Thief River Falls

by Brian Freeman

  Danny didn’t hesitate. “I’d stay.”

  But Lisa didn’t ask. Noah could have made him stay, too. He could have turned the car around and taken Danny home, and everything would have been different. Later, he wished he had, but it wasn’t his place to say anything. Later, when they were crying together after the news came, he’d asked his sister, “Why didn’t you make him stay?”

  She said, “Because he needed to go.”

  That was what he felt from Lisa right now. She needed to go. Wherever she was heading, it was a dangerous place, and he was afraid that Lisa would end up just like Danny. Never coming home.

  Ahead of him, Noah saw the next crossroad.

  It was nothing special, two lonely roads meeting in a lonely place. He turned, feeling the tires skid. There was a road sign just ahead of him, counting off the distance to the next major town.

  Thief River Falls.

  Twenty-five miles.

  36

  Lisa stood near the riverbank behind Denis Farrell’s house.

  From where she was, she saw no lights or movement inside, but she knew Purdue was here. It was like a mother’s sixth sense, part of the connection between them. She knew he was still alive. They hadn’t killed him yet. She could feel his presence in the air and feel his consciousness in her heart.

  She reached out to him: I’m here for you, my sweet. I’m going to rescue you.

  Lisa bent down and picked up a heavy rock from the garden. Cocking her arm, she hurled it into the very center of the floor-to-ceiling window that faced the water. The tall pane of glass shattered. She stepped forward and punched out the remaining shards until the hole was big enough for her to climb through. Inside, she stood in the center of the living room carpet, with the fire hissing as white snowflakes drifted through the broken window.

  All these years, and the house had changed very little. She’d been here only the one time as a teenager, when she swore at Denis in his office. Denis had never invited her again, and she’d had no interest in going. This was the enemy camp.

  The chambered walnut door to Denis’s office opened immediately. The man himself came through and closed the door behind him. The noise of the breaking glass had alerted him that she was here, but he didn’t look alarmed. He said nothing to her as he came into the room, assisted by his cane. He was dressed in a suit and tie, as he always was, but he’d grown bent and old. She wasn’t sure he’d ever been young, but the ravages of his life wore badly on him, especially those half moons under his eyes. A map of wrinkles was carved into his face. His wavy, pushed-back hair had grayed and thinned. Only his blue eyes were as alert as ever. Danny’s eyes. That was the only thing the two of them had in common.

  “Hello, Lisa,” Denis said. He surveyed the wreckage of his patio window with a sour frown. “You could have just knocked, you know.”

  “Don’t be cute. You know why I’m here.”

  “You’re right. Laurel—Dr. March—already called and told me you might come.”

  Lisa shook her head. “Of course she did. You control her, too. Is there anyone other than me in this town that you don’t control? I trusted Laurel, but that was a mistake. I told her everything. I opened my whole heart to her. Has she fed you all of my secrets for the past two years?”

  “Not at all. Actually, she’s much more loyal to you than you give her credit for.”

  “I suppose that’s why she sent her husband as a spy to deliver me right into your hands.”

  “Why don’t I call Laurel and ask her to join us?” Denis said. “She can explain everything to you, much better than I can.”

  “Don’t bother. I already saw her at the hospital. I know she sent the police to my house. Do you think that’s the end of it? Do you think I’m going to walk away and let you win? I won’t do that.”

  Denis said nothing for a while. He just stared at her, as if he were looking for a way to get inside her head. Then he went over to a wet bar on the other side of the room. “Would you like a drink, Lisa?”

  “No.”

  “I’m afraid I need one,” he said, then removed a bottle of bourbon and poured a large quantity into a lowball glass. He retrieved ice cubes from the freezer, which he plinked one by one into the liquid, causing little splashes. “Are you sure I can’t get you something? You look like you could use it.”

  “No,” she repeated.

  “As you wish. Gillian’s drinking again, by the way. Grief will do that to you. She’s taking the loss extremely hard, as you would expect.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “Well, I suppose I should get all the alcohol out of the house, but what’s the point? She’s clever. She’ll find a way no matter what I do. And frankly, I’m drinking my way through it, just like her. This has been devastating for me, too. You may not believe that. You probably think I have no emotions at all. But believe me, you couldn’t be more wrong.”

  “I don’t recall your shedding a tear when Danny died,” Lisa said.

  “Not in front of you maybe. That doesn’t mean I didn’t cry. He was my son.”

  “Yes, and he was going to be my husband. He was the love of my life. You didn’t say a word to me after it happened. Not a word. Danny died, and you shut me out. At the memorial? You wouldn’t even come near the grave until I was gone. To this day, I hear from your assistant or your lawyer, but never you. All because you blame me for taking him away from you and ruining The Plan. Somehow you could never get it through your head that Danny made his own choices in life. I didn’t tell him to leave the law firm. I didn’t tell him to come back to me. He did that all on his own.”

  “I don’t blame you for any of that,” Denis replied. He sipped his bourbon and stared back at her.

  “You’re lying.”

  “No, I’m not. Really. Was I angry? Yes. Danny could have done so much more with his life. He was called to greatness. Whatever he set his mind to, he could have achieved. But if he wanted to be a small-town fireman living with a small-town nurse, well, fine. I would have come to terms with that. Did I shut him out? Yes, and that was selfish and immature of me. I have to bear the guilt of knowing I never mended the rift with my son. But I don’t blame you for that.”

  “Then what do you blame me for?” Lisa asked. “Why have you shut me out all these years?”

  “Because you let him go!” Denis fired back at her, his nostrils flaring. “Two words, and you could have stopped him. Two words, and my son would be alive. I know him, Lisa. I know he doted on you, that he would have done literally anything you asked of him. Instead, here we are. Ten years later, and look at where we are now.”

  Lisa shook her head. “It was his choice, Denis. You know that. I didn’t make him go. He wanted to go, and there was no way I was going to stand in his way. I’m a victim, too. Blame me if you want, hate me if you want, but I was proud of Danny for going out there and helping those people. I still am.”

  “Then we’re in agreement,” Denis replied. “I’m proud of him, too. But you’re fooling yourself if you think this fight is a one-way street. You’re part of it, too. Yes, I’ve used you as an excuse for my grief over Danny, but don’t tell me you haven’t done the exact same thing. You blame me. You hate me.”

  “I don’t hate you.”

  “No? Please. You used my name in Thief River Falls. What a lovely joke, turning me into a monster.”

  “You didn’t need my help for that,” Lisa said.

  “I’m not a monster, Lisa. I’m not the man you think I am. I’m just a father. I’ve done my share of things I regret—I’ll admit to that. I haven’t treated you well. But you’ve shut me out every bit as much as I’ve shut you out, and I think I know why. You blame yourself for Danny’s death every bit as much as I do. You know you should have stopped him. To this day, you think you’re being punished, don’t you? You think everything that’s gone wrong with your life dates back to that one moment. The moment you let him go.”

  “We’re done,” Lisa snapped. Sh
e glanced over Denis’s shoulder toward the house’s front door. “You’re stalling me, aren’t you? You’re waiting for Garrett and Stoll to figure out that something’s wrong, and they’ll come inside and rescue you.”

  “Do I need rescue?”

  “That all depends.”

  “Really? On what? Why exactly are you here, Lisa? What is it you want from me?”

  He was so cool. So calm. She didn’t know how he did it, how any man could put up a front like that. She glanced at the broken window, where white snow had begun to make drifts on the carpet. She felt nervous and cold, wondering how much time she had before the deputies stormed inside. She’d let Denis play her yet again. It was time to bring it to an end.

  “I’m here for Purdue,” Lisa said.

  There was no reaction on Denis’s face. He sipped more of his drink, and there was nothing at all in his eyes. “Yes, I know. Laurel told me.”

  “Where is he?”

  “We both know perfectly well that Purdue isn’t here, Lisa.”

  “Liar.”

  “I’m not lying. We’re alone, you and me. Well, except for Gillian upstairs. Why don’t you let me pour you that drink, and we can talk through our differences? We both have things to say to each other. We’re both hurting. Let’s talk about it.”

  “No.”

  “I can’t believe you’d deny me the chance to talk about him,” Denis said.

  Smooth.

  He was unbelievably smooth.

  Lisa reached into the pocket of her coat and withdrew the Glock, which she armed and pointed at Denis’s chest. Again he didn’t flinch or show surprise. There was no fear in his eyes. He kept drinking.

  “Put that away, Lisa,” he said.

  “Where’s Purdue?”

  “I know you’re not going to shoot me. The only thing you’re going to do is hurt yourself. Or worse, get yourself killed. No one wants that. Put the gun on the floor, and let’s talk.”

  “I’m done talking, Denis. I want the boy. I will do whatever it takes to keep him away from you.”

  “Yes, I understand that.”

  “Where is he?”

  “You know where he is,” Denis said. “Why don’t you tell me?”

  Lisa felt something crack inside her. She couldn’t even define what it was. She crossed the kind of line from which you can never find your way back. She saw a mirror on the wet bar behind Denis, a pane of glass reflecting the back of his head and reflecting her own face, too. She didn’t like what she saw, didn’t like the person who was standing there, but she had come too far to let that stop her.

  She pointed the Glock at the mirror, and she fired.

  The noise was like a bomb in the closed-in space. The mirror exploded, showering them both with glass. Denis finally flinched, going pale with fright. He hadn’t expected her to do that. He ducked, dropped his cane, and spilled his drink on the carpet. He put both of his hands slowly in the air.

  “Lisa, for God’s sake!”

  “Where is he?” she demanded again.

  Denis didn’t answer. Even a gunshot didn’t draw the truth out of him. But she didn’t need him to tell her. She glanced at the closed door to his office, and she knew. Purdue was there. Purdue was waiting for her.

  “Get down on the floor,” she told Denis. “On your stomach. Spread-eagle. Don’t move.”

  He did as he was told.

  Lisa knew she only had a few seconds before Garrett and Stoll would break through the front door, or come around the side of the house and find the broken window. She needed to get Purdue and get away.

  Now.

  She ran for Denis’s office and wrenched open the heavy door. Inside, she slammed it behind her and turned the dead bolt. Denis would always have a lock to keep his secrets safe. She spun around, and her breath flew out of her chest.

  There he was. Purdue, tied to the chair. His eyes lit up with joy when he saw her.

  “Lisa! You came back. You didn’t leave me.”

  “Leave you? I would never do that. Now come on, we need to get out of here.”

  She ran to the chair and fumbled with the twine that kept the boy secure. Her fingers couldn’t undo the knots. She pulled at it, but couldn’t manage to free him. Sweat gathered on her neck. Outside, she could hear footsteps, and then someone’s fist pounded on the office door.

  It was Denis.

  “Lisa! Lisa, come out of there!”

  She ignored the noise. Her gaze flicked to the door that led out to the river, but she saw no one. That wouldn’t be true for long. They’d be here any second. She studied Denis’s desk for something, anything, that would cut the rope, and she spotted a pair of scissors stuck inside a misshapen ceramic mug, the kind of gift a child would make for a grandfather. She grabbed the scissors and used the blade to saw at the twine.

  It came apart into threads, and then it broke.

  She loosened the bonds that held him tight and pulled the rope away over Purdue’s head. His arms flew around her.

  “I love you, Lisa.”

  “I love you, too. Now let’s go!”

  She held his hand, and they sprinted for the patio door. Again she could see her reflection in the window; again she didn’t like what she saw. It didn’t matter. She pulled it open, letting in the storm. The backyard and the dark waters of the river were in front of them. When she took one more look back over her shoulder, she noticed an oil painting hung on the wall, and the sight of the painting made her heart break all over again.

  It was Danny. He was still watching over her.

  “Run, Purdue,” she said.

  37

  Denis was sitting on the stairs that led to the upstairs bedrooms, with his hands on his knees, when Deputy Garrett came through the broken window into the living room. The police officer had his gun drawn, and his gaze flew to the mirror that had been shot into a thousand pieces. As he walked across the carpet toward Denis, his boots crunched on shards of glass.

  “Are you okay, sir? What happened? I heard a gunshot.”

  Denis was still in shock himself and trying to work his way through it. “I’m all right, Garrett.”

  “What about your wife?”

  “Sleeping like a baby. She slept through the whole thing.”

  “What happened, sir?” Garrett asked.

  “It was Lisa Power.”

  “She shot at you?”

  “Yes, she did.” Denis shook his head. “Honestly, I never thought she’d go this far.”

  “Is she still here?”

  Denis nodded toward the office door. “She went in there and locked the door. I can’t hear anyone inside now, so I’m assuming she’s on the run again.”

  As if to confirm his suspicions, the office door opened from the other side. Deputy Garrett began to raise his weapon, but he lowered it again when he saw Deputy Stoll in the doorway of the office.

  “Lisa Power was here,” Garrett called to his partner. “Is anyone in the office?”

  Stoll had his gun drawn, too. “No, it’s empty. The patio door’s open. If she was there, she’s gone now. There are footsteps in the snow heading away toward the river.”

  Denis pushed himself to his feet from the stairs. His legs were rubbery, and he grabbed for his cane and leaned his weight on it. He limped toward the fireplace and stood in front of it, hypnotized by the flames. His silence weighed on the deputies, who were both impatient for instructions.

  “Sir?” Deputy Garrett said after a minute had passed. “What should we do?”

  “Do we think she’s still driving the Camaro?” Denis asked quietly.

  “As far as we know. We’ve been looking for it, but with the darkness and snow out there, we haven’t been able to find it yet.”

  Denis took another long length of time to process his thoughts. His mind kept replaying the gunshot that had roared past his head. The noise. The smell of the smoke. The cloud of glass. He ran his hand through his wild hair, and fragments of the mirror fell to the carpet.


  “She’ll be trying to get out of town,” he said. “There are only so many ways across the rivers.”

  “What do you want us to do?” Garrett asked.

  “Pull everyone in. Get every police car on the road. We have to keep her contained. Call East Grand Forks, Crookston, and Bemidji, and see if they can spare some men, too. And alert the border. It’s possible she may head to Canada.”

  “Yes, sir.” Deputy Garrett hesitated. “And what do you want me to tell them?”

  “That we need to find her,” Denis said.

  “Yes, I know, but they’re going to ask. What then? Do they confront her if they locate her? What are we supposed to do?”

  Denis closed his eyes. The fire was warm on his face, but he could feel the chill on his back from the wind blowing through the house. “Tell them she’s a threat,” he said.

  “Sir?”

  “She fired a gun at me, Garrett! If anyone confronts her, she’s likely to do it again. And we suspect she has more guns, don’t we? That’s what Curtis March said. Not just the Glock but assault rifles, too. This situation is explosive. I don’t want this getting out of hand any more than it already is. We need to find her and keep her locked down.”

  Garrett nodded. “What do we do if she fires at our people?”

  Denis rubbed his unshaved chin. He shook his head. “If she becomes a risk to anyone’s safety, then we fire back. We have no choice. We treat this like any other active shooter situation. Now get moving, go, we need to locate her before she gets out of Thief River Falls. There isn’t much time.”

  “Yes, sir.” Garrett turned for the door but then stopped. “Mr. Farrell, did she say anything about the missing boy?”

  Denis’s gaze was lost in the fire again. He didn’t answer.

  “Sir?” Garrett repeated. “Did she say what happened to the boy?”

  “No,” Denis murmured finally. “I still don’t know where Harlan is. I don’t know where she took him.”

  The groundskeeper trooped through the snow that was filling up Greenwood Cemetery. He wasn’t a happy man. It was late in the evening, and he’d already been at home in his pajamas with a Budweiser and an episode of NCIS on the flat screen when the public works director called him. Now he was back out in the cold. He wore a khaki parka with the zipper undone and the fur hood flapping behind him. He balanced the metal end of a shovel over his left shoulder.