The paint on his truck was scorched, but the truck itself had survived intact and Rian could see that Marshall had been trying to save it; an empty fire extinguisher lay on the ground. Marshall must have been overwhelmed by the fumes or the heat. Certainly his face was red and looked sore. His jacket was badly singed. Rian knelt over him and felt his pulse. He was still alive! Moucher was pawing him, trying to wake him.
‘He needs to get to the hospital now.’
‘We should phone his son. The cop.’
‘We have to help him, Genie. Go to the house, get some water.’
‘What you going to do?’
‘See if the truck still works. He has to get to hospital today. We can’t wait for people to come.’
Genie ran off, Moucher following.
‘Be careful, we don’t know if anyone’s still inside,’
Rian shouted after her.
Genie was strongly aware of that. She nervously approached the farmhouse, heart beating wildly. Marshall
hadn’t looked very alive to her, but they had to try and save him. Worse, the closest hospital was in Spurlake, the very last place she ever wanted to go back to.
The door swung open. Bravely she let Moucher enter first. He found no surprises. Not unless you counted the wrecked furniture.
Genie walked in, stepping over broken glass. The kitchen had been turned over, but the fridge was still on, the water inside would be safe in the sealed bottles. She quickly emptied some chow for Moucher into his bowl and then ran out again clutching a bottle of water.
Rian somehow got liquid down Marshall’s throat, Genie holding his head up. She noticed the burns on his hands and how his nostrils were swollen. The fire had burned his nose hairs and that had to hurt!
‘I’ll get the truck started,’ Rian said. ‘Go back to the house. Get rugs, a pillow, bandages, there’s some in the bathroom. Also some ice and grab us something to eat. It’s a long drive.’
‘We have to go to Spurlake?’
‘The next hospital would be Abbotsford and that’s too risky. Sorry, Genie, but we’ve got no choice.’
Genie knew that, but had to ask. She had a real fear of going back. She set off again. Rian was suddenly so self-assured and in control. It helped calm her.
*
All the pictures of the missing kids were gone from the bathroom. The medicine cabinet was emptied, all the pills and potions lying in the bath, most spilled. Genie plucked the bandages out and then some painkillers, in case Marshall woke up.
Back in the kitchen she swiftly made some fried egg sandwiches. It was about the only thing she could think of that was fast and wasn’t spoiled. Keep them going, she figured. She needed ice and knew there had been some cubes in a bag in the deep freeze.
She ran to the back, Moucher at her heels again.
‘We’re going back to Spurlake, Mouch. Got to get to the hospital. You’re coming too.’
Moucher looked at her expectantly as she opened the freezer. Genie looked inside. Her scream was probably heard all the way down in Vancouver.
When Rian arrived, out of breath and wild eyed, Genie was still shaking. He was carrying a tyre rod, ready for anything. Genie was packing the sandwiches. She had ice and dog biscuits ready to go. He could see she was trying to be ‘normal’.
‘What?’ Rian asked. ‘I heard you scream.’
Genie just pointed towards the freezer. She still
couldn’t speak.
Rian went over to the deep freeze. The remains of the dog they had found were in there. The dog’s head had been severed. Beside it lay the carcass. Gross. Just lying there on top of the frozen meat and vegetables.
‘Did you call his son?’
‘No. Sorry. I was freaked.’
Rian slammed the lid down. That he understood.
He went to the phone on the wall. Miller’s number was first on the list.
‘What do I tell him?’
‘Tell him Marshall’s still alive first,’ Genie remarked.
‘Then tell him about the men who burned the barn. I’m going to brush my teeth and get rugs.’
Rian stared after her. One moment she’s acting totally spooked then utterly normal. He dialled. He didn’t want to be calling a cop, but they had no choice. It went straight to voicemail. Rian sighed with relief. He could say everything now without fear of interrogation.
Upstairs, Genie hesitated. Why couldn’t she and Ri just keep going? She knew they had to help Marshall. You don’t really have a choice about that kind of thing. Karma and all that stuff. You had to do what’s right, but go back to Spurlake? Face her mother and Reverend Schneider all over again? She didn’t
know if she could do that.
She saw the shadow on the wall move as she left the bedroom. She jumped.
It was barely a shadow, just a finger of light.
‘Denis?’
It was Denis, she was sure of it, but he was barely there.
He had no voice, just his eyes followed her.
‘We’re taking Marshall to Spurlake hospital,’ she told him. ‘I’m sorry I haven’t helped you, Denis. I guess I haven’t helped anyone.’
Denis shook his head. Genie thought she saw him say goodbye. Denis soon would be no more, she knew that. It must take a huge effort to even come to here.
She felt hot tears forming. Denis had been so sure she could help him.
‘Got to go,’ Rian was shouting from downstairs. ‘Genie?’
‘Coming.’ She moved towards the stairs and glanced back at the wall. Denis had gone. As she walked down the stairs she resolved that this could not end here. She had to do something to help the missing kids – stop the Fortress experiments, expose it somehow.
They rolled Marshall on to a rug, heaved him on to Rian’s shoulders and then finally tipped him into the back of the truck. He was heavy, even if he did only have one leg.
Genie was scared to hurt him further. She wrapped rugs around him, wedged him up against a hay bale to stop him rolling.
‘The cop wasn’t answering. I left him a message to come to the hospital. You got ice in the bag? Wondering if you should put some on his burns.’
Genie looked back at Marshall lying there in the back and thought she remembered something from first aid classes at school. ‘I’ll cool the burns first, then put the plastic bag over his stump, cover the worst of it anyway.
You can’t put anything there that might stick to the flesh.
You sure you can drive this thing?’
‘I drove it back from the store on Monday,’ Rian confessed. ‘Marshall was too tired to drive. You slept in, remember?’
Genie blinked. She remembered he’d got up real early and gone to get stuff for the roof. Well, at least he’d had some practice.
‘When we come back you have to teach me. All right?’
Rian looked at her a moment, then smiled. ‘Deal.’
‘Get going,’ Genie told him. ‘I’ll close the gates after you.’
Moucher was last up and settled in beside Marshall.
Rian got the truck started and lurched off. Genie watched, impressed he didn’t hit anything as he drove forward. He
stopped to wait for her to close the gates.
‘Wait,’ Genie shouted, as she put the chain on. She suddenly ran into the forest.
‘Genie? What the . . . ?’
Genie wasn’t listening. She crashed through the undergrowth and found what she glimpsed only briefly.
The pig was sat there, covered in ash, singed for sure, but alive and eating wild mushrooms, as far as she could tell.
She hugged it. The pig snorted but didn’t resist.
‘Hope you find lots to eat in the forest, pig. I am so happy you’re still alive.’
The pig made no comment, just continued eating, stopping for just a second to look at Genie, perhaps in recognition, she hoped so. Genie felt her spirits lift. The pig was still alive.
She ran back to the truck, her face covered in ash.
/> ‘She’s OK,’ she declared as she climbed in the back with Marshall. ‘Get going. Pig seems unhurt. She must have been pretty near the fire though.’
Rian set off again, shaking his head. Loving someone who cared so much about people and pigs gave him a good feeling, even if it did drive him mad from time to time.
‘Where are the sandwiches?’ he shouted through the open window.
‘On the floor, pass me one,’ she shouted back.
Rian found them, passed one out for her and ate his as he drove. They were still slightly warm. Tasted pretty good.
Genie winced as she saw Mashall’s burns. She pulled back the rug and started to soak the gauze bandage with ice.
She knew you couldn’t put the ice directly on the skin as it would burn it still further. The wounds were red raw.
She loosely wrapped the damp bandage on the worst affected areas to keep the air off it. She looked at Moucher watching her; he looked distressed.
‘Don’t worry, Mouch, I’m not hurting him, I promise.’
She tried not to think about where they were going.
She was dreading going back to Spurlake. She wondered how they’d ever get out of there again.
The track was bumpy and amazingly had mostly dried out from the rain the night before. The sun had risen above the treeline now. Rian concentrated hard. The truck was easy enough to drive, but he wasn’t looking forward to being on the highway. He hoped they wouldn’t be stopped. With no licence and an unconscious guy in the back, it would take a lot of explaining.
22
Working in Mysterious Ways
Reverend Schneider was sat in a pool of sunshine under the oak tree on the luscious green lawn outside his Church of the Free Spirit. It was his favourite place in the mornings and a good location to write sermons. Alyssa Cullins was arranging flowers in the church, as was her custom on a Wednesday, and he kept note of the time as he had a baptism at noon. The church was thriving and that was his message this week. Life has its own rewards if you know how to recognize them.
A man in a dark suit loomed into view, casting shade over his writing table. Reverend Schneider looked up and inwardly groaned. It was the overbearing security chief from the Fortress. They shared a mutual loathing for each other. He had a habit of arriving unannounced.
‘There’s a cop asking questions about your little volunteer scheme.’
Schneider frowned. He didn’t like these kind of unannounced visits. ‘Good morning to you too. What kind of questions?’
‘Seems some kids are passing around an offer to pay two thousand dollars for experiments in BC, no questions asked, no need to alert your parents either.
There’s a toll-free number.’
‘You call it?’ Schneider asked, laying his pen down, surprised that he was so well informed.
‘Disconnected.’
‘You want volunteers, you have to have the tools to find them.’
‘This is your set up? A little sick, ain’t it? Even for you.’
‘It’s non-traceable. They only stay up for a week at a time and the toll number dies after ten days. It’s based in Eastern Europe. They specialize in this kind of thing.
Don’t worry, it’s carefully targeted. Like I said, untraceable IP address. The cops can look all they like, but it all ends up in Moscow or some place and they aren’t the type of people to cooperate, if you know what I mean.’
‘I don’t like it. Fortransco doesn’t like it. Particularly if it ends up in Moscow. Finish it.’
‘You’re the people who can’t find test subjects. I’m merely doing my part.’
‘You were just supposed to look for orphans, as I recall.’
‘And disaffected teens who wouldn’t be missed.
Spurlake is full of ’em. Their parents come here to pray for understanding. I should know.’
265
‘Spurlake is a cess pit now. Take months to get it straight.’ He looked around him at the elegant newly built glass church and its fancy tower, as well as the Mercedes Benz parked in the first parking bay.
‘You’ve done well out of Fortransco, Schneider.’
‘I only take what I deserve.’
‘Seems you live well on our generosity.’
‘It’s an investment in the wellbeing of the town, as the sign says: Fortransco, Building Better Communities for All.’
‘All I’m saying is, we’ve had a security problem.’ He lay a piece of paper on the table. ‘We want these two.
Matter of urgency.’
Schneider looked at the names. He wasn’t at all surprised to see Genie Magee’s name there. Didn’t know the other, but he supposed it was the boy who’d broken her out. It’d be a pleasure to teach him a lesson he’d never forget.
‘Find them. You understand? I don’t want any prying eyes or cops looking under rocks. No more toll-free numbers. We’re getting too many “volunteers” from this location. Your profile is too loud. You understand me?
Praying for the missing is a nice picture in the local paper, but cool it, Schneider. No rocking the boat. Find these two and you’re done.’
He walked away without another word, his black suit and shiny shoes worn like a badge of authority. Schneider watched him get into a muddy Chevy Volt and silently drive away.
‘Everything all right, Reverend?’
He looked up at Alyssa and smiled. ‘You ever hear from your daughter, Renée? She’s been gone an awful long time.
I was hoping she’d found it within her heart to at least send you a letter to say how she is.’
Alyssa Cullins tugged at the white pearl necklace she always wore around her neck, her lips tight. ‘I ain’t holding my breath, Reverend. She was wayward from the day she was born and I suspect you’re right, she’s most likely on the street or worse. You can’t make a bad heart pure and I only pray she doesn’t make others suffer as much as she made me.’
Reverend Schneider picked up his pen again.
‘Nevertheless, I wish those who are so quick to leave us would set our hearts at rest. It grieves me that so many children have run rather than come to us for help.’
‘She’s a wicked girl. Wickedness finds its own punishment, Reverend.’
‘I regret to say that I believe you are correct in that matter, Alyssa. It’s a harsh world.’
23
Reunion
Spurlake seemed uncannily normal, considering. Sure there was damage, but people were shopping again and Rian drove by McBean’s coffee shop – Celebrate our re-opening with us – where people sat outside drinking lattés, even though there were piles of debris in the road still to be collected. They had expected more visible signs of devastation. Perhaps it was the late-afternoon sunshine that made things better than they were.
Spurlake Community Hospital was still a mess from the floods, however. Mud was piled up on the walls of the east wing and several temporary buildings had sprung up in the car park.
The ER unit had taken Marshall off their hands and spirited him up to the burns ward. They didn’t like the fact that he’d been unconscious for hours already.
Rian had filled out forms, given phone numbers and played it as cool as he could. They’d wanted him to wait for the cops, but he made a genuine excuse – he needed to park his vehicle which was blocking the entrance – and
then got the hell out of there. No way he was waiting for the police. Frankly he was just surprised they weren’t waiting for them, considering it was a cop’s dad and all.
Genie waited with Moucher in the truck. Her heart leaped when she saw Rian heading back, walking with a calm determination. He was just one metre away when a cop car pulled up and Officer Miller got out.
‘You Rian Tulane?’
Genie slipped down in her seat, but Moucher barked excitedly, jumped over her and bounced clear out of the open window. He ran right up to the cop, wagging his tail in desperation, so happy to see the man.
Rian saw the cop bend down to greet Moucher and knew
there was no escape.
‘I guess I owe you a great deal,’ Miller said, fending Moucher off.
Rian said nothing.
‘I got your message. They just called me. Dad’s on a drip and he’s pretty confused, but he’s going to be all right.
Thanks.’ He turned to look at the truck.
‘Thanks to you too.’ Genie popped her head up. It was dumb to hide.
‘I’m glad he made it,’ Genie told him.
‘I need to know what happened. You want to talk?’
‘We in trouble?’
‘Down, Mouch. Sit.’ He looked at Rian in the eye.
‘If you mean, do you need to talk to your mother, who’s been worried sick about you, I’d advise it. Genie’s mother is staying with Reverend Schneider, which is not a place I’d recommend you or she visit. So you’re still responsible for her, Rian. You understand? You broke her out. She’s your responsibility.’
Rian understood. The cop was giving him a long rope to play with.
Miller looked at them both and could see that they looked tired and scared. ‘Take the truck to Jonah’s Diner. Order what you like. I’ll be there in twenty minutes. Can I trust you both to do that? Get Moucher something as well.’
Genie exchanged glances with Rian, both unsure about this.
‘Jonah’s, OK?’ Miller reasserted. ‘I’m going to check on my dad.’
‘We’ll be there,’ Rian said, making a decision.
Miller took off, walking towards the hospital entrance.
He didn’t look back. Clearly he believed that they would do as he said.
Genie watched Rian get in and Moucher jumped up beside her.
‘He’s got Marshall’s eyes,’ Genie remarked.
Rian looked at Genie and shrugged. ‘I guess we go to Jonah’s.’
Genie sighed. Ninety per cent of her wanted Rian to get them out of town, drive till it ran out of gas and they were miles away from Spurlake, but that ten per cent would make them do what the cop said. He hadn’t seemed mean or angry. If he were anything like Marshall, he would be fair. They’d find out soon enough.
Genie waited until they were back on the road before talking again. Her head was full of ‘what if’s and ‘what to do’s.
The Repossession Page 18