When he got to the hospital, Anton opened the door and walked in and found Sophia was still asleep. He should have known. He went over and sat down on the bed and took hold of her hand. Her heartbeat was slow, but normal.

"You're back." Came the voice of Elena.

Anton turned his head and looked over and saw her standing in the doorway. "I told you I would be back in an hour", he said.

"How did it go with Annaliese? Did she say anything?"

Anton looked at the child again and said, "Of course she did."

Elena waited for him to speak again, but he didn't. "And?"

"I didn't tell her anything", Anton answered.

Elena lowered her eyes and nodded her head. She walked in and went over to the window. She folded her arms across her chest and stood there for a while. "I don't suppose you heard what happened this morning, did you?"

Anton looked over at her and asked, "I beg your pardon?"

Elena looked at him and motioned with her head for him to come over to her.

Anton stood up and went over to join her by the window.

Elena turned to him and said in a low voice, "Apparently, Hartman was fired this morning. Somebody went to the head director yesterday and complained to him about a case of sexual harassment. Martin told me it was anonymous, but I already knew that was bullshit. Now, Anton, I want you to look me dead in the eye and tell me the truth. Did Mary try to come onto you?"

Anton stood there for a minute, sharing almost the exact same contempt that Elena was feeling for her ex-coworker. "You know something about her", he said. It wasn't a question.

"Yes, but this is not the time or the place to talk about it", Elena whispered. "Give me half an hour and I'll discuss everything with you on my lunch break."

With that said, Elena turned around and walked out of the room. Anton stood there for some time and then looked at Sophia. If Elena needed to discuss an adult issue with him, especially about Hartman, she did not want to do it in front of her child. He understood. It didn't matter to her if she was in a coma and probably couldn't hear them. Elena needed to talk to him alone.

They went to a café across the street and sat in a private booth where no one could hear them. They ordered coffee and two sandwiches. Elena continued from where she left off.

"I should have known something like this was going to happen again one day. It was only a matter of time."

"You've known about this all along. Why didn't you mention anything about it before?"

"You never asked", said Elena. "I told you once there was an incident that came up at medical school that I didn't want to talk about. And Mary was part of that incident."

"You mean she started it", said Anton.

"I never said that."

"You didn't have to."

Elena looked into her coffee cup and saw her reflection staring back at her in the rich black liquid.

"What was it that she did to you?" Anton asked her.

Elena looked at him again and said, "It's not what she did to me. It's what she did to herself. You see, after high school, Mary, Martin, and I all decided to go to the same college together. At the time, I was studying to become a doctor and get my medical degree. The classes were easy for me to follow, but the teacher I had made me feel very uncomfortable. His name was Professor Williams. He seemed nice at first, but then he started to get creepy by flirting with the some of the female students. Mary was his favorite, of course. Like a moth drawn to a flame, she fell for him. I don't know what it was about him that she found attractive, but maybe growing up without a father had something to do with it. One day, he asked Mary to stay behind after class. Martin forgot his medical book and went back to the classroom to go get it. He walked in and he caught them having sex on top of the desk. Professor Williams threatened to expel him if he told anybody. When he came back, I noticed he was acting weird and asked him what was going on. Martin told me what happened and we went to the dean. He fired Professor Williams and we never saw or heard from him again."

"How is it a woman of her immaturity was still allowed to perform in the field of medicine?" Asked Anton.

"That's the sad part", said Elena. "Despite performing sexual favors for a teacher and being suspended for two weeks, she was still allowed to graduate with the rest of us and get a job as a physician. If you ask me, I think it's messed up. The whole schooling system is so fucked up, I almost don't want Sophia to go anymore. I don't care if she has to work at Big Kahuna Burger for a living. I'd rather have her be honest than brainwashed."

"Why not just place her into a nunnery?"

"And have her miss out on having a normal childhood? No, thank you." Elena finished the last of her sandwich and told him, "Anyway, what really surprised me about Hartman was you."

"What do you mean?"

"I kind of knew she liked you the moment she gave you that stupid schoolgirl look. The first time she saw you, I thought she was gonna ravage you where you stood."

"If she did, I would have socked her in the jaw."

"No, you wouldn't."

"It doesn't matter what I would have done", said Anton. "If the black wolf ever needed to attack anybody, I would throw her right in his path." He picked up his cup and drank his coffee and turned his head right and looked out the window.

Elena thought about what he just said and asked him, "Wait. What did you just say?"

Anton shook his head and set his cup down and told her, "Nothing. It was part of a dream that happened long ago."

Elena did not believe him, though she was curious about something. She leaned forward and asked him, "Was it a black wolf with yellow eyes?"

Anton looked at Elena, his interest suddenly turned over to her. "You've seen him?"

"I had a dream about him just the other night", Elena answered.

"What did you see?"

Elena almost did not want to tell him, thinking it was unimportant. She hesitated for a moment and said, "Well...I was standing on a beach, looking out at the water...And for some reason, I was naked..."

The non-expressive look of stoicism remained on Anton's face. "Go on", he encouraged.

"I heard this growling sound and turned to see what it was. And there was this black wolf that came out of the bushes. I thought he was going to attack and kill me, but then this lion came out of nowhere and killed him instead. The lion looked at me and I just stared back at him. He came up to me and I knelt down to his level and..."

Again, Anton did not say a word or change his expression. He listened to whatever she had to speak that had been on her mind for quite some time. Before, he could not stand small talk. By now, he was used to it.

Thinking it was stupid, Elena shook her head and said, "Look, it was just a dream. It doesn't mean any-"

"I know what your dream means", said Anton. "The black wolf is a symbol of the one you fear most. You know who I speak of. The fact that you were naked means you feel unprotected, knowing that he is still out there. The lion in your dream is obviously me. As long as you remain with me, you feel safe."

Elena stared at him and went silent. Her mouth half-open, she had a mortified look on her face.

"You think I am wrong?" Anton asked her.

Elena shook her head and told him, "No, I...I believe you. It's just that...I forgot all about Andrew." Her voice sounded small. "I've been so worried about Sophia, I just put him in the back of my mind."

A waitress came by and brought them the check. Anton looked at it and then returned his gaze to Elena. He placed his right hand over her left and told her, "There's nothing for you to be afraid of. I promised Sophia I never let him hurt you again. He tried to kill you twice and almost succeeded. That I cannot allow. When the police apprehend the monster, I will kill him. I advise you not to stop me."

"I won't", said Elena.

Anton grabbed the check and stood up and went to the counter to pay for it. While he waited for the person behind the register to ring it up, he couldn't help but wonder about the dark and disturbing past of Marilyn Hartman. The disgraceful act she had brought onto herself, revealing to him what he already knew to be true. She was a woman without shame. Devious and uncaring. Everything she was, Elena was not. The two women had been friends once, but not anymore.

It was half past two in the morning. Cold and silent. The woman of the house lied in her bed, sleeping peacefully. Anton Chigurh, on the other hand, was wide awake. He thought about what Elena had told him earlier about Andrew Pittman. He was still out there somewhere, lurking in some undisclosed location. Anton did not think he would stop until he found Elena, and this worried him. He contemplated about the situation. He turned his head left and looked at Elena. Even in her sleep, she looked every bit as beautiful. An ethereal being trapped in a world of torment. Anton got out of bed and dressed himself in the dark and turned and knelt and opened the top drawer. He took the gun out and looked at it. He looked at Elena, but she did not awaken. He stood and walked out of the bedroom and went down the hall and into the living room. He went into the kitchen and set the gun on the counter and opened the fridge and took out a carton of milk. He drank and stood there, looking over toward the window. He drank again and put the carton back in the fridge. He picked up the gun again and walked out.

Anton went into the living room and stood in the middle of the room, thinking. He turned and walked over toward the window, taking a peak behind the curtain. The station wagon was parked out in front, snow on the windshield. He went over to the door and opened it and walked out. He stood on the porch for a minute and then walked off to search around the house for any sign of impending danger or malicious threat.

When he came back into the house, Anton shut the door and stuck the gun into his belt and pulled his shirt over it. He went over and turned on the television, keeping the sound down. He switched the channel to the news and turned and walked over and sat down on the couch. He expected to hear some information about the escaped madman, but nothing came of it. Just the usual. Three minutes later, his face etched with tiredness, he fell asleep.

The morning arrived when he woke up again. The room was dimly-lit. Anton blinked a few times and sat up straight. His eyes looked to the television and found the news was broadcasting a murder. A rough sketch of a middle-aged man with long, shaggy hair and a mustache over his scowl appeared on the screen, as the newsman announced the name of the murder victim. A photograph of a white-haired old woman appeared. She looked to be in her sixties.

"He killed Mary's mother", said a female voice.

Anton turned to his right and found Elena sitting next to him. She looked sick to her stomach. Her face was pale and her eyes were filled with fear. She looked at Anton and told him, "He kidnapped Mary and he killed her mother."

They both looked at the television again and listened to the rest of the newscast. An interviewer turned to Annaliese Erikson, who informed him that she had called the police about the murder-kidnapping.

"My husband and I were just sitting down to have breakfast, when all of a sudden we heard this gunshot coming from across the street. I called the police and I saw him drag her out of the house."

Anton picked up the remote and turned the television off and set the remote down and stood up.

Elena looked at him and asked, "What are you doing?"

"We need to go over there and see what it going on", Anton answered.