Wish Me from the Water

by R E Swirsky

  "I found a backpack. And do you know what was inside?"

  Sarah shook her head again.

  "There was a small sleeping bag, two empty water bottles, some crackers, two empty porridge pouches, two bowls, matches and a book."

  "A book?"

  "A trail guide book of the mountains out back. I flipped through the book while I was waiting for you to come home. I've been out there a while." Dean studied Sarah's expression, but she certainly wasn't giving anything away.

  "The book looks new, like it was purchased just days ago. There are a number of trails marked in the book. The marked trails lead from the Sandy McNabb Campground up north and come out just yonder over there by the river."

  "Oh, wow," Sarah replied. "You found this where?"

  Dean laughed again. "I found this by your back steps. In the shrubs. I don't know why anyone would leave a backpack in the shrubs in your backyard. Anyway, it's about these maps. To me, it looks like it's a map that leads from the Sandy McNabb Campground to your back door."

  "I don't know anything about any backpack, Dean. Nor any map."

  Dean studied Sarah. He almost believed her.

  "So who was the other guy?"

  "What other guy?"

  "Oh, come on, Sarah. When I first ran up here yesterday, I came up to the front door and heard two people arguing. Two men. One, I know for sure, was Gerald. I'd like to know who the other man was."

  Sarah remained quiet for a moment. She hesitated, and Dean was convinced she was hiding something.

  "I was bound and gagged by Gerald," she said. "There was no one else in the house."

  "But I know what I heard."

  "We'll, I'll tell you straight out. Only Gerald and I were here yesterday afternoon."

  Dean knew he was at a dead end with Sarah.

  Dean's cell phone rang, and he answered the call. It was the forensics lab. They had interesting information on the gun that killed Gerald.

  "Who?" he yelled into the phone. "Would you say that again?" he demanded. The words made no sense to him.

  Dean hung up the phone and looked blankly at Sarah. He was very confused; it really made no sense. The gun used to kill Gerald was purchased just last week by Doogie Fisher's father.

  CHAPTER 106

  "I am so tired, Tommy. Can't we sit for a bit?"

  "No," Tommy replied. "We have to keep walking. Sarah was nice enough to drive us all of the way here, and I want to be sure there is no way anyone can trace our steps back to her."

  The two boys continued to walk. Jason looked behind him to the east.

  "The suns coming up."

  Tommy glanced over his shoulder to catch a peek at the sun rising between the houses.

  "Just a few more blocks. We'll make the call at the 7-11 store."

  Tommy and Jason walked the streets for more than an hour. They were careful to stick to the alleyways and residential side streets and made sure to avoid any of the main roads with stores that might have video cameras. Sarah dropped the boys off on a residential street in Bridgeland, well over a mile away from the 7-11.

  When Sarah left with the two boys, she had no idea where the boys wanted to go. Tommy quickly gave her some directions. The idea was for Sarah to drive up to Calgary and drop the boys off somewhere discreet before she headed home in order to arrive before the police returned at 8:00 AM. The boys would carry on by themselves on foot through the backstreets and alleys until they were somewhere close to Marlon's Pizza, where they escaped two days ago. They were going to turn themselves in. The 7-11 they headed for was just a few doors down from Marlon's.

  Both boys were completely exhausted. It had been a long twenty-four hours for both of them. The run-in with Doogie now seemed like days ago.

  "I am so tired. Can't we just stop for a few minutes and rest?"

  "You'll get lots of rest after we make the call."

  Jason grunted his disapproval and plodded on behind Tommy. He brushed his bangs off to the side. Time passed slowly for both boys, and with each block further, the city began to awaken. Dogs barked and the sound of the occasional car a few blocks over on the main road rose to a constant buzz. When Tommy and Jason reached the main intersection near the 7-11, the sun was high and the city was alive with activity.

  Tommy nudged Jason forward to the front doors of the 7-11.

  "I'll do the talking," he said and stepped inside.

  The 7-11 was quiet as Jason and Tommy stepped in line at the counter. They waited patiently as a man dressed in steel-toed boots and khaki coveralls paid for his gas and coffee. The man thanked the young, East-Indian clerk and stepped outside. Tommy stepped up to the counter and smiled at the man.

  The man stared back with disinterest.

  "I need you to call the police for me?" Tommy said directly.

  "Pardon me?" the clerk replied, in his strong, East-Indian accent.

  "I want you to call the police."

  "What is wrong? Is there a problem?" the clerk replied and looked at the bandage on Tommy's forehead.

  "Yes, there is. You probably heard about us on the radio," Tommy said and he pointed at Jason.

  The clerk frowned and shook his head. "I don't know what you are talking about. If you want to purchase something, you should do that now, sir."

  Tommy grew impatient. "Listen! I want you to call the police. He and I broke out of jail two days ago and now we want to turn ourselves in."

  The clerk looked Tommy and Jason up and down.

  "Why don't you two just go then? Go away. This is not a police station."

  Tommy laughed and Jason snickered.

  "There's a reward,” Tommy said. He didn't know if there was one or not, but this guy was really being difficult.

  "A reward?" he asked.

  "Yes," Tommy replied. "You call the police and say you've got the Oliver boys, and they will be here in minutes."

  The man nodded up and down quickly. "You are not fooling me?" he asked directly.

  "No. Now call the police," Tommy insisted.

  The clerk picked up the phone and began to dial. As he dialled, Tommy asked if there was someplace private they could wait until the police arrived. "Maybe in the back," he suggested. At first the clerk refused, but when Tommy told him it would be best if no one else knew about them in case someone else tried to claim the reward, he was all for it, and ushered Tommy and Jason into the tiny office in back. It only took five minutes for the police to arrive. Tommy and Jason were handcuffed, escorted out of the store and shuffled into the back seat of the police car.

  "What about my reward?" the clerk called out as he stood in front of the police car. The officer honked his horn twice and waved his hand in an attempt to usher the clerk out of the way.

  Tommy and Jason giggled as they listen to the banter of the clerk who insisted he wasn't moving until the police confirmed that he would get a reward. A few words from the police officer had the clerk scrambling off to the side and they were on their way.

  Relief swept over Tommy, and he knew his younger brother felt the same way. There was a comfort in having been able to help Ricky and all of the others. Knowing they would soon be back inside Spy Hill in a bed they had become accustomed to was also, strangely, a pleasure they had not expected to feel.

  Jason seemed more than content as he finally got to sit down after two long days. He was asleep by the time the police car arrived at the Spy Hill Correctional facility.

  CHAPTER 107

  Sarah couldn't force her eyes away from the coffin as it was lowered into the ground. She felt the tears crawl down her face, and she shivered. Not even a year had passed since she laid her parents to rest in the cold earth, and now, here she stood again trying to hold it all in as Simon's coffin dropped from view.

  The sun was high, and the heat of the afternoon had many wiping their brows as they squirmed under suit jackets, sports coats and dressy shawls. Sarah didn't feel the heat. O
n the contrary, she only felt the chill a day like this always offered.

  Unlike her parent's funeral where everyone was huddled close in a scrum offering comfort to one another, she stood off to the side and very much alone. The scrum was reserved for family and close friends, and although she and Simon had certainly become close, she had not yet come to be known by any member of Simon's family. Even as she stood grieving with everyone else, she saw the glances cast her way followed by whispers asking who she was. She knew what the answer always was; frowns and dirty looks were cast her way. She was the reason Simon was dead.

  Sarah asked Brandy to come with her to the funeral. She left the funeral with her and shared her grief with no one from Simon's family. Gerald's funeral was the same day and a part of her wanted to be there if not for any other reason than to put her life with Gerald behind her. She felt double shame: she was the cause of death for two people who were worlds apart from each other.

  Sarah wanted to cry, but she wouldn't let herself. Brandy held her close and promised it would get better.

  She turned her thoughts to the three boys who entered her house that night three days ago, and she felt a drop of hope linger. The boys reminded her of her own youth when she really believed in the future her mother always talked about. "The future you make yourself," she said. These boys were doing exactly that with the poor hand they were each given. Where they would end up was anyone's guess, but Sarah knew they believed what they believed. Knowing that was enough for Sarah.

  CHAPTER 108

  Bobby threw another log onto the small fire, sat down and watched the flames crawl up the side of the log. The cool stillness of the night air seemed to emphasize the crackle and snap of the flames as they licked at the fresh log in delight at the present feast.

  "Let's do it," Ricky said as he watched the flames lick around a log. The log shifted and brought forth a small eruption of sparks.

  "It's not hot enough yet. We need more coals."

  Ricky glanced over at Bobby and nodded. Tonight, as he remembered all that they had gone through together, he saw Bobby differently than he ever had before. Bobby may not have good grades in school, but Bobby certainly knew about things. He had very good instincts. Tonight Ricky realized that Bobby was right again. He didn't ask why or how Bobby knew the coals were not hot enough, but there was something about the way Bobby said it; Bobby knew what he was talking about. Ricky smiled at his friend.

  Bobby grinned back when he spotted Ricky smiling at him. "What are you smiling at?"

  "Just you," Ricky replied. "You've been a good friend, that's all."

  Bobby laughed aloud. "You're a dumb fuck, you know?"

  Ricky laughed back and nodded. "Yeah, I know."

  The two boys laughed and poked at the fire.

  The sun soon fell behind the mountains to the west, and the boys huddled in closer to the fire as the temperature began to drop. Even though Cataract Creek was only a few miles out of town, it ran through the thick of the forest reserve, and it could get very cold at night. It was Tuesday, and the campground was empty of campers except for Ricky and Bobby.

  Ricky stood up and Bobby nodded at him. It was time. Ricky strolled over to Bobby's CRV and opened the back gate to reveal Sarah's bright red suitcase and paper bag. He pulled both out and sauntered back to the fire.

  "That lady really brought those over to you?" Ricky asked. "With everything inside?"

  "Uh huh. Sarah did," Bobby replied. "Tommy and Jason were already back in Spy Hill Saturday morning before you and I even woke up. She must have kept them in her trunk the whole time while she watched for me to leave the house. She followed me as I drove to the gas station on Sunday and pulled up behind me."

  "What'd she say?'

  "Not much really. She just asked if I was Bobby, and then said she had something for me from Tommy and Jason."

  "Oh," Ricky interjected.

  "Yeah. I knew what she meant immediately. She said I'd know what to do with them. She loaded them into the back and, well… here we are."

  "She's a nice lady."

  Bobby laughed. "Nice? You don't even know her. You said she was tied up when you saw her!" He laughed again.

  Ricky laughed too as he set the bag and suitcase down by the fire.

  "I like 'em when they are tied up," he joked.

  "You wouldn't know what to do with 'em even if they were tied up." Bobby howled with laughter.

  "Just shut up already! I'll get mine someday."

  "Oh yea. Keep talking."

  Ricky was still smiling when he opened the suitcase, but his smile instantly vanished.

  "Jesus!" he said and turned towards Bobby. "This is really it, Bobby."

  Bobby grabbed a stick and stirred the fire. "The coals are as hot as they are going to get."

  Ricky tried not to look at what was in the suitcase. He reached his hand inside and pulled out some of the discs. He tossed them onto the coals and watched as the plastic curled in on itself. It reminded Ricky of how he had curled himself into the fetal position when he cried at night.

  Ricky continued to reach into the suitcase and slowly fed the fire. Bobby sat opposite and remained silent and expressionless. Ricky tossed disc after disc into the fire with many VHS tapes. The flames fed on the plastic and leapt higher into the air as if the content spewed the flames from hell itself.

  As much as he tried not to, Ricky looked at what he grabbed. The images in the photographs were barely visible in the dim light cast only by the fire that raged, but the images he glimpsed disturbed Ricky greatly. Ricky looked up to see Bobby had turned away as he fed the multitude of photos into the fire.

  When the suitcase was nearly empty, Bobby saw the fire needed another log. He retrieved a number of smaller, split pieces of wood, which he placed into the pit and stared blankly at the fire. The wood instantly erupted into huge flames that quickly climbed into the air.

  Ricky spotted the hard drive in the bottom of the red suitcase. He lifted it out and knew immediately where it came from. It felt cold in his hands as if the metal surface was trying to suck a part of his confidence away. He tossed it onto the hot coals and watched the flames quickly envelop the drive. Brown gooey bubbles eked out from the inside through the tiny slots in the metal case and erupted in tiny balls of fire. He watched as the drive slipped deeper into the coals. The shiny silver surface turned black like the hellish contents it carried.

  Ricky emptied the last of the photos from the suitcase into the raging fire. He rummaged around the bottom of the suitcase for the last of the discs and then silently pulled his arms in tight around himself and huddled into a ball.

  "You okay?" Bobby asked.

  Ricky lowered his head down and nodded sheepishly.

  "You sure? You don't look okay."

  Ricky kept his head down and shook it from side to side. He popped his hand out from where he had it tucked and thrust a disc towards Bobby.

  Bobby stared at the disc and slowly reached a hand out towards Ricky. Ricky looked up at Bobby as Bobby pulled it out from between his fingers. He wiped some of his fresh tears away on his sleeve and continued to look at Bobby.

  Bobby tilted the disc in his hands until he managed to capture the light from the fire on the surface. Bobby almost dropped the disc when he read the initials.

  "This is Tim," he said and looked at Ricky.

  Ricky nodded. "I know. I thought it was still in the player at the house, but Tommy must have retrieved it."

  Bobby looked back at the disc and his expression changed to one of utter disbelief and disgust. He looked back at Ricky again as if wanting Ricky to explain it to him.

  Ricky reached for the disc. Tears fell down his face again.

  Bobby held the disc out towards Ricky. His mouth still hung open in shock of how real it was.

  Ricky grabbed the disc and squeezed his eyes shut. The tears came quickly. He mumbled, "I'm sorry. I am so sorry,
Tim." He repeated those words a number of times and then flung the disc into the fire where it quickly curled in on itself.

  Both Bobby and Ricky cried as they watched the disc curl up tighter and tighter. It curled and twisted, and the flames that licked about in delight quickly faded. A dark mass of twisted, black, ashy plastic that continued to curl and twist about on top of the coals remained until the pieces fell away. There was nothing left.

  Their task was almost complete.

  Both boys reached into the paper bag and fed the fire with the rest of the collection. Neither read the names, nor did they wait patiently. As fast as the fire would accept the items, the boys fed its thirst until everything was gone. Only then did the boys know it was finally over.

  As the fire burned down, the boys could feel the temperature in the forest continue to drop considerably. It was going to be a cold night in the forest.

  The sky turned dark, and the boys crawled into their sleeping bags inside the small tent after dousing the fire.

  "My mom is gonna be really pissed when she finds out I'm out camping with you," Bobby said.

  Ricky laughed. It was a genuine laugh.

  CHAPTER 109

  Tommy and Jason were both already seated in a private room at Spy Hill when Dean walked in alone. It was the same room the officers interrogated Ricky the afternoon the brothers escaped. Dean requested that the boys be brought in together. He assured the staff at the Correctional Centre that he didn't need anyone else present, and he insisted that he wanted to interview these boys in private.

  "So, you two made it back okay, I see," Dean said.

  The boys both nodded together. Tommy smiled at Dean. Jason kept his eyes down.

  Dean looked at the boys. He was fuming inside, but he kept himself calm on the outside. He promised himself he wasn't going to explode on them today. He was going to break this case wide open and reveal the truth.

  "It was your photograph in the paper on Monday, Tommy. That's what finally put it all together for me."

  "I don't know what you're talking about. Put what together?”

  Dean lifted his hand, put his finger to his forehead and tapped twice.

  "That cut on your forehead. How many stitches did it need when you finally got up here?"

  "Only two. It wasn't so bad."

  “Ayuh. I suspected as much, but a cut like that can bleed pretty badly."