by Lee Gregg
Cara ignored Drew’s question and clasped Sam’s arm. “You should go to the Pique with this story.”
Sam stayed silent for a beat as she considered Cara’s suggestion. “It is a good story and it would be so satisfying to be able to tell everyone what really happened.” She looked at Cara’s eager face, but the image of Wesley’s face when she had found him bleeding on the mountain that day flashed through her mind. She could still see the shock in his eyes and the tear on his meaty cheek, round and smooth with baby fat. He was still so young. “But, should we go public with it? I’m not sure. What Wesley did was so wrong and if he had gotten his way and killed Trax, I would be tempted to kill him myself. But he’s only thirteen. And public scrutiny is harsh, I mean, hello. I know a little bit about that. I’m just worried that if this blows up, it could totally destroy him. If we can resolve this quietly, maybe that’s the best way to go. The most important thing is that Trax is safe. We don’t really have to expose Wesley in public to achieve that.”
“But he’s a total psychopath in the making.” Cara’s eyes grew wider.
“He could be. And maybe sharing this story will keep him in check. But if he’s not one yet, getting hated on and publicly shamed will definitely turn him into one. And we’ll always have this video as proof if we need it for whatever reason,” Sam said.
“Everyone needs to know exactly who he is. People have to be able to protect themselves and their pets from him. Going public might be the only way to stop him from causing further harm to others,” Cara said.
“I think the kid just got carried away. He’s got a temper and can get into his own head a bit, but he’s not that bad,” Drew said. “Did you see his eyes when he sticks his face into my camera in my video when we go up the mountain with the rifle? He was totally high from the pain meds. That’s probably why he was so crazy that day.”
“Who really knows what goes through Wesley’s head or what he’s capable of or what one big push would do to him,” Penelope said, looking up from her phone. “I mean, a nudge in any direction could turn him into a saint or a monster. But, in my opinion, that boy has too many nuts in his noodle. We should probably give this a think.”
“Exactly, P-lo. The kid has been through a lot in his life already, do we really want, or need, to pile on? I mean, as Sam said, Wes is only thirteen,” Drew said.
“Oh my goodness. You guys need to see this.” Penelope turned her phone around to share her screen. “So, Wesley’s video has everything that went down at the vet clinic, where he got busted with the rifle by Mrs. B. That’s all public knowledge. But watch what happened afterwards. Poor Ben. Wesley really laid into him.”
The video played while everyone watched in silence.
“Wow. ‘The world would be a better place if you weren’t around at all.’ That’s pretty harsh,” Cara said.
“That’s just brother stuff. I’m sure he didn’t mean anything by it,” Drew said.
Brother stuff. That sounded familiar, Sam thought. The words triggered the memory of her dad saying “that’s what brothers do” and the despondent look on his face when he revealed his secret about his family’s neglect and brother’s abuse. Not everything that happens between brothers is normal, meaningless, or inconsequential, she thought. Sometimes the things that happen between brothers cause profound, invisible scars that change lives forever.
“He says that and his brother goes missing the next night? Some coincidence,” said Penelope.
“Wes lured Ben away in the middle of the night, hiked him halfway around the mountain, hiked back and fell asleep before Sam noticed? C’mon. That doesn’t even make sense,” Drew said. “Am I the only one who heard how hard Wes was sucking air while we were hiking? I thought he was going to puke, like, five or six times that day.”
“Oh really, Drew? How many times have you suggested that Sam was working with an accomplice?” Penelope asked. “But there’s no way Wesley could be responsible for doing the very thing he’s caught on camera saying he wishes would happen? That he wouldn’t find someone to conspire with to do it?”
“Alright, alright. Let’s work through this then. Who exactly would Wesley conspire with? You want to blame me?” Drew asked, his voice growing impatient.
“No Drew, not you. Him,” Penelope said as she held up her phone.
“Mack?” Drew smirked and raised one eyebrow at Penelope. “You’re way off on that, P-lo. He’s the head of security for the Blacks. It’s his job to keep Ben safe.”
“Just listen to what he says here,” Penelope argued, sharing her phone screen with the group. “Riiiiight here. He says, ‘If he won the lottery.’ He wants the money, Wesley wants his brother gone. Whoever took Ben left him to die on that mountain alone.”
“Whoa,” Drew said after the exchange between Mack, Wesley and Ben ended.
“One thing doesn’t fit though,” Sam said. “If Mack got the money from the kidnapping, why is he still here? I saw him today at the Black estate.”
“Well, that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Maybe he didn’t bolt right away to avoid suspicion,” Penelope suggested.
“Whoa,” Drew repeated, shaking his head. “I just can’t believe Wes would do this.”
“So, are you adding him to the Persons of Interest list on your site now, Drew?” Penelope asked.
“I don’t know. I mean, this is crazy. And big. But crazy.” Drew was still shaking his head. “The truth always has a way of coming out, doesn’t it?”
“Let’s think on all of this guys,” Sam said. “It’s a lot to digest. We have to be careful and make sure we get the facts straight before we put anyone else on blast. What happened to Steve and Aiden really wasn’t fair. Listen, do you guys want to meet back at my place for pizza tonight? We can talk about this more and watch Penelope’s footage from the meet with Cara’s seller on my TV. I want to visit Animal Control before they close.”
“I’ll come with you, mama.”
“Sounds good, Pips.”
“Yeah, I’m in for pizza later. I gotta go check on Ben. I really hope he’s okay now. His phone’s still off, but he must be feeling better. I can’t believe I missed him at the funeral today,” Drew said, looking out the window.
“Cara, do you want to come?” Sam asked, hoping Cara would join her. She had noticed that Cara had been alarmingly quiet for a while and that she now had a strange look on her face that Sam couldn’t read.
“No thanks. There are a few things I need to do first, but I’ll meet you guys for dinner later, for sure,” Cara said before rushing out of the cafe.
Sam was struck by a feeling of dread as she watched her mysterious friend sprint off alone.
* * *
“Hey Dan,” Carl called from the entrance.
“Carl.” Dan nodded and returned to his desk, hunching over some files that had been open all day.
“Did you find it?” Carl asked as he sat on the corner of Dan’s desk.
“Sorry?” Dan spun his ring around his finger.
“What you were looking for when I left.”
“Oh, yeah, right. Losing my mind. Must have left them at home.”
Carl shook his head and smiled. “Old age will do that to you. You best teach me all you know before you lose it all.”
“Sounds like a plan, Carl.” Dan inspected the paperwork in front of him, trying to send a hint to Carl to leave. It didn’t work.
“Been in town at all?”
Dan looked up and smiled. “Nope. Why?”
“Village is crawling with folks here for Ryder’s funeral. Pretty vocal group. Got sweaters on saying ‘Shackle Shepherd.’”
Dan’s smile disappeared. “What are you talking about?”
“Went to three hotels with that lost tourist who came in earlier. Every hotel had tons of people crawling around wearing white sweaters with #JusticeForRyder, #ShackleShepherd and #JusticeForBen on them. Overheard some of them talking about some kind of demonstration or march tonight. They’re holding a
vigil at the community center. They looked pretty fired up.”
“We might want to step up police presence then.”
“Think there could be violence?”
“You never know, Carl. It’s an emotional time. People can be unpredictable when they’re upset.”
“You might want to keep an eye on your kid then. Seems their anger is pretty targeted.”
“I’ll tell her to stay at home. We should talk with the Chief, but I think we’ll all need to put in an extra shift tonight.”
“I’d expect so.”
“Thanks for letting me know, Carl. I’ll give Sam a call right now.”
“Sure thing.” Carl stood up, but he didn’t walk away. Instead, he crossed his arms at his chest and asked, “So, what were you doing in the Chief’s office?”
* * *
“I’ve been going to the Glacier Village Animal Shelter so much lately that I feel like it’s a second home, but, like, the worst home ever. Walk in with a problem, wait forever to get my concerns addressed, get told I’m too young to understand how things work and to just do as I’m told,” Penelope said after they had left the facility and were approaching Sam’s house.
“This was their chance to show us that they’re legit. How could anyone stand there, watch Wesley’s own video showing him hitting and kicking Trax, then falling and causing his own injury, and still say that there’s nothing they can do about the warrant to seize Trax and the order to have him destroyed? They refused to even look at the text from Dr. Chow confirming that Trax didn’t attack him and cause his broken arm,” Sam said. “Maybe Drew was right. That’s how things work around here. The Blacks do own this town.”
“If that’s the case, what’s stopping Wesley from pointing a finger at William and Harry and accusing them of causing harmful allergies from the ridiculous amount of hair that they shed every day? They could be next. That’s not right, Sam. We can’t let things work like that.”
“I was thinking the exact same thing,” Sam said as she opened her front door. “Ethel is in my room, by the way. She got a little beaten up after the meet and I was scared I’d lose parts and get made. I tried to lay everything out carefully.”
“Ooh. I’d better run this stuff home now before Mum finds out. Good you took Ethel off before anything bad happened. Otherwise, you’d probably be investigating my death next. FYI, don’t mess with my mum’s stuff. Okay, see you back here in a bit.”
Sam watched Penelope leave and quickly picked up her phone. Since the moment she had left the cafe, she had been itching to get away from her friend. She didn’t want to involve Penelope in what she was about to do.
38
There was a smile on Carl’s face, but his eyes looked hard and serious. Dan scanned for the little vein in his temple, hoping to see it pumping blood more quickly than it should, but he could barely see the thin blue line on the constable’s face. Carl wasn’t bluffing.
“Yeah, I was hoping you didn’t see that, Carl.”
“Why’s that?”
Dan let out a quiet laugh. “It’s a little embarrassing. I found a hole in my pocket a few days ago. Lost my lucky toonie.”
Wrinkles appeared in Carl’s forehead. Were they a sign of polite engagement? Or skepticism or disbelief?
“Elaine gave it to me. It’s one of those glow in the dark coins with the Northern Lights. She got it from the mint for me and kissed it for luck. It still has her lipstick on it.”
“Find it?”
“Yeah. Under the Chief’s desk. Can you believe it?” Dan stood up, pulled the coin from his pocket and stared down at the faint, dark red marks. His heartbeat jumped and then raced to make up for the lost beats, just as it had done sometimes when he had caught an unexpected glimpse of Elaine around town. He couldn’t believe that just looking at the coin made him feel this way. Even in death, she made his heart sing.
“Better stitch up that hole,” Carl said with a nod. Dan returned the nod, pocketed his toonie and got back to work, relieved that Carl seemed to have bought his story. Dan glanced up at the tiny security camera in the corner. Now he just had to hope that nobody would find cause to review the video.
* * *
Sam opened her front door to find Cara standing on the other side.
“Cara! I tried calling you a few times,” Sam said, giving her a hug.
“Thanks, I’m okay.”
“Did you—”
“I…I don’t know what I was thinking. I wanted to talk to him about what you told me, about getting help. I guess he wasn’t ready to hear it or maybe I didn’t say things the right way. I don’t know. I just didn’t want to leave things the way they were. And then…I guess I wanted some closure. Or maybe some big apology. It got heated again and I…I just ran.”
“So—”
“We’re done. I don’t know why I thought I could help him. Even when I didn’t know why, everything was always my fault. Like, he wouldn’t get so angry if I didn’t do something to make him mad. And, if anyone had to change, if anyone needed help, it would be me.” Cara shook her head. “But Wade is the only one who ever took care of me, looked out for me, even a little bit. I do owe him for that. He’s not completely horrible. Maybe I just bring out the worst in him. It’ll be better for him — for us both — if we’re apart. And now that I know about the Garden, I have somewhere else I can stay.”
“Where are your parents?”
Cara shook her head without offering any explanation.
“You can stay here. As long as you like,” Sam said. She gave her friend another hug and squeezed a little tighter when she heard Cara let out a tiny sob.
“Hello ladies.” Drew walked through the open door with a wide smile on his face.
Cara wiped her eyes and made a quick exit to the bathroom while Sam looked up to see Ben hobbling on crutches behind Drew.
“Ben,” Sam said in surprise.
“Drew asked me to join in. Is it okay, Sam?”
“Yeah, of course. Come in.” She gestured to the living room.
“I’ll bet none of you have ever had a pizza with clams on it before,” Penelope said, walking in the door with two pizza boxes.
“Why would we?” Drew asked.
“Oh young Andrew, you have no clue how much life is going to change after tonight,” Penelope replied.
“Wes loves clams too,” Ben said.
Furtive glances were exchanged around the room and an awkward hush fell over the group while they ate dinner.
“I have to say, the clams are pretty good,” Drew said with a smile. “I guess I won’t hate you if you make me eat that last piece.”
“Make you? I’ll take the last slice after I finish this one,” Penelope said, taking a big bite of her pizza.
“Oh.” Drew picked up the last slice and licked the top. “I’m sorry, P-lo. My bad. I’m guessing you won’t want this piece now.”
Penelope grabbed the mug beside Drew and licked the rim. “Well, I hope you enjoy your drink too, Drew!”
“Thanks, P-lo!” Drew picked up a glass on the table in front of him and took a sip. “This is mine. That ‘World’s Best Dad’ mug was there when I got here.”
Everyone laughed except Penelope, who was now wiping her tongue with a napkin and looking at the dog bed she had given Sam, which was also next to Drew.
Drew took another sip of water and stuffed the rest of the pizza in his mouth. “Yo, you know what would be perfect right now? A Nanaimo bar from Glacier Surge for dessert. They were bringing out a fresh batch just as we were leaving earlier.”
“I’d be up for that,” Penelope said.
“I thought we were supposed to—” Cara looked around the room at everyone. Her eyes stopped at Ben and then jumped to the empty pizza boxes in front of her.
Drew’s eyes flashed larger as a warning to the others. “I don’t think we should do this now, guys. Ben has been pretty down about everything. I mean, this is his first time out since—”
“I’m right
here, Drew. What’s going on?” Ben looked at everyone in the group. Silence. He asked again, “What?”
Drew hesitated, but then he pulled out his phone. “Alright, brother. You know I made this site for you, right?”
“Yeah, Drew, about that. I don’t really want—”
“Whoa! Alright. Someone here went rogue,” Drew interrupted. He glanced around the room. His comment was met with looks of confusion, so he continued, “Glacier Village has a new resident as of today, apparently. The ‘Angel of Karma’ just blasted a clip from Wesley’s livestream and the details of how he lied to get an innocent dog named Trax destroyed. Linked it to our site with a promise to reveal more hard evidence soon about #JusticeForBen.”
Penelope, Drew, Cara and Sam exchanged wordless wide-eyed protestations of shock and innocence.
“First the seller gets tipped off and now this. What’s going on?” Drew said.
“Could someone have overheard us at Glacier Surge?” Penelope asked.
Drew shrugged a shoulder. “I don’t know. Anything’s possible. Did you guys notice anyone hanging around us?”
Everyone shook their heads, except Ben, who was watching with confusion clearly expressed on his face.
“There are those spy listening devices where you just point some handheld satellite-looking thing and you can hear through walls, windows, whatever,” suggested Drew. “We were sitting at the window table the whole time, maybe it was someone sitting outside.”
“That’s crazy. Do you think there are people like that in Glacier Village?” Penelope asked.
“Yeah. There are,” Ben said quietly, which elicited a “whoa” from Drew.
“Do you guys still want to go get dessert?” Penelope asked.
A few minutes of quiet contemplation followed Penelope’s question before Drew took a deep breath. “Alright, you know what? Whatever. I’m not going to let this spoil my life. I’m not doing anything wrong and, at the end of the day, the truth came out. Wesley’s video has been online for a week now. Did you see how many likes and views it has? We’re not even the first to see it. Maybe the Angel of Karma is someone from Animal Control. You guys did show them the video today, right?” Drew asked.