afraid for you,” replied Decks. “I was afraid you’d feel the lure of the water, too. Your mother said it was like a sound, a song in her head. That’s how powerful it was, don’t you see? I didn’t want the same thing to happen to you.”
“You never saw her dead?” Monica asked, insistent.
“No.”
“Then you can’t be sure, can you? Maybe they were hiding.”
“I can’t believe that,” Decks muttered, more to himself than anyone else. “David was already half dead when I last saw him—”
Paul stared at him, stunned. “You’re the younger brother.”
Decks looked back in silence.
Monica was shaking her head in disbelief. “No, it’s not true. I remember you when I was little. You lived in the houseboat. You weren’t a Waterdrinker. Mom said you tried—”
“But it didn’t take with me. I couldn’t share what they had. So maybe there was jealousy in me. But I left Rat Castle over twelve years ago, not long after David began his experiments. I went back from time to time, to plead with him to stop. Each time, there were fewer people and he was more mad and wizened. The last time I saw him—a few months before your mother disappeared—I knew he couldn’t last much longer.” Decks hesitated but then continued in a forceful voice. “And it’s right that he died. It’s right that the experiments are over, because the water’s evil.” He raised his finger at Paul. “And if this brother of yours is doing the same work, he may end up dead long before Cityweb finds him.”
“Can you show me the way inside?”
“You want to save him, do you?” said Decks softly. “But ask yourself this: does he want to be saved? I tried with David. Once he’s taken the water in abundance, you won’t be able to stop him.”
“Yes I will.” What did Decks know about it? He didn’t know Sam, didn’t know either of them,their whole history together. Sam wanted him here: he’d telephoned; he’d haunted Paul through Watertown! At night on the pier, he’d come to watch Paul through the stilt-house window. How could Decks possibly understand?
“Try to understand what I’m going to say,” Decks said. “I think it would be best if we let him be.”
“Let him kill himself?” asked Paul incredulously.
“He’s made his choice.”
“Say we did leave him,” said Paul as calmly as possible. “Cityweb will find him eventually. And if it’s something they really want to cover up, they won’t kill just Sam; they’ll kill everyone who knows about the dead water. All of us, everyone who has the water in them. I’m not asking anyone to go with me. Just show me the way inside!”
“I’m going, too,” said Monica.
“She won’t be there,” Armitage sneered. “Haven’t you been listening to Decks? She’s dead.”
“I want to see this place for myself!” Her eyes were bright and hard.
“Is that all you can think about? Don’t you see what’s going on around you? Our business is ruined, Monica! Cityweb’s going to shut me down. Everything I’ve worked for, gone!”
Monica looked down at the bottom of the boat. “This is important to me, Armitage. Understand, please.”
“No, I don’t understand,” he snapped angrily, but Paul thought he heard his voice quaver. “I was trying to hold things together, and she was off wandering, looking for the perfect fix. She didn’t care. But I cared, and now everything’s coming apart!”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “Really, I am.”
But Armitage just glared ahead into the mist, steering them back to Watertown.
“You’ll show us, won’t you, Decks?” Monica asked.
“If that’s what it really takes to bury this, I’ll take you both in,” said Decks grimly. He turned to Paul. “You may find your brother, but I’m warning you—you won’t recognize what he’s become.”
11
W ITH A RUSTY SHRIEK , the gate swung slowly back.
Long strands of bulbous green weed trailed from the huge pilings, fanning out across the dark
“You never saw her dead?” Monica asked, insistent.
“No.”
“Then you can’t be sure, can you? Maybe they were hiding.”
“I can’t believe that,” Decks muttered, more to himself than anyone else. “David was already half dead when I last saw him—”
Paul stared at him, stunned. “You’re the younger brother.”
Decks looked back in silence.
Monica was shaking her head in disbelief. “No, it’s not true. I remember you when I was little. You lived in the houseboat. You weren’t a Waterdrinker. Mom said you tried—”
“But it didn’t take with me. I couldn’t share what they had. So maybe there was jealousy in me. But I left Rat Castle over twelve years ago, not long after David began his experiments. I went back from time to time, to plead with him to stop. Each time, there were fewer people and he was more mad and wizened. The last time I saw him—a few months before your mother disappeared—I knew he couldn’t last much longer.” Decks hesitated but then continued in a forceful voice. “And it’s right that he died. It’s right that the experiments are over, because the water’s evil.” He raised his finger at Paul. “And if this brother of yours is doing the same work, he may end up dead long before Cityweb finds him.”
“Can you show me the way inside?”
“You want to save him, do you?” said Decks softly. “But ask yourself this: does he want to be saved? I tried with David. Once he’s taken the water in abundance, you won’t be able to stop him.”
“Yes I will.” What did Decks know about it? He didn’t know Sam, didn’t know either of them,their whole history together. Sam wanted him here: he’d telephoned; he’d haunted Paul through Watertown! At night on the pier, he’d come to watch Paul through the stilt-house window. How could Decks possibly understand?
“Try to understand what I’m going to say,” Decks said. “I think it would be best if we let him be.”
“Let him kill himself?” asked Paul incredulously.
“He’s made his choice.”
“Say we did leave him,” said Paul as calmly as possible. “Cityweb will find him eventually. And if it’s something they really want to cover up, they won’t kill just Sam; they’ll kill everyone who knows about the dead water. All of us, everyone who has the water in them. I’m not asking anyone to go with me. Just show me the way inside!”
“I’m going, too,” said Monica.
“She won’t be there,” Armitage sneered. “Haven’t you been listening to Decks? She’s dead.”
“I want to see this place for myself!” Her eyes were bright and hard.
“Is that all you can think about? Don’t you see what’s going on around you? Our business is ruined, Monica! Cityweb’s going to shut me down. Everything I’ve worked for, gone!”
Monica looked down at the bottom of the boat. “This is important to me, Armitage. Understand, please.”
“No, I don’t understand,” he snapped angrily, but Paul thought he heard his voice quaver. “I was trying to hold things together, and she was off wandering, looking for the perfect fix. She didn’t care. But I cared, and now everything’s coming apart!”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “Really, I am.”
But Armitage just glared ahead into the mist, steering them back to Watertown.
“You’ll show us, won’t you, Decks?” Monica asked.
“If that’s what it really takes to bury this, I’ll take you both in,” said Decks grimly. He turned to Paul. “You may find your brother, but I’m warning you—you won’t recognize what he’s become.”
11
W ITH A RUSTY SHRIEK , the gate swung slowly back.
Long strands of bulbous green weed trailed from the huge pilings, fanning out across the dark
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