“That was teaching the Rangers a lesson. If you’re not careful, you’ll be learning a lesson or two as well.”
Ellen returned to hammering the stakes.
Ade had not finished. “I so wanted to make the bitch who killed Trish pay for it, but she was already dead when I got to her. But I got a good laugh from some of the others. Have you ever heard a Ranger wail and cry like a baby? A bit like you the other day, when the Boss was working you over. I did enjoy the look in their eyes when I pulled the knife across their throats and they realized they were finished.”
The gloating in Ade’s voice made Ellen feel sick. “Did you enjoy killing the barge skipper as well?”
“Nah. That was just a job.”
“Why did you do it?”
“Because Yuan was a spineless sap. That’s why I was on the barge to start with. The Boss was worried she was going to jump ship. If the Rangers had captured her, she’d have spilled her guts to them in an instant.”
“Was that why you tried to kill Terrie Rasheed as well?”
“I wasn’t trying to kill her. I mean, I wish I had now, but I was just adding a bit of authenticity to her story. Admit it, you fell for the knife in the shoulder bit, didn’t you?”
“You planned it between you?”
Ade sniggered. “Not quite. I planned it and told her why afterward. I mean, I was doing it as favor. But I knew a coward like her wouldn’t have seen the sense in it.” Ade sighed. “I wish I knew where she was now, because I’d love to go and finish the job.”
“You’d kill her just for the fun of it?”
“Not just fun. Terrie’s another spineless jerk who’ll spill her guts at the first push. She don’t know much, but she’ll tell all if your friends catch her. I thought about killing her on the barge, but I reckoned if I stabbed her you’d go easy on the questions, and I knew you didn’t suspect her, else you wouldn’t have given her the chance to warn us you were waiting.” Ade laughed. “Goddess! Outplayed by Terrie shit-for-brains Rasheed. How stupid can you get?”
Ellen said nothing as she bent to pick up another stake. To be fair, for once she was in complete agreement with Ade.
“Terrie came on board and told us we had trouble. She hadn’t worked out what was going on, but if you were interested in the Susie-Louise, then the Rangers would be too, so they had to be around somewhere. Terrie was mainly concerned with covering her own ass, so she’d brought a selection of old receipts from the office with her. She wanted to make it look like Yuan had some forgeries to hand over. We picked a couple of receipts that best matched what we had on board and changed the date and things. I told Yuan to put them in her breast pocket, and then I stabbed her through it. She looked so surprised. I hadn’t explained that bit of my plan to her—her blood masking the changes.”
“Does the Butcher appreciate you making plans like that for her workers?”
“You know, I think she does.” Ade grinned. “For sure when it comes to jerks like Yuan and Terrie. The Boss knows she can trust me, and I can think on my feet. I worked it all out in seconds. I told Terrie what she had to say to you as I left the cabin. Then I dived into the river, swam under the barge, and came up in the gap between the boat and the wall where I couldn’t be seen. I stayed there until it was dark. It was fucking freezing, but I wasn’t going to let the Rangers use me for target practice, like they did with Kelly. I saw them fish the poor jerk out.”
“Was she a Knife as well?”
“Nah. Both the crew were dock trash we picked up at Eastford. They’d worked for us a few times, but mainly they were a pair of mules who knew not to ask questions. I don’t know why Kelly jumped in, but then, the dumb jerk always was trying to copy me.”
The stakes were all in place for the first section of the fence in need of repair. Ellen knelt down and started on the thin branches, weaving them between the supports. Despite her attempt to appear calm, her thoughts seethed, running through what Ade had said. Outplayed by Terrie Rasheed. Stupid was far too mild a word to describe it.
“The barge skipper didn’t start with any forged documents?” Ellen asked.
“Not one.”
“So it wasn’t just luck that Terrie was the Militiawoman on duty? The plan had been for her to let you by without any paperwork at all.”
“Yup. The same as it always had been.”
“Always? You’d done it before?”
“You were totally suckered by Hal’s game with the rowboat, weren’t you?”
Ellen dropped the branch she was holding and pressed her hands over her eyes. Stupid was positively flattering.
Ade continued. “We always moved the sheep the same way. We took them from here down to Broken Hills Ranch. The Susie-Louise moored at Roadsend, until the day before Rasheed was due to be on late shift at the docks, then it would go to the Broken Hills jetty, pick up the sheep, and come back when Terrie was there to wave it through. It was all my plan. I sold it to the Boss.”
“You knew Terrie would go along with it?”
“She’s been taking bribes from my family for years.”
Ellen picked up the dropped branch and kept weaving.
Ade watched her for a while. “The thing with the rowboat was Hal’s idea. You were sniffing around, and you weren’t telling her nothing. She came up with the plan, thinking it would do two things at once. It’d send you off on the wrong track so you’d waste your time down in the marches. And if you thought she’d helped you, maybe you’d trust her and let her in on your plans. It didn’t go right, though. You were supposed to see the sheep and then the boat was to get away. Instead you jumped in. Sasha brained you, and she’d have put the end of the oar through your face if Hal hadn’t stopped her. I heard all about it.”
Ellen tried to concentrate on her work. Thinking about how gullible she had been could be left until later.
“Hal’s plan failed all the way. You found out about the Susie-Louise, and you still didn’t tell her things. Though you did let her fuck you, so maybe it wasn’t a complete loss from her point of view.” Ade gave a mock sigh of contemplation. “You know, I think sometimes Hal’s devotion to work is a bit suspect. I mean, we all like getting laid, but it wasn’t the most important thing. Someone should have told her that when people talk about fucking Blackshirts, she didn’t need to take it literally. Or maybe she just enjoyed showing you up as a jerk. We had a bit of fun with it as well. Did you know we were running a sweepstake here on how long it’d take her to get into your pants? I didn’t win, assuming it really was the first time you let her have you, the night after the Susie-Louise—”
“How do you…?” Ellen bit her lip, fighting to control her expression. “Jo?” It would hurt so much more if Hal was the one who had made the game report.
“Yeah, her. Pat and Mac as well. They’d gone to give Hal the news about the Susie-Louise being captured. They were in the farmhouse when you rode up. So Hal kept you busy in the yard while they slipped out the back.” Ade yelped with laughter. “Though they did stop for a moment to watch her delaying technique. They told us about it. We tried to get them to give a dramatic re-enactment, but they said no. Jo tidied up any sign of Pat and Mac being there, then gave the all clear. She came back here with them to get the full story, while Hal gave you the full works. And you didn’t spot a thing, did you?”
The branch in Ellen’s hands was fighting her and her vision was getting blurred.
Ade shifted around and leaned against the fence so that she was in a position to see Ellen’s face. “Goddess, she had you totally suckered. That’s not tears I can see, are they? Are you upset now you know she never truly loved you? You fell for her, didn’t you? I can see the scene now. You lying back with your legs wide open”—Ade’s voice changed to a high-pitched parody—“Oh Hal! Deeper. Harder. Hal, Hal my darling.” She paused. “Or was it the other way? Was Hal the one doing the squealing? I mean, I’ve never seen her as a squealer, but people can be hard to predict. Don’t you find that?”
Ellen dashed her hand across her eyes and took a firmer grip on the branch.
“Though, you know, I think Hal’s gone a bit soft recently. I don’t think she enjoyed watching the Boss work you over with her little stick. I didn’t see her laugh once. Of course, I didn’t have my eye on her all the time, because it was much more fun watching you. Maybe Hal had a little snigger when I wasn’t looking. But then again...you don’t think it’s possible that she’s gone all mushy over you, do you?” Ade paused and then gave a loud laugh. “What a pair of jerks.”
Ellen dug the end of the branch between the supports. She crawled along the fence, pulling the branch through. Ade kept pace with her, slowly shifting her weight from one foot to the other.
“You’re not saying much.” Ade’s tone had lost even the veneer of humor.
“What do you want me to say?”
“Well, for instance…Hal reckoned you were a good fuck. How’d you rate her performance?”
Ellen said nothing. Ade’s boot landed sharply on her thigh, knocking her off balance. She looked up.
“I asked you a question.”
Ellen swallowed her first reply. “She was okay.”
“Just okay?” Ade paused, and then her gaze ran over Ellen, catching at groin and breasts with clear intent. “Well, how would you like a really good fuck?”
“Not at the moment. I’m working.”
The second kick from Ade sent Ellen sprawling on her back. “You need to watch your smart-ass mouth.” She turned and stalked back to join her companion on the rock.
Ellen looked up at the sky. Afternoon was well advanced. Soon she would be taken back to the cave. She would sleep, and when she woke up there would be just one day left—for her, for Ade, and for Hal.
*
The sound of the bolt being drawn back made Ellen’s heart pound. She pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes, hating herself for wanting Hal to visit her again. However, when the lantern was hung from the hook on the cave roof, the person it revealed was Ade Eriksen. In her right hand, Ade held a long rod, identical to the one the Butcher had used, if not the very same. She tapped it on the cave wall as if she needed to get Ellen’s attention.
Ellen scrambled to stand up. A kick knocked her back down.
“Stay where you are.” Ade smiled at Ellen and then gestured with the rod, waving the tip in vague circles. “You remember this, don’t you?”
Ellen’s mouth was so dry she could only nod.
Ade turned around and propped the rod against the wall opposite where Ellen sat, moving with the thoughtful precision of an artist composing a sculpture. “There. I’m going to put it over here, like this, but I don’t want you to forget about it.” She turned back. “Because I won’t. Just in case I don’t get what I want.”
“What do you want?”
Ade shook her head ruefully. “Have you forgotten my offer so quickly? I’m hurt. Really hurt. Here’s a little reminder. You’re not working now.”
Ellen pressed herself against the cave wall in an instinctive, but pointless urge to back away. “I’m not...”
“Oh, but you are.” Ade stood over Ellen. “Don’t look so worried. Play along, and all you’ll get is a good fucking.”
Ellen stared down at her own bound hands. Just one more day. That was all she had to get through.
“Unbutton your shirt.”
Ellen did not move. One more day. Surely she could survive even this.
“I said, unbutton your shirt. I want to see what’s got Hal so worked up.”
Still Ellen did not move, could not move.
Ade sighed, then turned and reached for the rod. “Oh dear. Right. Let’s see if I can get some sort of response this way.” Ade touched the end of the rod under Ellen’s chin, lifting her head so their eyes met. “Unbutton your shirt.”
Ellen’s hands started to move of their own accord, but then stopped and fell back to her lap. She could not do it, not even to survive.
Ade drew a sharp breath and her face twisted in a snarl. “I’m going to make you scream. One way or another. It’s your tough luck that I like both ways.”
Ade’s boot made contact with Ellen’s shoulder, more shove than kick, knocking her flat on the floor. Ellen closed her eyes and clenched her teeth, bracing herself. The rod hissed through the air and landed across her shoulders. Ellen bit back her cry. The blow had been softer than those from the Butcher. A second strike hit her lower, sending pain flaring down her thigh. However, she heard Ade snort in something sounding like frustration, and the sound of Ade’s feet as she moved position. Possibly the low cave ceiling restricted the swing and Ade was trying to find a better angle. Then Ellen heard the door open again.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” It was Hal’s voice.
“I’m—” Ade’s voice cut off, clearly surprised. After a few seconds of silence, Ade went on, “Just having a bit of fun.”
Ellen squinted through half-open eyelids. She saw Hal storm across the cave, grab the rod in one hand and the front of Ade’s shirt in the other and ram Ade back against the wall. “You keep your damned hands off her.”
“You don’t own her, or me,” Ade said, her chin jutting out in defiance.
“Don’t count on it.”
“You’re not that fucking big.”
“Shall we go and ask Maddy just how big I am?”
Ade struggled free. “You’re in for a surprise someday.”
“Keep pushing your luck and you’ll find out which of us has the delusions.”
“I’m not scared of you.”
Hal stood motionless, hands at her side, but her gaze raked up and down Ade’s body in contemptuous appraisal. Her voice, when she spoke, was soft but resolute. “You should be. Lay one finger on her again and you’re dead.”
The two women stood, toe to toe, glaring at each other, but Ade’s confidence was visibly slipping. She covered with a scowl of contempt and then barged past Hal. “Ah, keep your fucking slut. Just remember where her tongue’s been.”
The door slammed.
Hal threw the rod away angrily. She dropped to her knees by Ellen’s side and helped her into a sitting position. Her hand ran softly over Ellen’s head. “Are you okay? Did she hurt you? I swear, I’ll kill her.”
Ellen curled forward, into Hal’s arms. At that moment nothing else mattered. She needed Hal, and the reassurance of Hal’s physical presence. “I’m fine. She’d hardly touched me when you arrived.”
“What was it all about?”
“She wanted me to have sex with her.”
“I will kill her.” Hal’s tone suggested that she was not lightly using a figure of speech.
“Hal.”
“What?”
“I promise I won’t try to escape or anything, but could you untie my hands? I want to hold you.”
Hal hesitated for just a second, and then untied the knots at Ellen’s wrists. From the rear of the cave, Hal dragged forward a couple of sacks and another cloak, to construct a small nest, and then sat with her back against the wall. Ellen curled up in Hal’s arms, her head resting on Hal’s shoulder, her arms around Hal’s waist. Against all reason, Ellen felt secure and content, her body insisting that it was where it was supposed to be.
Hal tilted her face and kissed Ellen, slowly and very thoroughly, then leaned her head against the wall behind her and sighed. “I’m sorry about Ade. I’m going to have to deal with her. It’s time she made a permanent exit from the gang.”
“Murdering her would be against the law. But I wouldn’t knock myself out trying to stop you.”
“Wouldn’t you? Because I think something involving a heavy weight and water sounds good.” Despite the return of humor to Hal’s voice, a serious edge underlay it, and her arms around Ellen tightened.
“You’d kill her for attacking me?”
“Possibly, but it’s not just that. She was doing it to get at me, and she’s been playing that game for too long. I can’t let her get away
with it anymore.”
“Why do you think she was getting at you?”
“Don’t get me wrong. I should think anyone with eyes would want to get you in the sack. But has Ade ever shown an interest before?”
“No. Our relationship’s been stuck in the stage of shouting abuse through the lockup door.” Ellen nestled her head into the curve of Hal’s neck. “Actually, she was talking about you first.”
“When?”
“This afternoon, while I was working on the fence. She was trying to wind me up about you. And she said...”
“What?”
“She asked me to rate you in bed and offered to better it.”
“Shit.” Hal’s grip tightened.
“I got the feeling she doesn’t like you much.”
“It’s mutual. She’s been trying to undermine me for months. Either hoping it’ll make her look better, or because she thinks she can take my place.”
The phrase “my place” stuck in Ellen’s ears. Did she want to know what place Hal held in the Butcher’s gang? Or what crimes she had committed to reach it? No chance that Hal was only peripherally involved, a virtual innocent, who might get off with a few harsh words and a fine from a magistrate. The mere fact that Ade was so eager to take over Hal’s role was not a good sign.
“Could she?”
“She doesn’t stand a hope in hell. She’s not family and she’s not smart enough. She’s good at scaring people, which is useful, but it doesn’t make her anything other than a cheap thug, and we’ve already got more of them than we need.”
“You say we.” Ellen closed her eyes, trying not to grimace. “You’re totally committed to the Knives?”
“I’m totally committed to my family.”
“Your family and the Knives are the same thing?”
“No. Maddy’s the one running the show. We follow her, in the gang or out of it.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I do. We’re family. When the shit starts coming, we stick together. Maddy taught me that. She’s eight years older than me and she’s always looked out for me, and the others.”
“You’re close?” Ellen found the idea impossible to reconcile with her own feelings.
Shadow of the Knife Page 27
