Fat women are his prey. He goes to the mainland and stalks them. He might kill them on the mainland or bring them back to Eternity to finish off. Then he keeps the clothes as a souvenir, a trophy of his kill.
This thought made her shiver not only because of the implication, but because she hadn't really thought it. It was as if someone else had spoken directly into her mind. It was something from the past she couldn't remember. She waited a moment for anything else to happen, but no other strange thoughts entered her mind, no memories resurfaced. With a sigh she tossed the blouse aside and picked up a pastel green dress that would look gorgeous on Prudence.
As she sorted through the clothes, Samantha began to understand why she had smelled flowers down here. Some of the clothes still had the floral scents of perfume on them, even after all these years. She shivered again as she imagined Pryde coming down here to smell the clothes of his victims so he could relive the experience.
The farther down she went in the piles, the older the clothes became. The skirts became longer and then turned to bulky dresses. She unearthed a gown that seemed to weigh as much as she did from the layers of cotton and lace. The skirt was an inflexible circle at least three feet in diameter-a hoop skirt. She knew these had gone out of fashion long, long ago.
She had to stop her search as her stomach cramped. Samantha put a hand to her stomach and groaned. She hadn't eaten in a long time, but the cramp wasn't from hunger. For that matter her stomach still felt nauseous. She really ought to get out of this awful cellar and go-
Go where? Back to town? She didn't want to go crawling back there. But her supplies were all gone now, scattered across the island thanks to the storm. She couldn't try crossing the sea without food and water. She would just have to sneak back in at night and take something.
Her stomach settled for a few moments, which allowed her to think. Her clothes were still drenched and clinging to her from the storm. Even if these clothes were made for someone much bigger than her, they were at least dry. She ought to find something before she went back to the village.
Samantha's stomach cramped a few more times as she continued her search through the piles. She did her best to ignore the pain, but every now and then she put her head down on the clothes and let out a groan. When she got back to town she would have to take a sip of fountain water, just enough to cure whatever was wrong with her. Or maybe Pryde had left some down here. A few drops and she would be right as rain.