dead horse, and it turned out it had been booby-trapped. When they went to open the pack on its back, it exploded. It killed three men, including Allan, and wounded four others. Not bad for one dead horse,” she laughed emptily.
“Ray stayed for a while and tried to help me, but he had his own family back east. I convinced him I’d be okay, and he finally agreed to leave. There wouldn’t have been much he could do anyway. He’s probably in the same boat with his own family – maybe even worse. I hear things are pretty desperate down there.”
Her voice broke slightly as she continued, “I wish to God I’d never agreed to let him enlist…I think about the dreams we had – a home, a family, children – some kind of life – growing old together."
She tossed her hair absently in a way that he found surprisingly charming.
"Then,” she said, “In a split-second – with one dead horse – it was all gone forever. After all this time I still think about it. Isn't that crazy?"
"No, it’s not crazy – it’s Human.”
She stared across the space at the fading photograph. “They say time heals all wounds, but I don’t think that’s right. It just buries them a little deeper every year until eventually they’re out of sight, but never really forgotten.”
“So you never found anyone else in all this time?"
“Other than Doyle?” she laughed. “You may not have noticed, but there aren’t exactly hordes of eligible bachelors running around Surrey these days – though I guess Bert and Karl are still available.” They both laughed.
The melody of the flute player grew louder and more intense. It switched to a series of sharp bursts of staccato notes.
A male voice nearby yelled, “Shut the hell up!” The flute playing stopped abruptly.
“So what about you?” Carrie said.
Richard told her about his parents’ murder, his promise to his dying mother, and his search for Danny.
“He’s been gone more than a week now,” he continued. “I went to the police, but they’ve got more important problems. So it’s up to me.”
“What makes you think he came out here?”
“I found his journal. From what I can gather he and Zonk came out here all the time.”
"Zonk?"
"Danny’s dog. Danny never went anywhere without him, so it’s almost certain Zonk would have come along. Zonk showed up at home a few days ago, but without Danny.”
Richard put his empty plate down on the bed beside him. “The journal’s vague,” he said, “but it sounds like Danny stumbled onto something out here – something he thought was important. Does the word ‘Eldorado’ mean anything to you?”
She thought for a second, then said, “No, not a thing.”
“He talks about King George Sky-train station,” Richard continued. “He gives directions to a location, by the number of blocks, but he doesn’t say what’s there. That’s where I met up with the Rippers – I think I found a landmark from the journal, but nothing to indicate what happened to Danny. I’m not even sure I got the block count right.”
“What is this ‘Eldorado’?”
“I have no idea. It was scrawled in some of the pages of the journal. There’s also the words ‘Wild Rose Energy’, with the ‘i’ in ‘Wild’ replaced with an asterisk – like this.” He grabbed his pack and showed her the copy he’d made of the entry.
“Means nothing to me,” she said, shaking her head.
“Now that I’ve seen the place, it seems pointless to keep wandering around out here. I’m not even sure why I came – I don’t know what I was expecting to find.”
Richard hung his head. “My uncle helped me jump the Food Train. A guard shot him; he’s probably dead because of me. I should have stayed in town and waited for news. I kept picturing Danny lying hurt or dying in an alley somewhere…”
“You did what you had to do,” she said.
She drew her knees up underneath her on the bed. “So what happens now?”
“I guess I’ll head back to
“Ray stayed for a while and tried to help me, but he had his own family back east. I convinced him I’d be okay, and he finally agreed to leave. There wouldn’t have been much he could do anyway. He’s probably in the same boat with his own family – maybe even worse. I hear things are pretty desperate down there.”
Her voice broke slightly as she continued, “I wish to God I’d never agreed to let him enlist…I think about the dreams we had – a home, a family, children – some kind of life – growing old together."
She tossed her hair absently in a way that he found surprisingly charming.
"Then,” she said, “In a split-second – with one dead horse – it was all gone forever. After all this time I still think about it. Isn't that crazy?"
"No, it’s not crazy – it’s Human.”
She stared across the space at the fading photograph. “They say time heals all wounds, but I don’t think that’s right. It just buries them a little deeper every year until eventually they’re out of sight, but never really forgotten.”
“So you never found anyone else in all this time?"
“Other than Doyle?” she laughed. “You may not have noticed, but there aren’t exactly hordes of eligible bachelors running around Surrey these days – though I guess Bert and Karl are still available.” They both laughed.
The melody of the flute player grew louder and more intense. It switched to a series of sharp bursts of staccato notes.
A male voice nearby yelled, “Shut the hell up!” The flute playing stopped abruptly.
“So what about you?” Carrie said.
Richard told her about his parents’ murder, his promise to his dying mother, and his search for Danny.
“He’s been gone more than a week now,” he continued. “I went to the police, but they’ve got more important problems. So it’s up to me.”
“What makes you think he came out here?”
“I found his journal. From what I can gather he and Zonk came out here all the time.”
"Zonk?"
"Danny’s dog. Danny never went anywhere without him, so it’s almost certain Zonk would have come along. Zonk showed up at home a few days ago, but without Danny.”
Richard put his empty plate down on the bed beside him. “The journal’s vague,” he said, “but it sounds like Danny stumbled onto something out here – something he thought was important. Does the word ‘Eldorado’ mean anything to you?”
She thought for a second, then said, “No, not a thing.”
“He talks about King George Sky-train station,” Richard continued. “He gives directions to a location, by the number of blocks, but he doesn’t say what’s there. That’s where I met up with the Rippers – I think I found a landmark from the journal, but nothing to indicate what happened to Danny. I’m not even sure I got the block count right.”
“What is this ‘Eldorado’?”
“I have no idea. It was scrawled in some of the pages of the journal. There’s also the words ‘Wild Rose Energy’, with the ‘i’ in ‘Wild’ replaced with an asterisk – like this.” He grabbed his pack and showed her the copy he’d made of the entry.
“Means nothing to me,” she said, shaking her head.
“Now that I’ve seen the place, it seems pointless to keep wandering around out here. I’m not even sure why I came – I don’t know what I was expecting to find.”
Richard hung his head. “My uncle helped me jump the Food Train. A guard shot him; he’s probably dead because of me. I should have stayed in town and waited for news. I kept picturing Danny lying hurt or dying in an alley somewhere…”
“You did what you had to do,” she said.
She drew her knees up underneath her on the bed. “So what happens now?”
“I guess I’ll head back to
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