Kit's Law (24 page)

“And I don’t have any either, Doctor,” cried Aunt Drucie.

“Drucie, get me a pan of lukewarm water and a cloth,” he commanded.

The second Aunt Drucie was out of the room, he was onto me.

“She’s been traumatized. What’s happened, Kit?”

“Nothing! I swear!”

“Has she been feeling sick, lately? A cold? Sniffles?” He watched me keenly as I kept shaking my head. “Kit, pneumonia don’t set in this fast, there’s something else complicating matters.”

I looked to Aunt Drucie with relief as she come hurrying back in with the wash pan and laid it on the dresser.

“I’ll go get some towels,” I said, running gratefully out of the room. Coming back in, I dropped one in the pan of water and stood back as Doctor Hodgins wrung it out and laid it across Josie’s forehead. A car sounded up on the road. And then another.

“My, my, who’s that now?” Aunt Drucie asked, clicking her tongue against her teeth and sticking her head out the window. “Lord above, it’s the reverend! And the Mounties! It’s the reverend and the Mounties,” she exclaimed, pulling her head back in and looking from me to Doctor Hodgins. Doctor Hodgins stared at me gravely.

“They’ll be wanting to speak with you, no doubt,” he said, wiping his hands on a towel. “Are you ready for this?”

I swallowed hard, trying to squelch the churning growing in my stomach.

“Wait here,” he commanded. Tossing the towel onto the bed, he left the room, closing the door firmly behind him.

“You wait here,” I commanded Aunt Drucie, softly opening the door and creeping out behind Doctor Hodgins. There were two of them, each dressed in black, tight-legged pants tucked inside long black boots, brown pressed shirts and black round-topped hats. The reverend come up behind them, and all three nodded politely at Doctor Hodgins, whose solid frame was blocking the doorway, and whose hands on each side of the door jamb, suggested he was about to keep it blocked.

“I suspect you know why we’ve come,” the reverend said, taking off his hat and edging its rim with his fingers. “We’d like to speak to Kit and her mother about Shine’s murder.”

“Unfortunately, Josie is extremely ill at this time,” Doctor Hodgins replied strongly. “I suggest you come back tomorrow, gentlemen.”

“What’s her sickness, Doctor?” the older of the two Mounties asked.

“She’s down with pneumonia.”

“I’m sorry to hear it,” the reverend half whispered. “Perhaps, if we were to talk with her for just a minute? It’s a serious matter, Doctor. I’m sure you’re aware.”

“I’m aware of nothing except my patient’s health,” Doctor Hodgins replied.

The older Mountie shifted uncomfortably.

“I’m sorry, Doctor, but if only for a minute.”

Doctor Hodgins hesitated, then, “A minute,” he said. “And it will be a minute, gentlemen.”

“First, the girl,” said the older Mountie as Doctor Hodgins turned to lead them down the hallway.

My stomach churned harder and my legs trembled as I stepped into the room before them. The older of the two, with a grey, curling moustache, shifted slowly from foot to foot, as if he was at sea on a restless swell, while the younger one remained steady besides him, keeping the same stern look on his face that I’d often seen on Sid’s when he was trying to get Josie to understand something that he believed was important. Unable to hold their stares, I stood as close to Doctor Hodgins as I could without touching him, and kept my eyes to the older Mountie’s belt buckle. He bent over to peer into my eyes.

“Are you Kit?” he asked, somewhat kindly.

I nodded.

“And you knew the man called Shine?”

I shook my head. The Mountie faltered, then looked questioningly at those listening.

“But you know who Shine is,” he tried again, turning back to me.

I kept staring.

“Does she speak?” asked the Mountie, looking to Doctor Hodgins as the reverend clucked his tongue, impatiently.

Doctor Hodgins arched his brow.

“I expect she’s waiting for a question,” he replied.

The Mountie sniffed irritably and peered more sharply into my eyes.

“Do you know who Shine is?” he demanded, his tone bereft of his former kindness.

“Yes,” I mumbled.

“When was the last time you saw him?” he asked.

“Today,” said I.

“Today?” queried the Mountie.

“Alive!” snapped the reverend. “When was the last time you seen Shine alive?”

“Guy Fawkes Night,” I murmured, blocking out the memory of Nan shooting at him with the rifle from the partridgeberry patch.

“And that was the last time you saw him?” asked the reverend.

There was a silence, then the reverend was pushing the Mountie to one side and staring into my face.

“Didn’t you see him yesterday? Right here?” he spat. I flared my nostrils against the sour smell of his breath wafting into my face, refusing to lift my eyes from the Mountie’s buckle.

“What about your mother?” he pushed when I didn’t answer. “Didn’t she see Shine yesterday?”

“Shouldn’t you be asking Josie that?” asked Doctor Hodgins, shifting impatiently.

Tucking his thumbs behind his belt buckle, the Mountie nodded at Doctor Hodgins.

“Perhaps we’ll speak with the mother,” he said. “After you, Doctor.”

“Go alert Drucie, Kit,” Doctor Hodgins said, nudging me towards the hall. “We’ll give Drucie a minute to cover her,” he said to the Mounties and the reverend. “She was sponging her down when I left her.”

Relaxing my breath, I darted on weakened legs down the hallway and into Josie’s room, pushing Aunt Drucie to one side as she clung onto my arm, crying in alarm, “What can they want, Kit? My God, what can they want with we?”

“Tell them nothin’,” I whispered hotly to Josie, grabbing hold of her hand. She was quiet now, with her eyes closed, and the towel Doctor Hodgins had laid across her forehead pulled to one side. “Tell them nothin’!” I whispered again, lowering my mouth to her ear. “Nothin’! God’s law! God’s law!”

I let go of her hand as the door opened, and sprang back from the side of the bed as the reverend scooted in, the two Mounties behind him.

“Hello, Josie,” the reverend said, taking a spot by her bed and leaning over her.

Josie’s eyes sprang open at the sound of the reverend’s voice, and she shrank back to see him leaning over her bed, staring down at her. Whimpering softly, she flung out her hand towards Doctor Hodgins, her face paling against the white of her pillow, and the red of her hair dulling to that of a dying ember.

Doctor Hodgins wrapped both his hands around her wrist and held her hand against his chest.

“I’m right here,” he said quietly. “They just want to ask you some questions.”

“You know who the Mounties are, don’t you, Josie?” the reverend asked, a quick smile jarring the corners of his mouth. “They’re the law. That means you must tell them the truth.”

The elder Mountie stepped closer to the bed.

“We won’t take long, ma’am. You’ll pardon us for bothering you while you’re sick.”

Josie closed her eyes, her breathing coming hard and scratchy.

“We want to ask you about Shine,” the Mountie said, and paused as she started whimpering at mention of Shine’s name.

“He was killed yesterday,” the Mountie started up again. “Were you with Shine yesterday?”

“God above … ” Aunt Drucie gasped, her hand to her heart.

“Answer the question, Josie,” the reverend said forcefully as Josie began to roll her head on her pillow. Then, her eyes shot open and she stared frantically at the faces standing all around her. Opening her mouth, she made to speak, but faltered as she came to the reverend.

“Did you see Shine yesterday?” he repeated almost kindly.

Her mouth started working to say something, and all the time she stared into the reverend’s eyes as if hypnotized.

“Shine,” he whispered. “Did you see him?”

“Shi-Shine … ” she whispered through parched lips, and her eyes started to roll.

“Answer me, Josie,” the reverend coaxed. “Did you see Shine yesterday? Answer me, now, and then we’ll leave you be.”

She steadied her gaze onto the reverend’s and worked her mouth to speak again.

“God’s law,” I said softly, the words leaving my mouth before I had a chance to check them. Her eyes flew to mine, and she screwed up her mouth like a sick baby.

“What’s that?” the reverend hissed, looking wildly from Josie to me.

“God’s law!” Josie cried, streaks of yellow brimming through hot, pooling tears. “God’s law! God’s law! God’s law!”

“I’m afraid you’ll have to leave,” Doctor Hodgins said, laying a hand across Josie’s forehead as her voice started to rise hysterically.

“What’s she saying?” the reverend demanded.

“God’s law! God’s law!” Josie shouted.

And Aunt Drucie started fluttering around the room, moaning helplessly, “If Lizzy was here now, if Lizzy was here now … ”

“Everybody out,” Doctor Hodgins commanded. “Kit, see them to the door.”

“We’ll be back later this evening,” the younger Mountie said, backing down the hall and nodding politely to me and Doctor Hodgins.

“Not on this evening you won’t, gentlemen,” Doctor Hodgins said in the voice of one not used to having his word questioned. “And perhaps not tomorrow.”

The Reverend Ropson was the last to go. Leaning towards Doctor Hodgins, he spoke in a hardened whisper.

“Either she bore witness to a murder, or committed murder, Doctor. Will you interfere with the law?”

“I’ll do whatever’s best for my patient, Reverend.”

They stared at each other, their unsung battle raging at its fullest. Then the reverend twisted on his heel and marched down the hall behind the Mounties.

“See them out, Kit,” Doctor Hodgins said, turning back to Josie. “Drucie, wet me another towel.”

Just as I was turning on my heel to follow after them, Sid’s head appeared in the window behind where Aunt Drucie was standing.

“I-I’ll be a minute,” I said to Doctor Hodgins. “I have to be excused.”

I watched from the door till the reverend and the Mounties got into their cars and drove off, and then ran to the grassy spot at the back of the house. Sid’s arm snatched out and grabbed me as I came around the corner and I fell against him with a sob.

“Shh, now, you’re doing fine,” he whispered urgently.

“They know,” I cried.

“They don’t know nothing. It’s the reverend trying to make it look as if they know.”

“Doctor Hodgins knows something’s wrong.”

“Let him think what he wants. We won’t say nothing, do you understand? Nothing!”

“Oh God, I don’t know! I don’t know! I’m so scared!”

“Hey, now, I’m here, I’m right here. You’ve got to listen to me, Kit. I’m not going to let anything happen to you or Josie. You’ve got to start believing that. Will you start believing that?”

I tried to hold back my sobs.

“I’m afraid … ”

“Shh, don’t be afraid, nothing’s going to happen to you. Just don’t say anything.”

“I-I’ve got to get back.”

He pulled me tighter.

“I’m always going to take care of you, Kit,” he whispered.

“You can’t stay here.”

“I won’t be far, keep remembering that.” Letting go of me, he slipped out of sight around the corner of the house.

When I got back inside, Doctor Hodgins was standing by the stove with his back to me.

“Her temperature’s dropping,” he said. “Drucie’s sponging her down. Start getting some warm tea in her as soon as you can, with a bit of lemon. I have to drive by Herm’s place, he’s not doing so well. Then I’ll go and get some aspirin from the clinic, it’ll help her rest easier. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He give me a long, sombre look.

“There’s such a thing as timing, Kit, I’m allowing for it. But when things have ironed themselves out, I expect to be told what happened out here last night.”

A silence fell, and in that moment I wished I was able to share with him the burden of the past day, for I believed he would have felt proud had I done so, and I wanted to make him proud. It was as if he heard my thoughts, for his next words held a glimmer of pride.

“You’re doing good by Josie, Kit. Lizzy would be pleased.” Lifting his bag off the table, he give me a sad little smile. “Why wouldn’t she be? You’re getting to be every bit as stubborn as the old girl herself.” He turned to walk out the door, then paused on the stoop, the sombre look back again.

“You might want to light a fire right about now,” he said, nodding towards the stove. “Get the chill out of the house.”

I turned a puzzled look towards the stove. Aside from a dry wind picking up, it was warm and stuffy, both inside and out. Pushing back the stove-top, I peered inside. There, half burnt, and in full view, was a piece of Sid’s blood-covered shirt.

Running around to the side of the house, I grabbed hold of the kerosene can and lugged it back inside. Dousing the damning scrap of cloth, I frantically lit a match and tossed it through the top hole. Flames licked up over the stove and I stood there watching them burn till there was nothing left but ashes.

S
ID’S
S
TAND

A
DOG YAPPED OUTSIDE, SENDING
shivers of added fear down my spine. Shine’s crackie! Pulling the stove-top back into place, I ran to the door and cringed to see it standing on the lip of the gully. “Get!” I shrieked. “What did you say, Kit?” Aunt Drucie bawled out. “I’ll be right back,” I yelled, then ran out the door and, picking up a rock, pitched it at the dog. He scampered backwards a few feet, then just stood there, staring back at me. “Get, you little bastard,” I yelled, picking up another rock and running after him. I chased him, running hard down the gully until I came out on the beach, then turned up towards Fox Point. He had stopped and was sitting near a clump of alders. “You get!” I screamed, letting fire with the rock I still held in my hand. Yelping loudly, the dog started trotting up the beach. I watched for a second, then noted a dark bundle poking out of the bushes where the crackie had been sitting. I took a few steps closer, my heart quickening. It was Shine’s gunny sack!

I darted over to where it was sitting and, opening its flap, started filling it with rocks. Dragging it to the water’s edge, I lifted it with a loud grunt and heaved it into the sea. It sunk the instant it hit the water. The crackie started yelping again and, casting me a look that warned of a devil’s drowning by sea if I ever got close enough, he gave a couple of sharp barks and trotted up the shore. Taking a good look around to ensure there was nothing more of Shine’s left behind, I started back up the gully, searching every rock and blade of grass on the way. There was nothing. Last night’s rain had washed away any trace of Shine that Sid and I might have overlooked.