The Repossession (40 page)

Everywhere in Spurlake and around he was faced with people who lacked vision or guts. Of course, they urgently needed to know how and why the transmission had worked, why the instrumentation recorded it as a failure when in fact it had been a fantastic success. Teleportation

was a proven process now. But why had it suddenly worked? Why had there been no trace of Genie Magee in the system, almost as if she had never been there? They had to recapture her. He had to convince the new CEO

that she was the key, the number one priority. Security people had reassured him that they’d have her in hand by nightfall, but here it was, nearly ten, and no one knew where she was. She was the missing link, he was sure of it. He’d be the first to confess that he’d been happy to know she was dead, and when she’d burst into his Church with the others, confronted him, no one had been more surprised than himself. To see her alive, along with all the others he’d been so certain were dead, had filled him with dread at first, then astonishment and finally exhilaration. If ever there was a proof of miracles, this was it. Genie Magee had to be found, he was certain she was the key.

A gasp went up from the assembled group. ‘Oh my God, it’s Strindberg.’

There was a uniform feeling of dread. Carson Strindberg.

He had the reputation of being ruthless, a man with a huge ego. Been with Fortransco from the beginning as an investor. He’d made several fortunes in IT and had always kept his eye on Fortransco.

‘We’re in bigger trouble than I thought,’ Mr Yates said,

wiping the rain from the end of his nose.

Reverend Schneider watched a small man with silver hair and a very expensive suit step down from the helicopter. Immediately people ran forward with umbrellas ready (nervous of the still-turning rotors overhead). They weren’t going to let a drop of water land on the new CEO.

(No one noticed the kid trailing behind him with a backpack in his hands.)

Strindberg didn’t even look at the assembled staff dripping with the water and headed straight to the door, giving instructions to one of the minions who listened carefully.

As Strindberg disappeared, the minion turned to the disbelieving staff.

‘Mr Strindberg will see you all in the blue room in fifteen minutes. Be sure to bring your IDs.’

Reverend Schneider looked at the faces around him and knew what they were thinking. Strindberg would be firing people tonight. The last company he took over, he fired half the workforce on the first day.

Wet soggy Fortress employees headed for the door with heavy hearts.

Genie felt the phone vibrate in her jeans and she dug it out, looked to see who was texting. Caller ID said it was Miller. She looked at Renée and raised her eyebrows.

‘Should I open it? Can they trace a text?’

Renée shrugged. ‘Might be important.’

Rian was dozing; Moucher sprawled across his feet.

Genie wanted to ask him if she should open it but knew he needed his sleep. They had paused on the track behind the quarry because of the rain. They just couldn’t see further than four metres ahead. The track was navigable, running right along the edge of the river, but this rain was falling so hard she was scared of ending up in the water.

‘I’m going to open it.’

‘What does it say?’ Renée asked impatiently.

She handed the phone over to Renée and gunned the motor. To hell with the rain, they
had
to move on now.

There was a deeply worried frown on her forehead as Renée read the message out aloud.

get off the road now! roadblocks. 10,000 dollar

reward on your heads. ditch this phone. trust no one. don’t look back. mouch.

Renée looked at Genie and pulled a face. ‘We sure it’s from him?’

Genie nodded. ‘Mouch is our signal. He wants us to just dump the truck? I mean, won’t make it any easier getting us to Vancouver if we’re walking. It’s like two hundred Ks from here.’

Rian, suddenly awake, grabbed the phone from Renée and read the text. He rubbed his face and began to assess the situation.

‘When we rejoin the road there’s the Ferryman gas station just before the Cedarville turn-off.’

‘I know it,’ Renée interjected.

‘I was heading there anyway,’ Genie pointed out.

‘If there’s no cops waiting for us there,’ Rian continued, ‘head in and go around the back.’

Genie looked at him, glad he was awake again.

‘But . . . ?’

Rian rubbed his face again, fighting off exhaustion.

‘If they’re doing roadblocks, it’ll be at the Highway

junction five clicks down the road after Hell’s Gate motel.

It’s the only place where anyone would have a choice of directions. When we join the road, keep the lights off and roll down the hill quietly. I know the guy there.

He’s all right.’ Rian switched off the phone, snapped off the back and removed the Sim card, then wound the window down and tossed them both into the river. Genie and Renée exchanged glances but Miller had said ditch the phone. It was truly ditched now.

Genie drove keeping a keen eye on the edge, the lights barely penetrating the rain. They were suddenly at the track’s end. She instantly killed the lights.

‘Can you see anything? Can you see the hotel?’

Renée and Rian stared into the blackness but could see nothing.

‘Good, that means they can’t see us,’ Rian stated.

‘Let’s go. Keep the lights off for as long as you can. Can you see the road, Genie?’

Genie eased out on to the road. Everything was black. The road, the side of it and to her right, the river.

Without headlights and in this rain it all looked pretty much the same.

‘Stick to the middle,’ Renée advised. ‘Anyone on the road will have lights on and we’ll see ’em coming.’

Genie did just that. Anyone else would be crazy to be out on the road in this weather. She could make out red lights on the huge power cables running alongside the river. That was a good sign, meant the rain was easing.

‘You think they’d take any of this in consideration

when I take my driving test?’ she joked.

Renée laughed. ‘Yeah sure, when they let you out of jail to take it.’

She felt more confident now, the rain was lifting, a silver moon was briefly glimpsed before clouds swallowed it up again.

‘There’s a narrow canyon here some place, road and river real tight together. Keep your speed down, Gen,’

Rian advised. ‘Steep drop to the water and the river will be wild in this rain and wind.’

Genie kept it steady. Mouch had one paw on her lap and he seemed happy and she was sure he’d be real sensitive to any danger.

Renée recognized the old gas station as they approached it. The lights picking out the pumps and old-fashioned Husky sign. ‘Hey, I really do know this place. My trailer’s just over there some place.’ She pointed beyond the river and the flatlands on the other side. ‘Old guy here, always got something to say. He’s lonely, I guess.’

‘How do you know we can trust him, Ri?’ Genie asked as she rolled the truck silently down the hill.

‘He hates Schneider.’

Genie nodded. ‘Good enough for me. Renée, check the map. We need a place to go.’

Renée shook her head. ‘There’s no place. Just the trailer

park and the river. This is the only way south.’

‘Ten thousand dollar reward. That’s a bummer,’ Genie said. ‘Didn’t say whether dead or alive though.’

‘Alive,’ Rian told her. ‘Believe me, they want you guys alive.’

Genie drove the truck on to the forecourt and with Rian pointing found the narrow alley that led behind it. She parked it beside a gutted yellow schoolbus and switched off the engine. Moucher looked up at her expectantly.

‘Let Mouch out.’ She turned to Rian. ‘Now what?’

Rian opened his door and Moucher bounced out and dashed for a pee. ‘We go see the old man. Maybe he knows an old trail or something. Either way, we have to get out of here.’

They all piled out of the truck, dragging their knapsacks with them. The garage wasn’t well lit and garbage was strewn in plastic bags floating in puddles. ‘He should know better than this, the bears love hunting through garbage,’ Renée said. She hated an untidy back yard.

‘Hello?’ Rian called. ‘Hello?’

Genie was listening to the rain loudly running off the metal roof into various barrels and buckets. She looked back at the abandoned vehicles in the field illuminated by a lone weak floodlight. Gutted trucks, buses, cars, pick-ups, earth-diggers. It looked like a vehicle graveyard.

‘Hello?’ Rian was shouting again.

‘We should go around the front,’ Renée said. ‘He’s got a bell to get his attention. Used to come here and buy sherbet and liquorice. Ma wouldn’t let me have any.

Cedarville store didn’t sell it.’

Genie took Renée’s hand and pulled her away from the back door. ‘I used to dream about sherbet. Only had it like twice, maybe. My ma always promised some and of course I never had any pocket money. Parents are weird.

I’d probably gag now if I had to eat it.’

They moved around to the front of the gas station. A cop car drove by at speed, sending up a huge spray of water. They pressed themselves into the shadows as it sailed by. No one said anything.

Moucher found him. Asleep under an awning by the carwash machine. He was sitting in a plastic chair, some dribble down his chin.

‘I guess there isn’t much business around here at night,’

Renée whispered. Rian jumped up and down on the rubber wire on the forecourt that would ring the bell. Had to do it a few times to get it to work.

The old guy opened his eyes. Moucher barked once. He looked at the three of them for a moment, getting his bearings.

‘If you’ve come to buy liquor, I ain’t selling to minors,

no matter how much money you got.’

Rian moved further out into the light. ‘Hi.’

The old man recognized him, then looked at Renée.

‘See you found your sister.’ He looked at Genie. ‘This the girl you was chasing? What happened to your hair, kid?’

Genie shrugged. ‘Had a close shave.’

The old man half smiled. ‘A comedian.’ He looked at Renée more closely as he stood up, standing with a slight stoop. ‘You used to have red hair. Still looking for sherbet?’

Renée smiled, looking back at Genie. ‘Told you. I think I ate a lot of sherbet.’

Genie smiled.

The old man was looking for their vehicle. ‘I thought I didn’t hear a vehicle arrive? You walk here? You ain’t wet, so I guess not.’

Rian shook his head. ‘It’s out back. Still driving Marshall’s truck.’

The old man suddenly understood. He indicated the door and began moving towards it. ‘Better get inside then.

Lot of people looking for you guys.’

‘We know,’ Renée told him, following him through the doorway.

‘Fortress been going crazy. I listen to the squawks on the radio. Got a tow truck business to run, y’know.

Lot of chatter about ten grand per head on offer.’

Rian and Genie exchanged glances. Two heads standing right here. Twenty grand would make a lot of difference to this man. Couldn’t do much business out here.

The interior was surprisingly neat and organized.

Rian hadn’t remembered that.

‘Not sleeping well lately. Decided to clean up. Got a ton of garbage out back. You’d be surprised what you find when you tidy up. Got road maps going all the way back to ’58, before they built Coquillah highway even.’

‘We saw the garbage bags,’ Genie said. ‘You know about the roadblocks?’

‘You must have missed the one coming out of Spurlake.

They got them set up tight at Highway 1 junction too.

Your truck ain’t worth anything to you.’

Renée suddenly flopped down in a heap, letting escape a wail. It was quite unlike her. Moucher came forward and began to paw her, placing his head on her knees to comfort her.

Rian and Genie exchanged glances. Sure things were bad, but they were still free.

‘You want my help, right?’ the old man said. ‘Name’s Ferry. God knows what curse I was born under to have a mother with a sense of humour. Ferry Mann. You try going through life being called Ferry.’

‘Can you help us?’ Rian asked. ‘We know about the reward. If you’re thinking of trying to collect we’d appreciate a headstart.’

Ferry just smiled and pointed at the drinks chiller.

‘Help yourself to a Coke and grab some chips. Go to the back room and wait. I’m going to shut down. No more business tonight, I reckon.’ He pushed open the door and headed on out to the gas pumps.

Genie pulled out three cold cans of Coke from the fridge and handed one to Renée. She grabbed it, placed it on her neck to calm herself down.

Heavy rain fell from the heavens again, drumming heavily on the asphalt roof.

‘Great. We’re going to have to walk and it’s pouring,’

Renée protested.

‘You sure we can trust him?’ Genie whispered to Rian.

Rian nodded. He opened his can and drank. Judging people was difficult, but he believed Ferry was an honourable guy.

Ferry came back in. Flipped a switch and the outside disappeared. The neon sign in the window clicked off and crackled as it cooled. Ferry wiped rain off his hat and tossed it on to the counter.

‘You guys are going to have to take the river. It’s the only choice you got.’

Genie shuddered. The last time she and Ri and had been on the river they nearly drowned – it was how they got into this mess in the first place.

‘No way around the roadblock?’ Rian asked.

‘Sure, but you don’t look like the mountaineer types, and then there’s snakes.’

‘Snakes?’ Renée asked, looking up from the floor.

‘Sleeping snakes. They get pretty annoyed when people tread on them.’

‘The river then,’ Genie agreed. It would be faster than the mountain. No way there could be a flash flood again, could there?

Ferry smiled and stole one of her chips. ‘Follow me.’

They followed him into his residence part of the gas station. It was like something out of some Fifties movie.

Even the sofa was still covered in clear plastic. Rian was impressed by the promotion images of the ’62