by Matt Rogers
CHAPTER 15
‘Absolutely fucking not,’ Billy said, standing on the other side of the same familiar back room. An empty paper plate sat on the table in front of King, previously piled high with chicken cacciatore. He’d graciously accepted the offer of leftovers and wolfed the meal down without hesitation. It had been necessary after the afternoon hike.
The trek back to Jameson had taken hours longer than he’d anticipated. Not long after heading into the forest he’d considered doubling back to the police station. The endless rows of pine trees had begun to induce claustrophobia, to the point where he thought he would never make it out of the forest. Sticking to the main roads would have been a better option, even if it ran the risk of discovery by the police, or a group of furious bikers, or whoever the hell else wanted him dead. That number seemed to be increasing exponentially with each passing day. King wondered how many enemies he would have by the time he left Jameson.
If he could leave.
‘Billy, I need your car,’ he repeated. ‘And I might need to keep it this time.’
‘It’s all I’ve got, man.’
‘I know.’
‘Like, I appreciate everything you did for me. For all of us. But I can’t.’
‘And normally I would just accept that and move on.’
‘Normally?’
‘There’s something going on in this town. I don’t know exactly what, but people are dying.’
‘Dying?’ Billy said. ‘The hell are you talking about?’
King pondered for a second. Could he trust this man? He took one look at the post office owner, scared out of his mind, desperately seeking answers. He could.
‘I didn’t tell you this when we first met, but I saw something on the way into town last night.’
‘What?’
‘A couple of construction workers. They were shot.’
Billy’s jaw visibly loosened. ‘This is Jameson. Nothing goes on here.’
‘Something is. And the more I think about it the more worried I get.’
‘What if you take my car and end up getting killed? I’ll never get it back.’
‘That would end up a little worse for me than losing your car would be for you.’
‘I know, but…’
‘If I make it through this alive, I’ll return it.’
‘Why don’t you just leave?’
King cocked his head. ‘Leave?’
Billy waved an arm in the air, gesturing to his surroundings. ‘This town. Whatever’s going on. It has nothing to do with you. You live off the grid anyway. Just keep walking. Forget you ever saw anything.’
‘I can’t do that.’
‘Why not?’
‘I just can’t. It’s hard to explain.’
‘You take it upon yourself to help people. It’s not your responsibility.’
King snatched a set of keys off the table between them. ‘I know it’s not. But I’m still doing it.’
‘What exactly are you doing with my car?’
‘I really can’t say.’
‘Why?’
‘You wouldn’t approve.’
Billy nodded, refusing to probe any further. King figured the man was taking effort to distance himself from the situation. The less he knew, the better.
‘Alright, King,’ Billy said. ‘I’m only doing this because of what you did for me.’
‘I know.’
‘Will I see you again?’
‘Maybe. Depends what I find out.’
Billy crossed the room and outstretched a palm. Despite his best efforts to appear calm, his hand trembled ever so slightly. King looked at the man and knew he was confused. Terrified, even. He lived a simplistic, uneventful life that had been upended by King’s arrival.
‘I’m sorry, Billy,’ he said.
‘Sorry?’
‘Maybe if I hadn’t shown up, none of this would have happened. I’m sorry I involved you. I’m sorry you got wrapped up in all this. I’ll do my absolute best to fix this situation, but right now I have no idea what I’m walking into. It could be anything. So I can’t promise that I’ll be back with your car.’
Billy shrugged. ‘It’s just a car. You’re risking a lot more than I am.’
‘It’s your future.’
‘Yeah, and I might die if you don’t work out what’s happening. So go right ahead. It was dumb of me to complain.’
King reached out and shook Billy’s hand. ‘Thank you.’
‘You’re the one who needs thanking.’
King paused. ‘Actually, I need one more thing.’
Billy looked at him. ‘And that is?’
‘You have video footage of the two men picking up the package, right?’
Billy nodded. ‘You want a copy?’
‘Please.’
He sat down at the desktop computer, looking relieved. King guessed Billy had been expecting a greater favour than a video. Especially after giving away his only vehicle. He slotted a USB drive into the computer and navigated through an array of folders on-screen. Once he found the file he was looking for he dragged it across. Ten seconds later, he handed the stick over. King tucked it into his back pocket.
‘I hope that helps,’ Billy said. ‘Good luck with everything, buddy.’
‘I think I’ll need it this time,’ King said.
He pocketed the car keys and headed for the entrance. He passed Billy’s daughter manning the register, sporting the same dismal expression. Like working at a post office was the worst job imaginable.
‘When will you be back next?’ she quipped as he moved past. ‘Seems like you live here now.’
‘Maybe never,’ King said. ‘You keep up that charming smile of yours in the meantime.’
He left her to scoff at the remark and exited the building. By now it was late afternoon. The walk from the police station had carved out a sizeable chunk of the day. The buzz of wildlife from the surrounding forest reached a crescendo as the sun dipped steadily toward the horizon. Judging by its position, it would not set for at least another hour. Plenty of time to carry out what he needed to do.
It wouldn’t be easy. Kate would be alert, probably still rattled by the altercation earlier that day. She thought King was someone he wasn’t, and that would create fear. Fear would lend her crucial speed. King got in Billy’s sedan and fired it up. It started with a familiar rattle. He checked the gas tank. Still more than half full. It wouldn’t need refilling for a few days, and by then he planned to be miles away from Jameson.
He pulled out onto the main road, wary that his profile had been raised. He was almost certain that the bikers had high-tailed it out of the area, but if they had decided to stick around they would be looking for him. Determined to end him for causing them trouble. Sure, they were incapacitated, but a confrontation would cause quite the scene. Something he was striving to avoid.
On top of that, he would be priority number one on Kitchener and Dawes’ to-do list. He hadn’t deliberately shut them off, but he’d spent almost his entire career operating outside of anyone’s jurisdiction.
He wasn’t about to change that.
He pulled out of the parking lot and kept a reasonable pace as he drove out of town. Passers-by glanced at him intermittently. Perhaps wondering what a massive stranger was doing driving the post office guy’s car around. It was irritating, but none seemed to let their gaze linger. None seemed to have ulterior motives.
Soon the buildings grew further apart and the woods wrapped around the road once again. It had taken him just over twenty minutes to walk from the post office to Kate’s street earlier that day, which meant it only took a couple by car. He swung the wheel when he saw the gravel path branching off to the left. The sedan’s suspension vibrated as it rolled over the new surface. The uneven ground distracted him for just a second.
He jolted when he looked up and saw Kate’s car rolling toward his from the other end of the street.
‘What the—’
He quickly realised i
t was a coincidence. She stared straight ahead from behind the wheel, not focused on anything other than the road. Even from a distance he noticed her vice-like hold on the wheel, knuckles white. Her face seemed paler than usual. There was something on her mind. It had lowered her spatial awareness. She didn’t notice him.
He had to act.
They would pass each other by within seconds. For a moment he considered swerving into her path. Then he dismissed it. A head-on collision carried with it the likelihood of serious injury. He had no intention of bringing her any harm. He just wanted answers. Such a reckless manoeuvre was unnecessary.
What he wanted to do would take precision. King took a deep breath and focused. He waited until the old Subaru had almost passed him by, then spun the wheel. The nose of his sedan crushed into her rear bumper. A horrid grating sound emanated from the impact point. The noise of metal scraping against metal. His car came to a halt just behind the Subaru, which also screeched to a stop as Kate slammed on the brakes.
He knew she would be more frustrated than scared. From her perspective, some idiot had just accidentally run into her. King opened his door and darted out of the car, pulling the Beretta he’d acquired in the police station out of his belt. The safety was on.
She wouldn’t know that.
‘Oh my god, you fucking—,’ Kate began as she fumbled out of the driver’s seat. In the midst of her tirade, she locked eyes with King and noticed the pistol aimed in her direction. Recognition spread across her face. She shut up instantly.
‘Hey, Kate,’ King said.
‘Shit.’
‘Long time no see.’
‘You escaped custody?’
‘I was never in custody.’
‘What do you want from me?’
‘You won’t believe me, but I’m not with whoever made you deliver the package.’
‘Oh, I believe you. I worked that out after the cops took you away.’
‘You did?’
‘You were genuinely confused when I said you were working for them. So I take it you’re not.’
‘I’m not working with anyone.’
‘Then why are you pointing a gun at me?’
‘I need to make sure you won’t run away.’
‘Silence.’
‘I’m also going to need you to get in my car.’
‘No way.’
‘It’s for your own safety.’
‘How exactly would that be beneficial to me?’
‘I need answers. And I want to help. And you’re the only person who knows anything about that package.’
‘What happened to it?’
‘It got picked up by two hitmen.’
She recoiled. ‘Hitmen?’
‘I saw them kill two people. Construction workers, who I’d say were in the wrong place at the wrong time and saw something they shouldn’t have.’
She stared at the ground. ‘Fuck. I never should have got involved.’
‘I can help you get out of this. Are you going to trust me?’
‘No. I still have no idea who you are.’
‘And I still need you to get in the car. Sorry.’
After a beat of consideration she stepped away from her Subaru and crossed to the passenger side of his sedan. Although reluctant, it seemed she had come to the conclusion that there were few other options.
‘The neighbours are going to see my car, you know,’ she said. ‘Just sitting here. Empty. In the middle of the street. They’ll call the police.’
‘It doesn’t matter. I’m already wanted anyway. I broke out of the station to get here. But you really shouldn’t have told me that.’
‘Why?’ she said again.
‘What if I wanted to hurt you? You just reminded me to hide your car.’
She shrugged amicably. ‘You’re not going to hurt me.’
‘You’ve changed your mind on me very quickly.’
‘I had some time to think. And I guess I overreacted. You’re definitely not with them. You would have killed me otherwise. They don’t fuck around.’
‘Let’s talk about this in the car.’
‘Can I at least get my bag? It has my laptop and things. It’ll get stolen if I just leave it here.’
He shrugged in return. ‘Sure.’
She ducked into the Subaru and came out with a beige carry bag. She slung it over her shoulder and headed for Billy’s sedan. King kept the gun on her, wary of any sudden movements. He couldn’t let her get away. She was the only link between him and the people killing witnesses in Jameson.
She ducked into the passenger’s seat seat. King followed suit, still aiming the gun in her direction.
She looked at him. ‘You’re really not one of them, are you?’
‘That’s only what I’ve been saying for the past three hours.’
‘Then who are you?’
‘Just a guy.’
‘I’m sorry I got you arrested.’
‘It’s fine. In fact, it ended up helping.’
‘Huh?’
‘There’s a police officer missing. Which means this is a lot more serious than I thought.’
‘I think they’ve killed a lot of people,’ Kate said, staring into the distance.
‘How do you know?’
‘I don’t. I know as much as you do. They’ve kept me in the dark this whole time, I swear. I was paid three grand to deliver that package to the post office … I think to keep themselves off any cameras. All my instructions were delivered over the phone and I’ve never seen a single one of them. And now you’re following me around, demanding answers. I’m fucking scared. I just want to get away from all of this.’
King lowered the pistol. She meant no harm, that much was clear. ‘Where were you headed just then?’
‘To get payment.’
He raised an eyebrow, surprised. ‘From them?’
She nodded. ‘They called me ten minutes ago. Said they had my money ready and waiting. Told me to drive to an old landfill site a few kilometres down the road. It overflowed years ago and the owners closed it down.’
‘And you decided to go?’
‘Well, yeah,’ she said. ‘I’m dead broke. Why do you think I did this in the first place?’
‘Terrible idea.’
‘Why?’
‘Did you miss the part where I said they were killing off witnesses?’
‘Oh…’
Kate fell silent, the situation dawning on her in a new light. She stared vacantly out the window, processing what might have occurred had her journey gone uninterrupted.
King reversed a dozen feet, then guided the sedan around her empty Subaru. The door lay wide open. Neighbours would know something was wrong with a single glance. It didn’t matter. There were greater concerns than the worry of Jameson’s residents.
‘Are you sure they would have killed me?’ she said. Her voice had grown timid. Scared.
‘We’ll find out soon enough,’ King said.
‘Wait, surely you’re not going to…’
Kate trailed off as he pulled the car out onto the main road and sped away from Jameson, towards the site.
CHAPTER 16
‘You’re making a serious mistake,’ Kate said.
King stared out the windscreen at the looming pine trees on either side of the road. They cast broad shadows, blocking much of the natural light apart from the stretch of sky directly overhead.
He sped up. Determined to catch whoever was waiting for Kate off-guard.
‘It’s the only lead I have,’ he said.
‘They’ll kill you too.’
‘I can handle myself.’
‘And who are you, exactly?’
‘Jason King.’
‘You told me that earlier, when you knocked on my door.’
‘Well, that’s who I am.’
‘What do you have to do with all of this?’
‘Not much.’
‘Have you always been this talkative?’
‘I used to talk les
s.’
‘I can’t imagine that’s possible.’
They rounded a bend and he noticed a gap in the trees ahead. Another road, twisting away into the woods. The rest of the view was obscured. No vantage point. No place to set up watch. Just a sharp corner and then another indiscriminate gravel road.
‘Is that the place?’ he said, pointing.
Kate nodded.
King slammed on the brakes and the sedan screeched to a halt in the middle of the road. It sat on the asphalt, idle, engine running. There was no passing traffic in either direction to worry about. They were in the middle of nowhere.
Kate stared at him. ‘What are you doing?’
‘Thinking. We’re probably heading into a trap.’
‘Isn’t that what you just told me before?’
‘I’m going ahead.’
‘I figured that.’
‘I’ve walked into worse situations before. You’re welcome to get out here.’
‘And just stand in the middle of the road and wait for someone to shoot me?’
‘Kate, get out.’
She shook her head. ‘I feel safer with you.’
‘You thought I was going to kill you ten minutes ago.’
‘Now I know you won’t. And I’d rather stick with you than be alone.’
He shrugged. ‘Suit yourself. I can’t promise you anything though. I don’t know what we’ll find.’
‘I’m not asking you to. But I want to see who put me through all this. If anyone’s there.’
‘Okay.’
He accelerated. By now he had grown accustomed to the change of surface. The sedan bounced and jolted across the gravel. This path seemed a little narrower than Kate’s street. One way. It looped and twisted through the woods, lined with dead leaves and pine needles. King kept one hand on the wheel and the other wrapped around the Beretta. Ready to react to anything unusual. Kate stayed silent, chewing a thumbnail. Her nerves were palpable.
Suddenly the tree line expanded as the trail opened out into a small clearing, its ground just as uneven. King guessed it used to be a makeshift parking lot. Now it lay completely empty. Trees boxed in three sides. The fourth was home to a chain-link fence topped with barbed wire, running the length of the clearing. He looked through its steel mesh and saw the ground drop sharply away. The forest ahead dipped into a sea of green, stretching as far as the eye could see. A swathe of landfill covered the valley floor. He saw the mountains of junk stretching across the man-made region. Entire sections of forest had been chopped down to make way for the pit. Beyond the fence, a precarious path trailed down to the valley floor, just wide enough to fit a dump truck. He guessed the fence had been built when the place shut down, to prevent vehicular access.