Fool's Bluff

by Lee Gregg

  * * *

  Sam shivered as the helicopter lifted her, Lorne and her dog from the ground.

  “Why would you go out alone like that, in the middle of one of the worst storms we’ve ever had?” Lorne yelled over the sound of the helicopter. From the way he had blurted it out, Sam could tell that he had been thinking about it for some time, that he had been waiting to understand.

  She had intended on keeping her disastrous mistake a secret from everyone, but after one look at Lorne’s face, she knew she couldn’t lie to him. She knew that he never left base on callouts, that he had made an exception because she had been the one who had made the distress call, that the look of concern in his eyes came from a place deep within his heart. He looked so skinny and frail with his red-rimmed eyes, hollowed cheeks and wispy white hair whipping around under his helmet. One lie, even the smallest, whitest, most insignificant of lies would break his heart. And she could never do that to him.

  “I’m sorry, Lorne. I know it was stupid. Everything I touch turns into a disaster. It was my fault he went missing.” Sam broke eye contact and swallowed hard, trying to push her stomach back as it crept up her throat. “I didn’t finish the barrier install.”

  “What are you talking about, Sam?” His eyes were wide with confusion.

  “When you called to ask me to sub for Ryder. I got distracted. I had to check it this morning and…it’s the reason Ben got lost.”

  “Sam! Ben was kidnapped! You thought that…But you’re not…Look around down there.” Lorne pointed to the ground below them. “Some of those trees are hundreds of years old and look at what the storm did to them. Toppled and tossed around like toothpicks standing in fresh powder. Look down over there. The whole barrier is gone. And over there too. You expect some little sticks and ropes to survive this weather? And besides that, there were no avalanches! The hazard area is only dangerous when there’s an avalanche. You’re not thinking straight, Sam.”

  Sam surveyed the mountain below. He was right. It was a complete mess.

  Lorne pinched Sam’s chin between his thumb and forefinger, turning her head to face him. He studied her face for a beat before he continued, his voice much softer now, “You okay, Sam? You don’t look so good. Y’know…I’m sorry. This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have asked you to sub for.…”

  Sam watched Lorne’s Adam’s apple move up and down rapidly, his lips quivering. He looked suddenly so full of sorrow that she felt a pang in her chest, as though a tiny crack had formed in her heart.

  “You said you weren’t up for volunteering this year,” Lorne continued. “Everything is all my fault. I’m the one who made the mistakes.”

  “No, Lorne. I haven’t been sleeping well the past couple of nights, but I’m fine. I wouldn’t have volunteered if I couldn’t do it. This wasn’t your fault, I’m the one who screwed up. I’m always screwing up. I’m so sorry. Our camp was so close to the bluff and he just disappeared.”

  “Sam, search and rescue is not a solitary effort. I know the past few months have been rough for you. Maybe you remember how I was when Joyce passed. But you’ve got to start letting people back in. If you had just talked to me….”

  Sam nodded. Lorne may have been right about Ben, but he didn’t know about everything. He didn’t know what had happened with her mom. That truth would have to wait for another time.

  “Fifteen down, Fiona,” Lorne instructed. “Five down. Four, three, two, one. We’re on the ground, Fee. Down, down.” Sam and Lorne unclipped from the line and she checked over her dog. From the corner of her eye, she spotted a figure approaching her.

  “Dad!” Sam sprang up and gave him a hug.

  “What were you thinking, Sam? What were you doing?” Dan held Sam at arm’s length, looking her over and checking her for injuries.

  She was about to respond when she felt a firm grip on her wrist.

  “I’m sorry, Dan, we’ve got to cut in,” Chief Constable Joe said.

  “Sir, can you just give us a minute?” Dan asked.

  “We’ve had thirty-six calls in the past hour, Dan. More than we’ve had this past month. We need to get this straightened out immediately.” He turned to Sam and said, “You need to come with me for a little chat at the station.”

  “Well, at least let me take her in, sir. We can slip out the side here and avoid the crowd.”

  “Uhh…no. You know what? Sorry, Dan. Normally that wouldn’t be a problem, but we can’t have people say we’re giving you and your daughter special treatment just because you’re on the force. There are a lot of eyeballs on us right now. I think that the best thing we can do is to show everyone how unspecial we’re treating her. Maybe even make a bit of show of it.” Chief Constable Joe slapped handcuffs on Sam.

  “Sir! Is that really necessary?”

  “You’ll thank me later, Dan. When people praise the force for being clearly incorruptible.”

  Sam blinked at her dad. “Dad, my dog—” She didn’t get to finish before the Chief paraded her through the most crowded areas of the community center and walked her out the front entrance, through the parking lot and into the police cruiser parked next to the side entrance. Flashes of light from cameras followed them the whole way, as did Dan, holding Sam’s backpack in one hand and the dog’s leash in the other.

  “Get in, Dan. You can ride with us to the station if you want.”

  “Give me a minute, sir,” Dan said, walking to another parking spot. He locked the dog and the backpacks in his SUV and climbed into the backseat of the cruiser beside Sam.

  As they drove away, above the muted chatter from the crowd, Sam heard the sound of desperate barks coming from the backseat of her dad’s car.

  18

  Chief Constable Joe uncuffed Sam and closed the door to Interview Room A. “Now listen, Dan,” he started, his left palm aimed at the Shepherds, like he was directing traffic and trying not to get run over. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your visit with your Aunt Marjorie, I know you haven’t got much time left with her. I only called because that Cunningham kid from the Times wouldn’t stop asking about you and Samantha for his story. But don’t you worry about a thing. We just need to ask a few questions and this whole thing’ll blow over.”

  Sam watched his eyes dart back and forth between her and her dad, his hand still raised. After a few seconds, she saw the lines in his forehead disappear and his hand fall to his side, seemingly satisfied with the silence or maybe relieved that he wasn’t going to get hit.

  “Now, do you guys want anything to eat or drink?” he asked with a warm smile, like he’d invited them over for tea. Sam shook her head while her dad politely declined. The Chief opened the door and swung half his body out. “Maureen! Could you run over and fetch my order from Smoked for me? Thanks a bunch.” He closed the door again and as he sat down at the table across from Sam and Dan, he opened his notebook and flipped through it until he found a blank page. “Now, tell me what happened, young lady,” he said, readying his pen.

  Sam started to explain her work on the barrier, but the Chief stopped her.

  “I’m sorry, this is from two days ago? Can we just skip to the events of the night? When you noticed Benjamin Black missing and all that?”

  Sam started again but was interrupted by a knock at the door. Maureen dropped a large bag of food and a can of pop on the table.

  “Ooh wee! I’m starving! This smells delicious. Dan, have a rib, they’re amazing.” He ripped the bag open and bit into a sandwich.

  “No thanks, sir.”

  “You wan fum?” A tiny piece of beef brisket flew out of the Chief’s mouth and landed in front of Sam.

  “No, thank you, sir,” she said, copying her dad.

  “Go ahead, Samantha. Keep talking.” He opened the soda, leaned back and guzzled half the can, his throat bulging and constricting with every loud gulp.

  Sam continued but stopped mid-sentence when Chief Constable Joe let out a long belch. She resumed after he prompted her again, “Keep goin
g. I’m listening.”

  Sam was describing her search with Drew and Penelope when the Chief burped loudly again and wiped his hands on some napkins, shredding them to bits as the thin paper clung to his sticky fingers.

  “For crying out loud,” he said, rising from his chair. “Lemme go wash my hands, I’ll be right back.”

  Dan waited until the Chief left the room before turning to Sam. “You had to pick the smelliest dog in the village?” She tried to smile, but she looked at her lap instead. She knew her dad was trying to lighten up the situation and make it less intimidating, but she was still trying to process everything that had happened.

  “Dan.” Chief Constable Joe poked his head through the doorway. “The boy is awake and talking to Carl at the clinic, so I need to head over right away. I think we’re done here, anyway. Come with me for a sec, will you? Maureen needs you to fill in some form or something before you leave.”

  As her dad left the room, Sam looked at the notebook the Chief had left on the table. He hadn’t written down a single word.

  * * *

  “Do you want something to eat, Wes? There’s a vending machine by the washrooms,” Drew whispered, standing up from the chairs beside Ben’s bed where he and Wesley had been planted since Ben had arrived at the Glacier Village Medical Clinic.

  “Sure. Can you get me a couple of packs of salt and vinegar chips, maybe some chocolates, Cheezies and some licorice. If there are sours, get some of those too and a root beer. You got change? I’ve got a twenty.”

  “Thanks, I think I saw a machine out there,” Drew said, taking Wesley’s bill.

  As Drew left Ben’s room, Constable Carl Monahan entered.

  Drew found the change machine and received more coins than he could fit into his pockets. He used some of the quarters to buy Wesley’s snacks and then chose a bag of pretzels for himself. As he walked back to Ben’s room, a bag started to slip from his arms, so he raised his elbow, trying to save it. Two other bags fell in the other direction and Drew grabbed for them, dropping a handful of coins that clinked and rang when they hit the floor.

  He glanced around him. Smooth move, McConnell, he thought, happy that there were no witnesses. He bent down to collect the coins and snacks, realizing that most of the change had rolled under the nurse’s desk. He had just scooted around to the other side when he heard a deep voice.

  “The Black kid said he didn’t see or hear anything. Said they put a balaclava over his head so he couldn’t see and headphones with music over his ears so he couldn’t hear. Couldn’t give details on anything except that he had fallen and broken his leg and was abandoned in a cave.”

  “Is that so, Carl. Hmm. Works for me,” a second voice said.

  Drew popped his head above the desk and saw Chief Constable Joe and another officer walking away.

  * * *

  Lorne was sweeping up shards of glass next to Dan’s SUV when Constable Betty Alexander pulled up alongside him to drop off Dan and Sam.

  “Sunny’s getting the shop vac for the bits inside,” Lorne said.

  “Anything stolen?” Betty asked, surveying Dan’s damaged SUV.

  Sam opened the back door. Her dog was resting on top of the two backpacks, like they were pillows. He looked monstrous, but he whimpered when he saw her. She pulled out some water and food for him while her dad and Betty discussed filing reports, and seeking witnesses, and dusting for prints and checking security cameras.

  “Sam,” a voice behind her called out. Sunny had dropped the shop vac halfway between the community center and the car and was running towards her with her arms held wide. She embraced Sam tightly. “I am so glad you are okay. What with Ryder…and when the Chief…I do not understand why the Chief treated you like that. You saved that boy’s life. And what they are writing in the Times. It is unbelievable.”

  “Ryder?” Sam looked over Sunny’s shoulder and saw her dad shaking his head. Not now, he was signaling. “The Times? What are they writing?”

  Sunny took out her phone and showed Sam the latest article. There was a large photo of Sam in handcuffs in front of Chief Constable Joe with the caption “Person of Interest in Ben Black Kidnapping Caught.” Sam read the article while Sunny continued speaking.

  “The whole rescue team is going to call the Times to complain about its reporting. We have a plan. We are going to start calling advertisers to see if we can put pressure on them that way, too. Also, I emailed my cousin in Vancouver. He is a lawyer. Maybe we can sue them for defamation or libel or something. Shut them down. It is such a rag. Are you okay, Sam? You have not said a word. What are you thinking?”

  Sam thought about being taken away in handcuffs, about Chief Constable Joe’s blank notebook, about the rock and shattered glass sitting in the front seat of her dad’s car, about Ben alone in that cave suffering from hypothermia with a broken leg, about her conversation with Lorne under the helicopter, and about a thousand other things that had happened in the last two days. Then, only one thing came into her mind. “They picked the wrong girl to mess with.”

  19

  “Let’s talk more tomorrow, okay, Sam? I’ll be home after five. I’ll get sushi from Kenji’s.”

  Sam nodded absently as she felt the weight of everything her dad had just told her. He had talked to her about Ryder, about how he wasn’t just another volunteer, about how he had been so incredibly selfless, about how he had also been so incredibly reckless and about how his decisions affected everyone around him.

  But it wasn’t just what her dad had said, it was his tone that made his words feel sharp and painful. He had spoken softly, gently, and because of all the tender looks he had paused to give her, slowly. It was how he hadn’t even mentioned her name, what she’d done wrong, or how she should know better, yet still let her know that everything he was saying applied to her. How he had expressed disappointment, not anger, or annoyance, or impatience. Each word felt like a stab to her chest, cutting her down until she felt two centimeters tall.

  Sam looked out the car window, watching large snowflakes fall at a diagonal while the windshield wipers thumped back and forth, clearing everything in their path. One blade must have had a bit of dirt on it, as a streak of water had formed an arc where it failed. But even though it wasn’t perfect, it did its job. It cleaned enough so she could see, enough for them to drive on. Sam thought about her path forward, what she would do as soon as she got home. First a shower, then her dog needed his medicated bath and finally, an early night’s sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a big day.

  * * *

  In the darkness, the muffled sound of a ring tone grew louder. Sam struggled to wake up. She was so tired and her eyelids were so heavy. Slowly, she gathered the strength to open them and the light of morning replaced the darkness. The candid photo on her bedside table gradually came into focus. It was a picture of her mom watching her take her first steps. Elaine Shepherd had a loving smile on her face as she sat on the floor, one hand outstretched behind a tiny, teetering Sam. Sam remembered wondering as a young child whether Mom’s supportive hand was there because she was ready to help her if she stumbled, or if she had just given her a little push to propel her forward.

  The ring of her phone was now full volume and she groaned as she reached to silence it. Her voice was hoarse. “Hello?”

  “Ooh, sorry girlfriend, you’re still sleeping. Do you want to call me back later?” Penelope asked.

  “Mmmm. No. We need to talk.”

  “I know. You saw the new article in the Times?”

  “Yeah, yesterday,” Sam said quietly despite feeling a spark of anger as she thought about the stories she had read on Sunny’s phone.

  “Yesterday? Oh, then no, you haven’t. There’s a new one that came out this morning and you are not going to...Well, maybe I should start by telling you about the article Mrs. B published online in the Pique this morning. There’s a split photo of a helicopter flying in the air with Black Mountain in the background and you can see a person and a stre
tcher hanging off of a long rope underneath it. And then the other picture is of Ben on that stretcher being loaded into the transport van to go to the medical clinic. It says, ‘Saved Just in Time: The Story of How One Search and Rescue Volunteer Risked Everything to Save Ben Black’s Life.’ Mrs. B interviewed everyone: Lorne, Sunny, Fiona, me, Drew, Cara and Wade. And the article mentions Ryder and how treacherous the conditions were. It’s amazing what happened and that Ben is still alive. And it’s pretty clear from the interviews and everything that you saved Ben’s life.”

  “Okay, but you said the Times published a new article too?” Sam couldn’t hide the hint of anxiety in her voice.

  “Mmm, yeah. So the Times just has quotes from public statements Chief Constable Joe has made. Their headline is, ‘Person of Interest Released Due to Lack of Evidence’ and there is a split photo of you in cuffs getting into a police cruiser with your dad and dog behind you, and then one of you and your dad coming out of the police station. You were blinking and talking I think, because the picture they got of you is...well, let’s just say that it’s not very flattering. The top comment someone wrote under the story is, ‘That face says it all. Is she crying? Innocent heroes don’t usually look so upset if they’ve saved someone’s life. She looks guilty AF.’ I mean, seriously, where do these trolls come from?”

  Sam sat up in bed, her heart thumping against her chest. “Can you meet me at one? South end of the Ice Bridge?” She was wide awake now.

  * * *

  Tiny snowflakes fell from the sky, hugging the village with a calm, peaceful quiet. Sam walked along the creek that flowed under the Ice Bridge where it forked from the main path, passing boulders along its banks that were covered in thick layers of pure white snow, like tall French chef hats.