the dates Dee could see they'd stopped taking patients over a week ago, but... she turned a couple of pages back and found the day she wanted: June 24. Now she looked at 'Reason for Visit.'
They'd never put up with that in the city with everyone paranoid about privacy, thought Dee. Come on, come on... “Here it is!” she told Hyrum excitedly. “Sally Markham Fife, reason for visit: C-section.” Dee read further over and gasped. “Oh no. Oh no.”
“What's wrong?” said Hyrum.
“Look,” she pointed. Next to Sally's line on the chart were three letters in someone else's handwriting. “DOA,” Dee said out loud. “Dead on arrival.”
She leaned on the counter tiredly. “It was all for nothing,” she said finally. “The truck's gone, Sally and the baby are dead. What's even the point?”
Hyrum sat on the floor next to her. “Let's just talk it through,” he said. “Where would you go if you were that husband?”
Dee shrugged. “I dunno.”
“You told me the husband said God sent them the truck. So he's religious, right? Maybe he went somewhere to pray. There's a Catholic church not far from here.”
They walked back out into the afternoon sunshine and blinked to clear their eyes after the dim interior of the clinic. Dee looked around. “You've got to be kidding me,” she said flatly.
The bikes were gone.
Hyrum ran to the street and scanned both directions, but it was no use and they both knew it.
“Come on,” she said, starting to walk back the way they'd come. “Forget the church. It's going to take us hours to get home as it is. Let's go.”
Hyrum grabbed her arm, “Can you humor me on this? I've just got a feeling about the church. I think we're supposed to go there.”
Dee looked up into Hyrum's eyes. He was serious.
“Fine,” she said, shaking off his arm. “We'll go for a minute, but that's it.”
It took a lot longer to cross the town on foot, and Dee felt the silence of the empty streets was even more oppressive. Now she was sure they were being watched.
As they approached the church, they saw three tall, decorative crosses on the front grounds. A crowd was gathered near the foot of the crosses, blocking their view of what was happening. Hyrum saw someone he knew and he filled him in.
“The Sheriff caught a thief this afternoon,” the teenager said. He looked about Hyrum's age and Dee guessed they knew each other from school. “This guy has a lot of nerve,” the young man continued. “He walked right into a house and came out carrying a grocery bag of food. In broad daylight.” he added in disgust.
Dee hopped up and down trying to get a glimpse of the thief. There was finally a break in the crowd and Dee got a good look at him. He stood at the base of the central cross with his hands cuffed behind the back of the cross. As Dee watched, one of the women in the crowd spat on him. Unable to wipe his face, the spittle dripped slowly down his cheek. Dee locked eyes with him and stared in horror. Though he was thinner than he'd been a few weeks ago when she'd last seen him, there was still no mistaking him. It was Mason.
“So how long does he have to stay here?” Hyrum was asking.
“Just for the night. Sheriff wants everyone to get a good look at the thief.”
“Then what?” asked Hyrum. “Are they going to run him out of town in the morning?”
“No,” she heard the young man next to her say. “In the morning they're going to shoot him.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Y OU CAN ’ T BE SERIOUS ,” Dee snapped. “That’s ridiculous. You don’t shoot someone for stealing food.”
Another voice near Dee piped up, “That’s what I’ve been saying. He’s just a kid and he hasn’t even had a trial.” It was an older man in a jacket and he looked vaguely familiar.
“You’re wrong, Max. We’ve gotta set an example. Show folks what happens to thieves.”
“But public executions for minor infractions? That’s taking it too far.” The murmur of the crowd
They'd never put up with that in the city with everyone paranoid about privacy, thought Dee. Come on, come on... “Here it is!” she told Hyrum excitedly. “Sally Markham Fife, reason for visit: C-section.” Dee read further over and gasped. “Oh no. Oh no.”
“What's wrong?” said Hyrum.
“Look,” she pointed. Next to Sally's line on the chart were three letters in someone else's handwriting. “DOA,” Dee said out loud. “Dead on arrival.”
She leaned on the counter tiredly. “It was all for nothing,” she said finally. “The truck's gone, Sally and the baby are dead. What's even the point?”
Hyrum sat on the floor next to her. “Let's just talk it through,” he said. “Where would you go if you were that husband?”
Dee shrugged. “I dunno.”
“You told me the husband said God sent them the truck. So he's religious, right? Maybe he went somewhere to pray. There's a Catholic church not far from here.”
They walked back out into the afternoon sunshine and blinked to clear their eyes after the dim interior of the clinic. Dee looked around. “You've got to be kidding me,” she said flatly.
The bikes were gone.
Hyrum ran to the street and scanned both directions, but it was no use and they both knew it.
“Come on,” she said, starting to walk back the way they'd come. “Forget the church. It's going to take us hours to get home as it is. Let's go.”
Hyrum grabbed her arm, “Can you humor me on this? I've just got a feeling about the church. I think we're supposed to go there.”
Dee looked up into Hyrum's eyes. He was serious.
“Fine,” she said, shaking off his arm. “We'll go for a minute, but that's it.”
It took a lot longer to cross the town on foot, and Dee felt the silence of the empty streets was even more oppressive. Now she was sure they were being watched.
As they approached the church, they saw three tall, decorative crosses on the front grounds. A crowd was gathered near the foot of the crosses, blocking their view of what was happening. Hyrum saw someone he knew and he filled him in.
“The Sheriff caught a thief this afternoon,” the teenager said. He looked about Hyrum's age and Dee guessed they knew each other from school. “This guy has a lot of nerve,” the young man continued. “He walked right into a house and came out carrying a grocery bag of food. In broad daylight.” he added in disgust.
Dee hopped up and down trying to get a glimpse of the thief. There was finally a break in the crowd and Dee got a good look at him. He stood at the base of the central cross with his hands cuffed behind the back of the cross. As Dee watched, one of the women in the crowd spat on him. Unable to wipe his face, the spittle dripped slowly down his cheek. Dee locked eyes with him and stared in horror. Though he was thinner than he'd been a few weeks ago when she'd last seen him, there was still no mistaking him. It was Mason.
“So how long does he have to stay here?” Hyrum was asking.
“Just for the night. Sheriff wants everyone to get a good look at the thief.”
“Then what?” asked Hyrum. “Are they going to run him out of town in the morning?”
“No,” she heard the young man next to her say. “In the morning they're going to shoot him.”
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Y OU CAN ’ T BE SERIOUS ,” Dee snapped. “That’s ridiculous. You don’t shoot someone for stealing food.”
Another voice near Dee piped up, “That’s what I’ve been saying. He’s just a kid and he hasn’t even had a trial.” It was an older man in a jacket and he looked vaguely familiar.
“You’re wrong, Max. We’ve gotta set an example. Show folks what happens to thieves.”
“But public executions for minor infractions? That’s taking it too far.” The murmur of the crowd
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