Helen. “He was warming up to the idea of late. He even
switched his major … to business.”
“ Doesn’t matter now. He’s
gone. What’s done is done and that’s that.”
“ With a little help from
us, Jess could easily run the farm,” said Helen. “Maybe she’s not
family, but—”
“ There is … no farm!” said
Ren, his words punctuated by fits of coughing. “My business is
gone. I no longer have a nephew. And that’s that. We all just have
to move on. That is all there is to say about the matter.” Helen
handed him a glass of water and he sipped from a straw until his
eruptions calmed.
“ It’s a damned shame,” said
Ren, his voice as raspy as a rip saw. “The boy should have never
left for the north. He should have—”
“… never made friends with
me,” said Karla. “I am to blame. I am the one who involved him in
this wickedness.”
“ No, Karla,” said Helen.
“Don’t be silly. This has nothing to do with you. How could it?
These things happen. It was an accident.”
“ Was it really?” said
Karla.
“ What are you saying?” I
whispered.
Her eyes bored in on me. “Come out in
the hall. We need to talk.”
She took my arm and led me out into
the ward. Renfrew tried to say something as we left but all he
could manage was a wheeze. We wandered down the hall to a quiet
place near the elevators.
“ First Sturgie. Now this,”
said Karla. “The two must be connected, no?”
“ But how?”
“ Wendell … and
Zhang.”
“ You mean he’s trying to
extort me? I didn’t hear him make any threats, did you?”
“ It must be so. They are
trying to encourage you to cross.”
“ Encourage me? By killing
my friends? Burning their homes?”
“ They want you to try. I …
want you to try.”
“ I’ve tried. You know I
have.”
“ Do I?”
“ It’s no use. I’ve lost the
knack.”
“ Because of me?”
“ Because I’m happy. Is that
a crime? I mean, I feel terrible about Sturgie and the farm. But
it’s not like it makes me want to kill myself. Not even close. They
think this is a way to get me to cross? That’s just
stupid.”
“ Then how? What if they
threaten to hurt someone else?”
“ Doesn’t matter. I’m done
with that place. The sooner they get that into their thick skulls
the better. I can’t encourage them by reacting to this crap. I
still don’t understand why they want me there so badly.”
Karla’s eyes took on a faraway gaze.
“I think it’s time we found out.” Her face went flaccid and blank.
She turned away from me.
“ Hey. What’s wrong? You
okay?”
“ Nothing is wrong. I am
fine. I am simply preparing myself.”
“ For what?”
“ I’ve had enough of this.
Tonight, I will cross. This is something I need to do … for the
both of us.”
Chapter 11:
Spades
Helen and Jessica were staying in town
with their friends Fiona and Britt, the gay couple who had harbored
Isobel for a time after she left the farm right before she had
taken off for Cardiff. Karla knew them well, having stayed with
them herself while I was in prison on one of her several futile
hunts for her missing sister.
When Fiona and Britt found out that we
were in town, we were immediately offered a place to stay. They set
up a futon for us in the attic they used as a studio. It was a bit
stuffy up there, but they brought us a fan. We propped open the
windows and it aired out nicely.
Dinner was pork loin simmered in tea
with asparagus and polenta. Tea pork, they called it. They served
it cold and it was really tasty. Afterwards we had almond macaroons
and Prosecco. Our conversation kept drifting to Izzie.
“ I can’t help feeling she
left because of us,” said Fiona. “That she just wasn’t comfortable
here.”
“ I find that hard to
believe,” said Jessica. “She raved about you gals.”
“ She told us the Cardiff
thing was to be temporary,” said Britt. “She went to help out a
band she had met at the Green Man festival. A punk band I
switched his major … to business.”
“ Doesn’t matter now. He’s
gone. What’s done is done and that’s that.”
“ With a little help from
us, Jess could easily run the farm,” said Helen. “Maybe she’s not
family, but—”
“ There is … no farm!” said
Ren, his words punctuated by fits of coughing. “My business is
gone. I no longer have a nephew. And that’s that. We all just have
to move on. That is all there is to say about the matter.” Helen
handed him a glass of water and he sipped from a straw until his
eruptions calmed.
“ It’s a damned shame,” said
Ren, his voice as raspy as a rip saw. “The boy should have never
left for the north. He should have—”
“… never made friends with
me,” said Karla. “I am to blame. I am the one who involved him in
this wickedness.”
“ No, Karla,” said Helen.
“Don’t be silly. This has nothing to do with you. How could it?
These things happen. It was an accident.”
“ Was it really?” said
Karla.
“ What are you saying?” I
whispered.
Her eyes bored in on me. “Come out in
the hall. We need to talk.”
She took my arm and led me out into
the ward. Renfrew tried to say something as we left but all he
could manage was a wheeze. We wandered down the hall to a quiet
place near the elevators.
“ First Sturgie. Now this,”
said Karla. “The two must be connected, no?”
“ But how?”
“ Wendell … and
Zhang.”
“ You mean he’s trying to
extort me? I didn’t hear him make any threats, did you?”
“ It must be so. They are
trying to encourage you to cross.”
“ Encourage me? By killing
my friends? Burning their homes?”
“ They want you to try. I …
want you to try.”
“ I’ve tried. You know I
have.”
“ Do I?”
“ It’s no use. I’ve lost the
knack.”
“ Because of me?”
“ Because I’m happy. Is that
a crime? I mean, I feel terrible about Sturgie and the farm. But
it’s not like it makes me want to kill myself. Not even close. They
think this is a way to get me to cross? That’s just
stupid.”
“ Then how? What if they
threaten to hurt someone else?”
“ Doesn’t matter. I’m done
with that place. The sooner they get that into their thick skulls
the better. I can’t encourage them by reacting to this crap. I
still don’t understand why they want me there so badly.”
Karla’s eyes took on a faraway gaze.
“I think it’s time we found out.” Her face went flaccid and blank.
She turned away from me.
“ Hey. What’s wrong? You
okay?”
“ Nothing is wrong. I am
fine. I am simply preparing myself.”
“ For what?”
“ I’ve had enough of this.
Tonight, I will cross. This is something I need to do … for the
both of us.”
Chapter 11:
Spades
Helen and Jessica were staying in town
with their friends Fiona and Britt, the gay couple who had harbored
Isobel for a time after she left the farm right before she had
taken off for Cardiff. Karla knew them well, having stayed with
them herself while I was in prison on one of her several futile
hunts for her missing sister.
When Fiona and Britt found out that we
were in town, we were immediately offered a place to stay. They set
up a futon for us in the attic they used as a studio. It was a bit
stuffy up there, but they brought us a fan. We propped open the
windows and it aired out nicely.
Dinner was pork loin simmered in tea
with asparagus and polenta. Tea pork, they called it. They served
it cold and it was really tasty. Afterwards we had almond macaroons
and Prosecco. Our conversation kept drifting to Izzie.
“ I can’t help feeling she
left because of us,” said Fiona. “That she just wasn’t comfortable
here.”
“ I find that hard to
believe,” said Jessica. “She raved about you gals.”
“ She told us the Cardiff
thing was to be temporary,” said Britt. “She went to help out a
band she had met at the Green Man festival. A punk band I
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