“I’ll sleep right here.” He pointed to a pile of hay. He handed Sabre the Maglite. “Shine the light down or say my name if you need me. I don’t sleep too tight.”
“You don’t need this?” Sabre asked, holding the flashlight out in front of her.
“I have another in my pocket.”
They climbed the steps to the loft. Ron said, “You go ahead. I’ll take the first watch.”
“I couldn’t sleep right now,” Sabre responded. “You know what a hard time I have sleeping under good conditions.”
“If you’re sure,” Ron said and threw his pillow and blanket on the hard bed. “Just wake me if you get the least bit sleepy.”
“I will.”
Sabre perched herself on the end of the bed where she had a good view of both windows. She wondered if JP was sound asleep as she sat there staring out the window. Everything was so quiet and still. She stepped up to the window and looked out. A dark figure moved across the vast carpet of snow outside. Startled, she grabbed the flashlight and shined the light down on Tuper, but he wasn’t there. She darted back to the window and realized it was Tuper she had seen. How did he get out without her hearing him leave the barn? Sabre wondered if she had dozed off without realizing it. Some lookout she turned out to be.
Tuper walked slowly around the front of the colony and then onto the road while pointing the flashlight behind bushes and piles of snow. He worked his way back and walked past the barn. Sabre had to move as far as she could to her right in order to keep him in her vision. A small shed was situated to the right of the road. Tuper checked the door, but it was apparently locked. He leaned up against the shed and scooted around it with his rifle ready. For about thirty seconds Sabre couldn’t see him. Then he reappeared from the other side of the shed and walked back to the barn. Sabre was sitting on the top step when he reached the loft.
“Did you hear something? Is that why you went out?”
“Probably just an animal.”
Sabre returned to her post more awake than ever. This time when she looked out, she saw fat flakes of snow falling lightly past the window. They floated gracefully to the ground. Standing there looking out the window made her feel like a little girl looking at a giant snow globe. Mesmerized by the scene, she started to doze. She caught herself and shook her head to stay awake. She needed to get some sleep, but more than that she needed to pee.
She shined the light down on Tuper. He bolted upward. “What is it?”
“Sorry,” she whispered. “I have to use the bathroom. Is there a toilet past those cows, like in the other barn?”
“Yeah.” He lay back down.
“I hated to wake you, but I didn’t want you to shoot me when I walked past.”
“Smart woman,” he grumbled.
Before she came down the steps, she tapped Ron on the shoulder. “It’s your turn. I’m going to the bathroom and then I’d like the bed for a while. I’m getting sleepy.”
Ron rolled out of bed, stood up, clasped his hands in front of him, and stretched his arms toward the ceiling as he yawned. “Just give me a second.”
Sabre stepped back to the window and looked out one more time. Then she descended the steps and walked across the barn to the bathroom, shining the flashlight in front of her to guide the way. The smell of fresh cow manure filled her nostrils as she reached the end of the barn.
Ron stood in front of the window for a few minutes watching the snow fall lightly to the ground. He wondered how this would all end. He was sorry he had involved his sister. It wasn’t fair to her. For a moment he wished they would all go home and let him just deal with whatever happens. His thoughts drifted to Gina. He missed her. It had been fun having a relationship again after so many years. Perhaps that’s what blinded him to who she really was. He thought he knew her so well, but it seems he didn’t know her at all. Could she be a psycho killer? He didn’t really think so.
It was dark in the loft except for the dim light that streamed in from the moonlight and his eyes hadn’t quite adjusted. He stepped to the side and bumped the bed.
“You okay, Brown?” Tuper asked.
Ron was startled when Tuper spoke. He turned toward the steps. “I’m f….”
Crack! A deafening noise reverberated through the air. Sabre had closed the bathroom door behind her on her way out and started past the cows. She had just reached the stall with the fresh manure and held her breath. Then she heard the sound of breaking glass. Sabre screamed and flashed her light toward the loft. Ron was lying on the floor and hanging over the loft’s opening at the top of the steps.
She ran toward him as Tuper darted in front of her and out the door.
“Ron!” Sabre yelled as she ran, keeping the light on him and hoping to see him move. She caught her foot on a milking stool and tumbled to the floor. The flashlight flew out of her hand as she slid into the stall and came to a stop.
“Sabre,” Ron called.
She picked herself up and saw Ron walking toward her. In the dim light his figure was faint—almost ghostly.”
“Are you okay?” Ron asked. He picked up the flashlight and shined it on her.
“I…I’m fine. Are you…? Did you get shot?”
“No, they missed,” Ron said. “Where’s Tuper?”
“He ran outside.” Sabre started for the door, but Ron pulled her back just as they heard another gunshot echoing in the still night air. Ron threw Sabre to the floor, covering her body with his own.
“Listen,” Ron whispered. The sound of a small engine purred in the distance, getting softer with every second until it was gone. “Did you hear that?”
“It sounds like a vehicle of some kind,” Sabre said. She tapped on Ron’s shoulder and he got up. Sabre stood and moved toward the door.
“Where are you going?”
“Tuper may need our help.”
“How are you going to help him? They have guns. They’re shooting at us.”
They heard the sound of doors opening and closing throughout the colony. The patter of footsteps crunching in the snow and chattering voices started to fill the quiet night. “I think everyone is awake now,” Sabre said and slowly opened the barn door and looked out. Men were running toward the road from all directions. Sabre couldn’t see Tuper for the twenty or so bodies blocking her view. She shot out the door with Ron on her heels. They weaved through the crowd yelling for their friend, Tuper.
Chapter 44
When Sabre reached the edge of the road she saw several men around Tuper, who was lying on the ground. “Don’t try to move,” she heard one man say.
She pushed her way through and shined the flashlight on him. Her mind flashed to Gillich who was found in a pool of blood in the snow. She expected to see the same thing, but there was no blood that she could see. Another man dropped to the ground behind Tuper, lifted his upper torso, and scooted under him in order to brace his back and head. Tuper’s face was strained. His lips were tight as if he were clenching his teeth. His scar seemed to be more prominent under the light from the flashlight. Sabre ran the light down to his feet where two men were kneeling down, but all she could see was that one man was holding his leg still. Then Tuper jerked backwards and yelled, “Ahh….”
“What is it?” Sabre asked.
“I’m alright,” Tuper said. “Caught my foot in a blasted rabbit trap.” Tuper tried to push himself up. The man behind him stood, pulling Tuper up with him. Tuper placed his weight on his good foot. One man stood on each side of him and walked him toward the nearest apartment.
“Dang! He got away,” Tuper said.
“Did you see him?” Ron asked.
“Not at all. Drove away on a snowmobile. Heard it go and I fired one shot, but I’m sure I didn’t hit him. Just saw the taillight when it left.”
When they reached the apartment, a tall and slender man with a long beard and who looked a lot like Jacob opened the door. He sighed and shook his head from side to side. “Willkommen, Brǖderlein,” he said, wrapping
his arm around him and helping him the rest of the way into the room.
“Danke, Peter,” Tuper said.
Peter said something in German to the other men who were still outside and they walked away. Ron closed the door while Peter led Tuper to a chair, helped him sit down, and pulled off his boot. Peter wrinkled his nose. “Ew…,” he said, followed by a string of other guttural words as he held up Tuper’s threadbare, dirty sock with only two fingers. They both laughed and then Peter examined his bruised, bloody foot. Sabre wondered if Peter spoke English until he said in a heavy accent, “I don’t think it’s broken.”
Tuper nodded toward Sabre and Ron who were still standing. “These are my friends, Ron and Sabre.”
“Welcome,” Peter said. “Please sit down.”
Peter and Tuper conversed for several minutes in German. Peter’s tone sounded harsh and Sabre was pretty certain he was scolding Tuper, but Tuper responded in his usual soft, quiet voice. Peter threw his right hand up in the air and made another accusatory statement in German just as his wife, Magdelena, walked into the room. He introduced her and then spoke to her in their native language. She left and returned shortly with a small tub of hot water, a towel, an elastic bandage, and one clean sock.
Tuper soaked his foot in the water while he explained to Peter a concise version of recent events. Most of Peter’s responses were in German so Sabre and Ron had difficulty following the conversation.
Peter wrapped Tuper’s foot in the elastic bandage. Tuper put on the clean sock and restored his boot. “I’m sorry to bring this to your family,” Tuper said.
“Unsere familie,” Peter said.
“We’ll be leaving now.”
“In the morning is good.”
“Thank you. We’ll stay in the barn. I don’t think they’ll return, but we can keep an eye out.”
“You get some rest. I’ll put a couple of men to watch.”
Tuper limped alongside Sabre and Ron as they walked back to the barn. Ron offered to help him, but he refused. As soon as they were inside Ron said, “I’m calling Nicholas Mendoza tomorrow and I’m turning myself in. I’m not endangering any more lives.”
“No,” Sabre said, taking hold of his arm.
“Yes, I am. You could have been killed tonight. If you hadn’t gone to the bathroom you would’ve been in front of that window. I’m not risking your life any longer.”
“Let’s get some sleep. We can talk about this in the morning.”
The door to the barn opened and they all swung around. Tuper’s rifle flew up from his side. A Hutterite man about twenty-five years old came in carrying some blankets and pillows. “Sorry to disturb you,” he said.
Tuper lowered his rifle. “Thank you.”
“Goodnight,” the man said and walked out.
“There’s nothing to talk about,” Ron said. “If WITSEC can’t protect me, then I’ll take my chances on my own. I should never have called you in the first place. I thought it would keep you safe, but it has only put you in more danger.”
“Please, let’s leave it alone for tonight,” Sabre said.
They walked toward the loft. Ron climbed up the steps and tossed their belongings down to Sabre and then came back down. “Brr…, it’s cold up there with the window out.”
“There’s plenty of hay to sleep on down here,” Tuper said and made his way back to where he had been lying previously.
“Want me to help you get your boot off?” Ron offered.
“Nope. Afraid if I take it off, I won’t be able to get it back on in the morning.”
“Shouldn’t one of us keep watch?” Ron asked.
“I don’t think they’ll be back tonight. Besides, the boys will keep a good eye out.”
“Everyone seems to know you pretty well in both of these colonies,” Sabre said, hoping to get a little insight.
“Yup,” Tuper said.
They each took a blanket and a pillow. Ron laid the blanket down a few feet from Tuper. Sabre parked a few feet closer to the wall. Ron handed Sabre the blanket he had brought with him from his place in Hayden. “Here, take this. It’ll keep you a little warmer.”
Sabre knew there was no point in arguing with him. She remembered once when they were little and went camping. She was so cold when she went to bed. When she woke up in the morning she found Ron’s sleeping bag covering her. He was dressed and out fishing. Of course, when he came back he stuck a slimy frog down the back of her shirt. She longed for those days.
Before Sabre lay down she said, “Tuper, when you were telling us earlier about the shooter, you said he got away. Are you sure it was a man?”
“No idea. Didn’t actually see him or her. I just barely saw the snowmobile as it drove away. Coulda been a woman.”
“You think it might have been Gina?” Ron asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe,” Sabre said.
Chapter 45
Before the sun came up, people entered the barn to milk the cows and do other chores. Sabre sat up, keeping the blanket wrapped around her so she wouldn’t get cold. Ron was still asleep, but Tuper was gone. She was surprised she hadn’t heard him hobble out. She stood up and stretched. She had muscle kinks where she didn’t know she had muscles. She picked up one blanket and spread it across Ron and then added a second one over it. She was amazed at what he could sleep through; the noise level was rising with more workers coming into the barn.
Sabre put on her coat and walked outside. Tuper’s car was still there. She crossed the snow-covered square. The fresh smell of baking bread led her right to the kitchen, although she would have found it anyway since it was in the very same location as the one at the other colony. Her intent was to help if they would let her, although she was unsure if the women at this colony would be as welcoming to a Welt Leut as the others had been. After all, they didn’t know who she was or anything about her.
As soon as she stepped inside a woman approached her. “You must be Sabre,” she said. “I’m Elizabeth T. The men are eating now, but I can get you something if you’re too hungry to wait.”
“That’s very kind, but I’d just like to help. I can dish up plates or I can serve if you need an extra hand.”
She smiled. “Of course.” She nodded toward the tables. “If you want to start serving at the third table on the right, that would be good.” Sabre picked up three plates; each contained two fried eggs, a chunk of cheese, and a freshly baked bun. A memory came back of her waitress days at Denny’s when she was attending college. She was nearly fired the first day when she spilled hot coffee on a cop. Fortunately for her, the cop was young and cute and used the incident to flirt with her. That saved her job.
Tuper and Peter were sitting together at the table. “Good morning,” she said as she set the food down in front of them.
Peter nodded and said, “Thank you.”
“How’s your foot this morning, Tuper?”
“I’ll live.” He motioned with his head to the crutches leaning against the table. “Peter sent me a little help this morning. I guess he didn’t want me to miss breakfast.”
“Good,” she said and went back for more plates. She was once again impressed with the kindness of these people, not only toward each other, but especially toward Tuper. She wondered how he fit into their lives. She was pretty sure there was more to the story than Tuper was telling. Actually, Tuper wasn’t telling anything, so there had to be more.
Sabre continued to serve until the men were gone and the women came in to eat. She got her food and sat down and ate with the women. Then she took a big plate of food to Ron.
“Good morning, sunshine,” Ron said, as she stood over him looking down at his sweet face.
She handed him the food. “I thought you might be hungry.” She sat down on the blanket next to him as he sat up.
“I am. Thanks.”
“I don’t know how you can eat so much and still stay so slim.”
“It’s not as easy as it used to be, but as long as I stay active I
don’t have too much trouble with weight.”
“What do you do to keep active?” Sabre asked.
“I climb Mount Kilimanjaro three times a day.” He rolled his eyes at her. “Sabre, enough with the small talk. Let’s get to what you really want to know. I haven’t changed my mind. I’m going to turn myself in to WITSEC either with or without your help. I know I can outrun you and now that Tuper has a bad foot I’m sure I can outrun him. Since JP isn’t here, I think I’m good.”
Sabre tried to smile, but his attempt at humor didn’t make her feel any better. She had thought about it most of the night. The last thing she wanted was for Ron to sneak off. It was way too risky with the killer still out there. “Okay,” she said.
“Okay? Just like that?”
“It wasn’t just like that,” Sabre said. “I was awake half the night thinking about it.”
“Of course you were.”
She smacked him on his bicep. He set his plate down and wrapped his arm around her. “It’s going to be alright, Sis.”
“I just missed you so much. I was starting to believe I would have you back again.” Lying her head on his shoulder, the tears began rolling quietly down her cheeks.
They sat there for a few minutes in silence. Finally Ron said, “JP will take good care of you. You have to let him in, though.”
Sabre raised her head and cocked it to one side. “What do you mean?”
“You and JP. You make a great couple.”
“Why would you think we’re a couple?”
“Geez, Sabre, a blind man could see that. I’ve seen the way you two look at each other and wonder why you’re keeping it such a secret. It’s obvious you’re both smitten.”
Sabre laughed. “It’s not really a secret.” She explained to Ron how they had worked together for the past couple of years but that they never actually had a date. She couldn’t keep from smiling as she related the story.
“Well, you’re not getting any younger, Sis, and your biological clock is ticking too. I’d like to be an uncle someday, you know.”
The smile left Sabre’s face at that remark. She wondered if she would ever be a mother and if she were, would Ron ever know his niece or nephew. To be an aunt was something she had always dreamed of, but she doubted if she would ever get that chance. She took a deep breath. “I had better let you finish eating. I’ll go see if Tuper will take us where you need to go.”
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