Stabenow, Dana - Liam Campbell 03 - Nothing Gold Can Stay

by Nothing Gold Can Stay(lit)

  Kind but firm, that was the best way. She would be nervous, perhaps even a little rebellious at first, but that was only natural. Deep down, she knew how things were.

  And if she had forgotten, he would have to teach her.

  Again.

  He smiled into the upturned collar of his jacket, and plodded on.

  NINETEEN

  Newenham, September 6

  “Youre not going, Liam said.

  Wy looked at him, her face empty of all expression. “Thats my son up there. You cant stop me. She walked over to the map of southwest Alaska. Theyd driven to the post with Prince, who was standing with her arms folded, shaking her head.

  Wy pointed. “The airstrip for the Old Man Creek fish camp is Portage Creek. The fish camp is about four miles downriver from the strip. Moses keeps his skiff at Portage, but itll be at the fish camp now.

  “So even if you are crazy enough to get in the air in the first place, Prince said, “and even if youre lucky enough to get down in one piece, youve got to get from the airstrip to the fish camp. How?

  “There will be a boat. Theres always a skiff, somebodys dory, something that floats that somebody leaves behind.

  “You dont know that for sure. What if you get out there and this is the first time there isnt? And what makes you so sure anyone is heading in that direction anyway? Thats a hell of a long way to hike through a storm. Especially when there are other settlements along the way.

  “Look, Wy said, her tone so patient that Prince gritted her teeth. “Dead woman at Kagati Lake. Dead man at Rainbow. Dead man at Nenevok Creek. Connect the dots. She snapped her fingers impatiently and Liam tossed her a pen. She drew a line between the three settlements. “Old Man Creek is the only dry ground on the Scandinavian Slough besides Portage Creek, and the creek is on the wrong side of the slough. The rest of the area is just one big swamp. Everyone in the Bay and on the river knows this, and by now she has to know that everyone in the Bay and on the river knows that some nutcase is killing people. The river is the best road out of here, she hits it, steals a boat, floats downstream and is home free. Its logical for her to head in that direction.

  “You keep saying her and she, like one person killed all three people and that person is Rebecca Hanover, Prince said. “She wasnt anywhere near Kagati Lake. She couldnt have killed Opal Nunapitchuk. And she didnt have any reason to, no motive, nothing. Not to mention which, you just got done painting the most heartrending picture of Little Miss City Girl, who doesnt know squat about surviving a trek through the Bush. How is she supposed to know where shes going? What does she think shes going to find when she gets there?

  Wys temper flared. “Look. There is a trail of bodies on a line heading southeast. The last body reported foundand please note we have no idea if its the last body to be foundis lying twelve miles from Old Man Creek. Youre right, I dont know that Rebecca Hanover killed her husband, let alone Opal or Peter. Hell, for all we know, maybe shes got a lover, maybe theyre in it together, maybe he killed Opal and Pete to make it look like there is a crazed killer on the loose. I dont know and I dont care. I am not taking any chances with Tims safety. She tossed Liams pen back. He snatched it out of the air before it skewered his eye. “I dont care what the two of you do or dont do. Im getting in the air and Im going to Portage Creek. Ill find a way to Old Man Creek when I get there.

  “You cant do that.

  “The hell I cant, she said curtly, opening the door. The wind snatched it from her hand and slammed it against the wall. “Im a private pilot flying alone. Theres no law against that. Yet.

  The wind snatched the door from her hand a second time and slammed it shut behind her. When Liam wrenched it open again to follow, a raven, riding out the wind on the bough of a spruce tree, croaked overhead. For once, Liam didnt even look up.

  Little Muklung River, September 6

  She didnt, couldnt know how far she had come.

  All sense of direction had been lost in the fog and the snow.

  She knew she was leaving footprints to follow. The weather had betrayed her, a storm with snow in September, how could that be? Until then, shed had a chance.

  Now all she wanted was warmth and food. Coffee. Hot coffee, creamy with half-and-half and sweet with a heaping spoonful of sugar, two spoonfuls, three. She could almost smell it, and her mouth watered.

  There was a river. She was following it downstream, although she knew he would be following it, too, knew that her footprints in the new-fallen snow left a track a child could follow.

  The biggest battle now was to put one foot in front of the other. The left foot had lost all feeling, but that wasnt surprising, as shed lost her left shoe in a half-frozen bog a mile back. Or maybe it was yesterday.

  She stepped slowly, with all the deliberation of a drunk.

  There was the sound of water running swiftly between banks, as if the creek had widened suddenly. She looked, but it wasnt so. She had long ago stopped believing her eyes. Now she could not believe her ears.

  But what about her nose? She was sure she could smell the coffee now. She closed her eyes and inhaled. Coffee and woodsmoke. And fish.

  There was a sense of brightness before her, or rather a thinning of the gloom. She squinted.

  She was in a clearing.

  There was a cabin in the clearing.

  There was a light in the cabin window, and movement behind that light.

  She stopped dead and stared, disbelieving. Was it another hallucination? Shed had so many, of Mark holding out his hand and smiling, of Nina laughing, of Lindas table strewn with beads, of her mothers fried chicken, of Maalaea Bay on Maui, where she had spent so many vacations, and where it was so very, very warm.

  She took a hesitant step.

  The cabin did not vanish into the snow and the fog. There might even be voices.

  There was a door.

  She stumbled into a run.

  Old Man Creek, September 6

  “Hey!

  “What? You unnatural brat, Moses added, somewhat unfairly, since hed been awake for an hour.

  “It snowed! Tim opened the door wider. “Look!

  The snow lay two inches on the ground, and the pure, pristine white lightened the low, leaden look of the sky.

  Moses came to stand behind him. “And more coming, I bet. The snow swirled up in a sudden gust of wind and he shivered. “Come on, get out or get in.

  “I gotta pee, Tim said, and dashed around the corner.

  Amelia yawned and stretched. Moses looked at her approvingly, or as close to approvingly as he ever looked at anyone. The bruises had nearly faded from her face, there was color in her cheeks, and even rumpled with sleep her hair had regained a healthy shine. She looked good. “You look good, he said.

  She was startled, and a little wary. “Thank you, uncle.

  “Get your pants on, lets stand a little post while my woman makes us some coffee.

  Bill sent him a haughty look, and he grinned.

  They assumed the position, and Tim walked in. “Oh man. Its too small in here to do tai chi.

  “Ive done form in airplane bathrooms, Moses said. “Where there aint even enough room to crap, I might add. Theres all the room in the world. Get your butt over here.

  Grumbling, Tim complied, and Bill noticed that both kids were moving more easily. The price of a good teacher is above rubies, she thought. She made coffee then, but only because she wanted some herself. My woman , indeed.

  She looked out the small window over the counter. Gray skies, swirling snow, and only yesterday it had been Indian summer. The thermometer mounted to the outside wall of the cabin read thirty-nine degrees. The snow would be gone by noon. She peered skyward. The storm looked as if it were taking five before turning around into a real norwester.

  She lit the Coleman stove and put the pot on to boil before checking the woodstove. The wood box was nearly empty after she stoked the fire. “Hey guys, sorry to interrupt, but were about out of wood.

  “Then g
o get some, Moses growled.

  She turned and gave him a smile. “Your woman gets the coffee made. Her man gets the wood in.

  That surprised him into a laugh and he stood up. “I cant be freezing my ass off out there alone. Come on, boy.

  He and Tim donned jackets and went outside. Amelia continued to stand post, forearms perpendicular to her torso, forming a gentle curve, legs bent with her knees directly over her toes. Bill admired her for a moment before going back to the counter and getting out the ingredients for her famous oatmeal. The secret was lots of butter and brown sugar, but steel-cut rolled oats were also very important, as was the evaporated milk. Heart attack in a bowl, she thought fondly, and dumped raisins into the pot.

  “Bill?

  “What, honey?

  “How did you come to Newenham?

  Bill turned with the bag of oats in her hands to meet Amelias inquiring gaze. “What brought that up?

  “I dont know, Amelia said. “No reason, I guess.

  Bill looked at her thoughtfully. She was asking for something, Bill wasnt sure what, exactly, but she was asking, and Bill had the feeling that Amelia hadnt asked for much in her life. She turned back to the counter. “I was married once. To an Army officer. It didnt work out. I left him, and came to Newenham. Ive been here ever since.

  “Why did you leave him?

  “He hit me, Bill said matter-of-factly. She measured the oatmeal, added more because she hated soupy oatmeal, shook some salt into it, stirred both into the raisins.

  Amelias breath sucked in. “He hit you?

  “Thats what I said.

  “Somebody actually hit you?

  The mixed note of disbelief and awe in Amelias voice made Bill grin out the window. “Yeah.

  “What did you do?

  “I told you. I left him.

  “After the first time?

  “Yeah. You only get one shot at me.

  A brief silence. “I let my husband hit me again and again and again.

  Bill sighed. She covered the pot and set it on the stove. She turned and leaned back against the counter and folded her arms. “What are you going to do about it?

  “What do you mean?

  “You told Moses you werent going back to your husband. Did you mean it?

  “I meant it.

  “You sure?

  “Im sure.

  “Okay, then. Youve taken action. Youve made a decision. Stick to it.

  Amelia looked at her. “You dont think I will.

  Bill shook her head, let out a breath. “Amelia, I dont know you well enough to say what you will or you wont do. I will say that Ive seen a lot of women in your position, and that Ive seen a lot of women take it and take it and take it. Ive even seen a few men in that kind of situation. Its never pretty. But it wouldnt happen if the person letting it happen didnt get something out of it.

  “I didnt get anything out of it except hurt.

  Bill raised her eyebrows.

  “I didnt want to get hurt! I didnt like it!

  Bill shrugged. “Then dont go back. She unfolded her arms and stood straight. “Understand one thing, Amelia. Whatever happened to you in your marriage, whatever happened to you before thatAmelia went white beneath her newly acquired tan“none of that matters a good goddamn. Its what you do now that counts. Its what you do tomorrow. Its your life. Moses has given you a breather. What happens when we leave here is up to you.

  “I know that.

  “Good. Bill peered through the window. The woodshed was around back and she couldnt see the menfolk, but she heard Moses curse and Tims laughing oath and was satisfied.

  “Why do you want to go to New Orleans?

  “What?

  Bill turned to see Amelia pointing at the Frommers guide to New Orleans lying open on the bunk. “Oh. Why? Why not? Best music, best food in this hemisphere. Who wouldnt want to go?

  “Whats it like there?

  “I dont know. Ive never been.

  “When are you going?

  “I dont know. Sometime. Have to get free of the bar.

  “Dotties taking care of the bar right now, Amelia pointed out.

  Bill turned, half laughing, half exasperated. “Whats going on? You want to come?

  Amelias eyes lit up. “Sure!

  Bill shrugged. “Okay. Start saving your money for a ticket.

  “Oh. The light in the girls eyes faded. “I dont have a job.

  “Get one.

  A silence. “Yeah, Amelia said slowly. “I could do that.

  A rustle of clothing told Bill that the girl was getting dressed. “One more thing.

  “What?

  Bill turned to meet her eyes. “Dont hurt that boy out there. Not any more than you have to, anyway.

  The girl flushed. “I wont.

  “Good.

  “Bill?

  “What?

  “We saw you, the girl said in a low voice. “You and uncle. On the porch. When we were coming back from the pond. She sneaked a look through her hair and saw that Bill looked more amused than appalled.

  “You did, did you? That must have been an eyeful.

  “Iwe

  “Never mind, Bill said. “I can guess. She turned. “It was okay?

  Amelia blushed a deep vivid red this time. “Yes. She hesitated.

  “Go ahead. Tell. Ask. Whatever you need to know.

  “Wewell, we did it twice.

  “Ah, to be a teenager again, Bill murmured.

  “What?

  “Never mind.

  “It was okay, Amelia said, the wondering tone back in her voice. “It didnt even hurt. And the second time... it even felt good.

  “Its supposed to.

  “It is?

  “Yes, Bill said firmly.

  “Oh.

  “Amelia.

  The girl raised her head from contemplation of her clasped hands.

  “Youre seventeen, youve been to school, you know all the dangers. Hell, you have to know about the STD problems in the Bush, especially AIDS.

  The girl nodded.

  “Be careful, okay? Just be careful.

  Amelia stood up, very solemn. “I promise, Bill, she said, as if she were taking an oath. “I promise I will be careful.

  “I checked your day pack, Bill said.

  Amelia ducked her head, her face flushing. “I thought maybe you did.

  “I notice your prescription runs out this month.

  “I have more at home. Amelia paused. “My husband doesnt want kids.

  Bill nodded. “Do you?

  “Yes. Someday. Not now. The response was automatic, and Bill watched the girl listen to herself say the words. “Maybe, she said slowly. “I dont really know that I do want to have kids.

  Bill nodded, as if Amelia had confirmed some inner conclusion. “We have choices about that nowadays. Get the prescription refilled.

  “I will, Amelia said, still with that look of surprise. “I will, she said again, more firmly.

  There was a noise at the door and Amelia looked alarmed. “Dont worry, Bill said, grinning. “This was strictly girl talk.

  Amelia looked relieved.

  The door opened and a third woman fell into the room.

  At first they couldnt tell she was a woman, she was so covered in snow and frost and mud. Leaves and twigs were caught in hair so lank and matted they couldnt tell what color it was. Her blue jeans were soaked through. She was wearing tennis shoes, one of which was missing, and the white anklet on that foot was torn and the flesh beneath bleeding. Her shirt was ripped at the left shoulder, the same with the T-shirt under it, revealing a long tear of flesh, reaching from the top of the shoulder to halfway down the back. A flap of skin hung loose, to show the shoulder bone gleaming whitely.

  They were caught motionless in shock. The woman looked up at them and opened her mouth. Her voice was the merest croak of sound. “Help.

  She tried to say more, but couldnt. “Help, she said again, and lay her head down on the floor and closed her e
yes.

  TWENTY

  Portage Creek, September 6

  The strain of holding the plane more or less level was beginning to tell in her arms and legs. The pedals pushed hard against the soles of her feet, the yoke pulled steadily against the grip of her hands, and she was constantly on the alert, constantly adjusting her limbs to meet the demands the weather was putting on the exterior surfaces of the aircraft.

  She risked a look at Liam. He was staring straight ahead with a grim expression. His blue eyes were narrowed, as if in concentration, as if by concentrating on the control panel he could by sheer effort of will make the plane fly straight and true. His knuckles were white where his hands were knotted on the edge of his seat.

  Shed taken the Cessna. Heavier plane, more power. Faster, too, although that didnt seem to matter much. The wind was gusting thirty to thirty-five knots out of the southeast, and the Cessna was being continually buffeted from the right, which meant she continually had to correct for drift.

  She glanced down at the GPS, and thanked whatever the gods might be for it. The digital readout recorded their progress. Shed logged in the latitude and longitude of their destination, and it would tell her exactly and precisely when they had arrived, a good thing since they sure as hell werent going to see it very far ahead.

  So it wasnt like they were forced into dead reckoning, although the weather on the outside of the cabin made it feel like it. Torn wisps of fog kept the ceiling at a hundred feet. She was maintaining an altitude of fifty feet and even then she wasnt always sure which way was up. The snow on the ground merged with the clouds and the fog to form a sphere of white all around them. She didnt look up from the instrument panel. She was afraid to, afraid she would lose all sense of where the earth was, and fly straight into it.

  She couldnt do that. Tim was at fish camp. So was Moses. So were Bill and Amelia, for that matter.

  She was following the river in hopes that she would spot the fish camp dock. If she could just locate the cabin, she could buzz it, open the window, yell a warning. Tim, be careful, she thought. Watch your back. Look out for yourself.

  Theyd only found each other two years ago. Two years filled with joy and laughter, rage and tears. Two years of getting used to sharing her home with an adolescent boy, the equivalent of one gigantic nerve ending rubbing up against the world. She was doing a good job, she was sure she was, but shed only had him two years. He had just turned thirteen, and she wanted him for another five, she wanted to care for him until it was time for him to go out into the world. She wanted to give him a chance, the same chance her adoptive parents had given her when they rescued her from her birth parents. What was the point of returning to Newenham to live if she couldnt help out her own?