared at him for a long second, before bowing her head in defeat. "My time is already up, but I won't cheat Joe's memory for your sake even now." As she lowered her eyes, she turned to her right. Lily froze as they caught and held her own momentarily during the move. Lily lowered herself behind a crate, instantly self-conscious that they could be seen, and might very soon get caught.
