by Dayle Gaetz
“We’ll drink some more chocolate milk while we wait,” Katie said.
Ben gave her a worried look, opened his mouth as if to say something, but quickly changed his mind. “I’ll go and get cleaned up then. Thanks, kids. I’m running a bit late.”
19
As soon as the door to Ben’s room closed, Sheila turned to Katie.
“What happened?” she asked.
“I found a long white feather and a white hatband hidden in Ryan’s underwear drawer,” said Katie.
“Cool!” Sheila whispered, suddenly feeling more hopeful. “So what do we do now?”
Although Katie had outlined her plan, they hadn’t known if they would get a chance to make it work.
Everything depended on getting Ryan alone. Even so, now that Ben was heading to town, Sheila had misgivings. “Why don’t we tell the police what we know?”
“Right. Do you think they’ll listen to a couple of kids?” Katie shook her head. “No. We need to have good, solid evidence. A white feather and some cigarette butts won’t do it.”
“We have the matches too, from a restaurant in Calgary.”
“Calgary’s a big place. Anyone could have picked up matches there and dropped them above the development.”
“So why do you think it’s Ryan?”
“Um, I’m not sure—I could be wrong. It’s either Ryan or—”
“Or who?”
“There’s only one way to know for sure.”
By the time Ben walked out the door and Ryan emerged from his room wearing clean clothes, the girls had rehearsed what they needed to say.
They remained at the table while Ryan chopped vegetables, heated a wok on the gas stove, added olive oil and tossed in the vegetables. He threw in some Chinese noodles and added cooking wine, soy sauce, sesame seeds and a few other things Sheila didn’t even recognize. Both girls watched the growing mess on the countertop: cutting board, knives, spoons, little plates and bowls.
“I’m sure glad you guys offered to clean up,” Ryan said as he settled on a stool by the counter with his back to them. He opened a book, propped it up on the counter and started to read.
Katie made a face at Sheila.
Sheila knew exactly what it meant. She felt the same way: Ryan thinks he’s too good to sit at the table with us.
The girls began to speak in low tones to each other.
Quiet, but loud enough for Ryan to hear easily.
“I can’t wait till Dad gets home tonight!” Sheila said.
“Yeah,” Katie agreed. “I’m glad Adele is arranging bail for him. When does he get back?”
“He’ll probably be home by dinnertime. Adele’s picking him up.”
“I hope the police don’t take him away again.”
“Me too. Dad told the Mounties to question Wendell in case he saw something, but that won’t help much. Some surefire help he turned out to be!”
“Who’s Wendell?” Ryan asked, putting down his book and swinging around on the stool. “Not that old coot who camped over near Swan Pond last summer?”
“Didn’t you know? My dad asked Wendell if he wanted to camp over near the development so he could keep an eye on it.”
“I’ve never seen him!” Ryan narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“Have you been over there this week?” Katie asked.
Ryan’s eyebrows pulled together, he shrugged and looked away.
Katie persisted. “Because if you didn’t go there, it’s not too surprising that you didn’t see him, is it?”
“Do you ever stop asking questions?” Ryan snarled and plunged his fork into his stir-fry.
“I guess the Mounties didn’t know he was there either,” Sheila said. “That’s why they haven’t questioned him yet. They only talked to the night watchman, and he identified the truck and my dad’s cowboy hat.
Wendell thinks the night watchman is lying.”
“It’s too bad Wendell didn’t see anything,” Katie added. “He feels bad about that.”
“I thought he was supposed to be watching the place,” Ryan said.
Sheila nodded. “That’s why he feels so bad. Dad thought he’d be a surefire way of keeping Glenmar in check. But he slept through everything both nights.
He’s sure my dad is innocent, though, so he wants to be a witness.”
Ryan pushed his plate away. “Who does he think did it?”
“He doesn’t know, but he’d have to see it with his own eyes before he’d believe Dad had anything to do with it. So he plans to sleep outside every night, just in case whoever did it comes back. He was hoping something would happen while my dad was in police custody. That way Dad would have a perfect alibi.”
Ryan left soon after that, leaving most of his meal untouched. “I’ve got work to do,” he said. “Do a good job of cleaning up here. You know how fussy Dad is.”
“Of course,” Sheila said. “Are you going back to work on the fence?”
Ryan nodded. “I need to get that section fixed by tonight or my father will be on my case.” He stomped out the door and slammed it behind him.
“Okay,” Katie said. “We’ve got work to do.” She looked unhappily at the dishes Ryan had used to mix his various concoctions, the wok with a slotted spoon sticking from it, vegetable peelings scattered around a plastic bucket, a bottle spilling soy sauce.
“After all that, he didn’t even eat it!” Sheila said.
“I think he was being as messy as possible just to make more work for us.”
Katie sighed. “I’ll take care of this. You need to ride out and warn Wendell something might happen tonight.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to come?”
Katie nodded. “You’ll be way faster on your own. And I have to tell Huntley and Rusty as soon as they get back. Then we need to catch Ryan; we can’t let him talk to Adele. He has to be absolutely convinced your dad is home tonight.”
“I sure hope we’re right about this!” Sheila said.
“One way or another, we should find out the truth tonight,” Katie said.
It was late afternoon, and Sheila was back from seeing Wendell, when Adele’s little white SUV rattled into the yard and parked beside the blue truck. Rusty and Huntley tumbled out of the backseat, each carrying a flat, square box. Adele climbed out, her arms loaded with paperwork. “I’m going to set up in your dad’s office. I expect I’ll be up half the night trying to make sense of all this gobbledygook,” she flicked her fingers against the stack of papers, “so I guess I’ll sleep in there tonight—if I manage to sleep at all.”
“What about the frozen pizzas?” Huntley asked.
“First things first,” Adele smiled. “Bring them inside and we’ll put them in the oven. While the pizzas cook, can you kids see that the horses are fed and watered?”
“Sure,” Sheila said.
“Good. Then I’ll call you when dinner’s ready.”
When the boys joined them in the barn, Katie and Sheila told them everything that had happened while they were gone. “So it’s important that Ryan believes Adele brought my dad home,” Sheila finished.
Before the chores were completed, they heard Ryan’s Jeep drive into the yard. They all went outside as it rolled slowly past the barn. “Hey, Ryan!”
Katie called, waving. “Did you finish repairing the fence?”
He braked and switched off the engine. “What a job! I’m beat! How about you kids take care of the horses so I can go home and eat? I’m half starved!”
“You forgot to finish your lunch,” Sheila reminded him. “I guess you were just so anxious to get back to work.”
“Yeah, right.” Ryan didn’t get out of the Jeep, but he didn’t seem in any hurry to leave either. His fingers tapped against the steering wheel. He glanced at Adele’s white car and back to Sheila. “So? Did he make it home?”
“My dad?” Sheila smiled. “He sure did! I’m so happy! He doesn’t feel very good though. He’s had a real rough day so he went to bed already. Ad
ele said she and Huntley will stay here tonight so Dad doesn’t need to worry about anything.”
“Yeah?”
Sheila nodded. “She brought loads of paperwork with her. She says she’ll be awake most of the night anyway, so she may as well stay in Dad’s office.”
“Makes sense.” Ryan turned the key to start the engine. “See you tomorrow. I’ve got to get an early night too.” He continued past the barn, around the cottonwoods and along the narrow lane that led to Ben’s cottage.
20
A huge, silvery moon floated high in a midnight-blue sky and painted the rolling grasslands with its pale and eerie light. Craggy mountains loomed high in the west like a giant castle wall, seeming closer at night than by day.
Sheila curled forward in the saddle. Her stomach ached so much she couldn’t sit straight. She had never been so scared, despite the terrifying situations they had found themselves in this summer.
What if their careful plan didn’t work? What if Ryan didn’t show? If he didn’t, then maybe, just maybe, her dad really was guilty. Even if he was innocent, he was in big trouble. As Katie always said, Follow the evidence. And the evidence pointed to her dad.
Sheila was glad she had decided to bring her CD player along, clipped to her belt with the carrying pouch tucked safely in her backpack. She put the earphones on, turned the volume low and listened to her dad’s favorite country CD. The familiar music helped keep her worries under control.
When they finally reached Wendell’s van, he was waiting outside, his hand on Rebel’s muzzle so he wouldn’t bark. “You kids sure you want to get involved?” he asked. “I could likely handle this by myself. Might be better that way, one person can hide better than five.”
“I need to be here,” Sheila said. She dismounted and, clutching Silver’s reins, turned to her friends.
“You guys can go back if you want, I’ll understand.”
Katie shook her head. “You helped me before.
I’m not deserting you now.”
“I’m staying too,” Huntley said. “Besides, what are friends for?”
Rusty cleared his throat uncertainly.
“Rusty, why don’t you stay here in the van? No one blames you for being scared.”
“Me? Scared? You bet your cowboy boots I am!
But that never stopped me before. I do some of my best work when I’m scared out of my mind!”
They all laughed nervously.
“Let’s get a move on then,” Wendell said. “You’ve gotta get these horses out of sight.”
They led their horses into the woods behind Wendell’s van and tied them securely. Then they joined Wendell on his rickety folding chairs.
Wendell made some tea and brought out his chocolate cookies and some apples. For a while they nibbled on cookies, crunched apples, sipped tea and chatted nervously.
Time passed.
They finished all the food, drank all the tea and ran out of things to say. Rusty yawned first. Then Wendell. The night grew colder. And so quiet! The moon slowly moved across the sky. It was hanging, big and bold, above the mountains when Sheila heard a sound. Her ears perked up and she looked up toward the hill, a smooth, black silhouette in moon shadow. Did she hear a distant truck engine?
She sank back. No. It was Wendell, snoring softly, his chin resting on his chest.
Rusty was next to succumb. He rolled off his chair and curled on the grass. “Wake me up if anything happens,” he mumbled. Then Huntley stretched out on his back with an arm across his eyes. Rebel settled happily between the two boys.
Katie yawned. Sheila couldn’t help herself, she yawned too. And shivered. Her stomach hurt more than ever now. “Promise me you won’t fall asleep?” she whispered.
“Don’t worry.” Katie yawned again.
Sheila’s eyes drooped, her head sagged. She jerked awake. She needed to stand up, stretch, move around or she would fall asleep for sure. Katie must have felt the same way because she was on her feet before Sheila could summon the energy.
“Let’s walk up the hill,” Katie whispered. “Maybe we’ll see something.”
From the summit they gazed down at the development. The reservoir shone in silver moonlight.
Beside it was a pale square of yellow light. “That’s the trailer,” Sheila whispered. “Maybe the Couttses are there. I wonder what time it is.”
“Late,” Katie said.
“I don’t think he’s coming.”
Katie said nothing. Sheila’s stomach twisted.
They continued down the slope to the barbed wire fence. That’s when they heard it—an unmistakable clatter, the roar of an engine, frighteningly close. So close that when they turned to scramble back up the hillside, headlights were already bouncing over the lower branches of the pines.
“It’s too late!” Katie said. “He’ll see us!”
Sheila thought quickly. “We can follow the fence to the stream and circle around behind. We need to wake Wendell. He’s our witness!”
They stumbled along in semi-darkness, following the fence line, but they hadn’t gone far when the truck burst onto the hilltop. Headlights skimmed the alder branches above their heads.
“He’s sure not trying to be quiet,” Sheila said.
“Of course not. He wants Wendell to see him. He needs to make Wendell believe it’s your dad up there, driving the blue truck and wearing the cowboy hat with the white feather.”
“Get down!” Sheila warned.
The girls fell to the ground. Headlights carved an arc above their heads as the truck turned around. Its engine shut off. A door creaked open and slammed shut, followed by a quick tick-tick-tick and a poof of hot steam.
“If that doesn’t wake up Wendell and the boys, then…Oh no!”
The night air was shattered by barking. Loud, excited barking, getting louder. Louder.
Sheila raised her head. A few steps below the hilltop, making its way toward the development against a background of moonlight, was the top of a dark hat and the tip of a white feather. It stopped. Turned around. Moved back up, fast, toward the truck.
Rebel’s barks were even louder now, directly above.
The truck door slammed shut. Rebel howled.
“Git back here you mangy mutt!” Wendell yelled, his voice distant. Rebel barked excitedly.
Sheila listened for the truck to start up. For it to drive away.
It didn’t.
“Sit, Rebel! Sit!” Wendell was on the hilltop now, and at last Rebel stopped barking.
“You can get out now,” Wendell shouted. “I’m holdin’ Rebel back. Step out here and let me see your ugly face.”
The door creaked open. “You!” Wendell shouted.
“I don’t believe it!”
“Me either!” a young voice said, and Sheila realized Huntley had joined Wendell.
Suddenly Rebel started barking again, a different bark now, deeper and mixed with a growl that came from deep in his chest. Barking, he charged down the hill toward the development.
“Call off your dog or I’ll shoot him right here!” a man yelled from somewhere below.
“Rebel!” Wendell called. “Git back up here!”
Rebel kept barking.
“Don’t shoot!” Wendell cried. “I’m comin’ to get him!” A minute later he commanded, “Sit! Rebel, sit!”
And Rebel was quiet.
“Put him in the truck!” the new voice ordered.
“And if I refuse?”
“You won’t like the alternative.”
“Do as he says,” a woman’s voice broke in. “No one needs to get hurt.”
“C’mon, boy,” Wendell grunted.
Sheila imagined him bending to take Rebel by the collar. The dog growled. “You two Coutts must have been lyin’ in wait,” Wendell said.
“You might say we’ve been expecting company,”
Glen Coutts said. “Hurry it up! We don’t have all night.”
The truck door opened. “In you go, boy,” Wen
dell said. The door slammed shut.
“Good. Now what are we going to do with these two?” Glen asked.
“Bring them down to the portable. We’ll decide from there.” It was the woman who spoke.
“Must be Marla Coutts,” Sheila whispered.
“Mmm,” Katie agreed. “Shh!”
“Let the boy go,” Wendell pleaded. “He’s no harm to anyone. I promise to do whatever you say, just let him go.”
The woman laughed. “To run and call for help?
Do you think we’re stupid?” Her voice turned harsh and angry. “Bring them both. That’s Adele James’ boy. You can be sure she’ll promise anything to get her son home safely. It’s too bad we didn’t think of that in the first place.”
Then a low voice broke in. The words were impossible to make out, but it sounded like a threat.
“You fool!” Marla said. “You’re in this as deep as we are!”
The owner of the deeper voice responded, but the words were indecipherable. Sheila thought there was something familiar about the sound of the voice.
“Sorry, it’s too late to change your mind, Cowboy.
It wasn’t us who shot the night watchman. But if you really want to join your friends here, fine. A scapegoat might come in handy.”
“You heard the lady,” Glen said. “Now get moving! All of you!”
21
“Rusty!” Katie dropped to her knees beside the sleeping form. He didn’t stir. “Rusty!” She grabbed his shoulders and shook him.
“Wha…”
“Rusty, wake up! You missed everything.”
“Huh?” he mumbled. “Where am I?”
“Lying on the grass in front of Wendell’s van.
Rusty, they’ve got Wendell and Huntley.”
Rusty sat up and wrapped his arms around himself.
“I’m cold.” Suddenly, as if Katie’s words finally sank in, he leapt to his feet. “Who’s got them? Where?
What happened?”
“It’s those Glenmar people! The truck got here, but Rebel barked and woke everyone up. Wendell ran to stop him, but the Couttses must have heard the noise, and they showed up too. Glen Coutts has a gun! He made Wendell and Huntley go with them down to the portable.”