Dark Witness

by Rebecca Forster

  Teresa understood how human they all were. That included Duncan who, as she saw him leave the house, had to put his shoulder into the wind and keep his head down against the slant of the snow just like everyone else. To her surprise, he didn't go to his own house but past it on the path that led to the store. If she'd had any curiosity about him any longer, she would have followed him. Since she did not, she looked back at the poor, poisoned girl.

  She was about to tell Melody to go to bed when Billy opened the door. He ignored the two women and went to Hannah's side, looked down at her, and then sat on the bed. Without hesitation, he took up the sick girl's hand and held it tight as if by sheer force of will he could stop her body from torturing itself. He winced with every shudder that ran through her, bit his lip when she bucked, wiped away the froth that came from the side of her mouth. He moved the pail closer in case she threw up. She didn't. Twice she opened her eyes. Twice she called 'Billy', and twice he assured her he was there. And then he told her something else.

  "We're going to get you a doctor tomorrow. We're going to get you out of here."

  When Hannah went back to her fitful sleep. Billy talked to the women but didn't bother to look at them.

  "Duncan is taking me to find a doctor tomorrow. Tell everyone that if I come back and Hannah is sicker, or she's dead, or anything, then I'm going to kill all of you.

  Now, get out of here."

  ***

  Duncan slipped. He fell.

  The snow blinded him. His breath was hot beneath his scarf. His nose and mouth were wet with his own sweat. He had managed to dress for the short walk – gloves, parka, sweater, hat – and still he was freezing.

  He got up, slipped, and got up again. He was shaken by how quickly things had turned. Teresa's betrayal, the others with their fear and uncertainty and even anger, Billy Zuni's threat, and Hannah's illness had turned his world upside down. Pea had seen an upheaval months ago, but this was a catastrophe. Pea had not told him it would be like this, like the end of time. Or, had she? Perhaps he had missed it. Maybe he was the one who had been lazy and not interpreted the passages correctly.

  He slipped once more but this time he was close to the rock wall and he caught himself before he fell. Duncan struggled, made it over the wall, pushed through the brush, dug out the small pile of snow in front of the door and finally got inside. He ripped the scarf from his face. He shook his head to clear his eyes and finally found the latch on the hidden door. Duncan threw himself into the narrow room and shut the door behind him. He flipped on the overhead and fell into the chair in front of the table.

  The Bible was still as he had left it. To read that God meant him to take Hannah as his bride had been thrilling, but now his bride was near death and her friend was ready to kill. That simply could not stand. His congregation could not survive without him. If Hannah needed to be taken, so be it. But Duncan? Impossible.

  Duncan took off his gloves. He put his hands on the desk. He looked at his binder and thought he should go back to the list of prophesies Pea had uttered before Robert found Hannah and Billy. He would re-read the passages. Duncan would see if the fault was his. Then again, he needed to take care with what was happening that minute. Billy was a problem; perhaps he was a priority. Yes, he needed to start there.

  Revelations 21:5

  Duncan took up his pen and scribbled the reference in his log with one hand and turned the pages of the Bible with the other. He forgot the order and couldn't find the right place. Genesis. Deuteronomy. Ephesians. The pages were snapping. Where was Revelations? He riffled them so fast, so ineptly that he almost ripped the pages from the spine.

  There it was. There it was.

  He pursed his lips and blew out an icy breath.

  Revelations 21:5

  He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

  Duncan wrote the words: Make everything new.

  He scribbled John 1:4-5 and then looked at the book. His fingers weren't shaking now. He was warmer, and he was calmer. He found this passage more easily.

  John 1:4-5

  In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

  He wrote down: darkness does not comprehend.

  What? What was the last? There was another verse! He bit his lip. He tugged at his ear. He put the heel of his hand to the side of his head and pounded. What was the other verse Pea had told him? What?

  Deuteronomy 33:27

  That was it! He had it. Pages flew and fluttered and Duncan leaned closer to the book and read aloud:

  The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemies before you, saying, 'Destroy them!

  He wrote down: Drive out your enemies. Destroy them.

  Duncan sat up. He closed his eyes, but before he could open his heart and his mind and interpret the word of God, the radio spit and sputtered. The radio on which Duncan relied to enhance his interpretations was crackling now. Duncan slid the chair to the ancient piece of equipment and fiddled with the dials. He put headphones on.

  "We've got Nell. . . down river. Says to tell you . . .injury. . . Stopping at. . .then onto . . . two days. . .Copy that Trooper Guillard? "

  CHAPTER 24

  Duncan went to see them, one by one. They were so afraid of the terrible things that had befallen them that no one opened their door until they heard the sound of his voice assuring them it was, indeed, Duncan knocking and not a demon. He sat with each of them and listened to the same litany.

  Hannah was possessed by some devil, brought down even as she was to become the wife of Duncan.

  Billy Zuni was stalking through the house threatening to kill people.

  Duncan was running into the night, leaving them at the mercy of the boy with the long hair and the bandaged hand.

  Teresa was not cooking food.

  When it was his turn to speak, Duncan reassured them. Had he not returned? Had he not made peace? Wasn't he going to drive out everything bad? He was taking Billy away. Hannah was not their enemy; she was a victim, too.

  Robert lay down upon his bed and Duncan stroked his face, the part that felt like leather, and the skin that not even his mother wanted to touch. Duncan listened patiently to Foster try to put two words together. Duncan took Glenn's pitiful hands in his and held them while they talked, and he looked into his unmemorable eyes as if he, at least, would remember them. Duncan stroked Melody's toothpick arm, and held her claw-like fingers, and told her that she would be worthy of being handmaiden to God. Boldly, Melody said she only wanted to serve him.

  Duncan just smiled.

  Duncan laid his hand on Peter and reassured his parents there was no need to worry about their child.

  He spoke to Teresa, also. He called her mother. He almost made her believe that he had forgiven her. He touched Teresa's misshapen back and promised her life and healing, but he could see that she had closed herself off completely and felt nothing for him or Pea or the others.

  Now it was morning. Duncan had not slept and it would seem neither had Billy Zuni. But Duncan, walking in the light of the lord, was energized; Billy, whose companion seemed to be hatred and despair, was tired and edgy. That's what Duncan thought as he watched Billy come down the long flight of stairs after spending the night watching Hannah.

  "Did she know you, Billy? Did you tell her where we are going?" Duncan asked as he waited at the foot of the staircase.

  "She didn't understand, but I think she's better. She's not throwing up."

  Duncan put a hand out. Billy stopped. Duncan said:

  "I'll ask you one more time, let us pray for her. Let us heal her on our own. We don't need to bring outsiders here."

  "Don't go there, dude." Billy pushed past him.

  "You understand that we are using up the last of our fuel for you," Duncan called after him and Billy
slammed open the door and called back:

  "We'll get more when we get wherever we're going."

  Melody watched all this from the living room where she was sitting with the mending, not mending at all but looking at Billy as he stood by the snowmobile. She looked at Duncan who still stood by the stairs. Setting aside her chores, she went to him.

  "Will you be alright, Duncan?" she asked.

  "Thank you, Melody. I will."

  "Are you sure you shouldn't take the boat? It would be faster."

  "No. The boat wouldn't make it. This is the only way."

  Duncan turned toward the door and opened it. Together they looked at Billy as he paced and scowled.

  "I hope he'll be warm enough. He's wearing the things he had on when Robert found him. It's so much colder now."

  "He'll be fine. Take care of Hannah and Pea."

  "How long will you be gone?" Melody asked.

  "Not long. If I don't stop, we'll make good time. Perhaps I'll even be back tonight."

  "Will he really kill us if Hannah dies?" she asked.

  "No. Billy won't kill anyone. I promise you."

  With that Duncan walked out of the house, down the steps and swung himself up on the snowmobile. He started the engine, but Billy Zuni had one last thing to say to Melody. He walked up to her; he towered over her.

  "Make sure there's a light, for Hannah," he said. "She's going to be afraid if she wakes up in the dark. As soon as she can understand, tell her I'm going to get her home. Tell her that, okay."

  Melody nodded, afraid to speak to the man who had threatened her life.

  "Billy," Duncan called.

  Billy swung his head and looked behind him. The guy looked like an idiot in his huge helmet. He looked back at Melody.

  "Tell her I promised everything will be okay. She'll believe you if you say that I promised."

  "Alright," Melody whispered.

  "Billy!" Duncan gunned the throttle. The engine sounded sick. When Billy got close Duncan said: "Swing up behind me. I know it's tight quarters, but it will keep you warm. Body heat will do that."

  Billy swung on behind Duncan, hesitated, and then put his arms around the man's middle. Melody backed into the house, but didn't shut the door. Teresa came down and put her arm around the young woman. Glenn stopped his work to watch and Robert peered out of his window upstairs. Duncan leaned into the machine and they were gone.

  Behind them, everyone held their own thoughts. Some wondered when they would return, others wondered if a doctor would truly come all this way to see Hannah, and some of them wished that they would never come back at all. The only people who didn't think about Duncan and Billy or where they had gone were Hannah Sheraton and the prophetess, Pea.

  ***

  Andre and Archer found that they were going to have to wait for proprietor of the Moose Tangle Thrift Shop to appear. A sign in the window announced that he would be back soon. In Alaska, that could mean an hour or in spring. Andre and Archer split the difference and gave it overnight, passing the time in the local bar where they had a burger and Internet access. Archer caught up on a few clients, checked in with Faye, and pretty much tried to keep his mind off Josie. If he had understood the communiqué correctly Josie was hurt, not dead; she was safe, not comfortable; she was hoping they would meet up soon; given their traveling companion soon was relative. Best of all, she had a lead she was hoping would pan out. The men slept well and in the morning the proprietor of The Moose Tangle Thrift Shop showed up at ten-thirty. He opened the door in his pajamas and unaffected by the cold that blew in with Andre and Archer.

  "Well ain't this special." He took in Andre in all his glory. "Been a while since we seen any troopers up this way. I'll tell you right now, I won that jackhammer free and clear, so if George Putnam up there said I stole it, that just ain't so. It was mine to sell, and I sold it."

  "No, we're not here about a jackhammer," Andre assured him.

  "Don't tell me Maria's been calling you guys. We were never married proper and I'm not buying that stuff about palimoney. I ain't got no palimoney for her and that's the truth."

  "Palimony." Archer corrected him.

  "That's what I said. I ain't got none of it. You think money grows on trees? Business ain't good, and I got robbed not too long back and–”

  "We're not here about any of that," Andre interrupted. "Do you want to put on some shoes or something? It's kind of cold in here."

  The man shook his head, "No, I'm good. Can't think of anything else I might have done, so just tell me what you want and then you can get out of here. You're bad for business."

  Andre raised his chin to Archer who took out his cell and brought up a picture of the glove.

  "We're looking for some kids. A boy and a girl. We think they were in a wreck about a hundred miles north of here. They would have been with a trucker named Green."

  The man shook his head, "Don't know the name."

  "Have you seen two teenagers traveling together in, say, the last three or four weeks."

  He shrugged, "Not that I'd remember. I don't pay real good attention to people. They come in and sometimes they buy stuff. Most times they come in to see if I want to buy their old trash. Sometimes I do. Most often I don't. Money doesn't grow on trees. You can tell Marie that. She's the one who sent you, right?"

  "Do you remember this?" Archer put the phone in front of the man's face.

  He stepped back and grumbled: "Don't need to shove it in my face, there, partner."

  He tipped his head. He pulled his mouth to one side and then the other. He took one finger and rubbed the side of his nose.

  "You know what? I do remember that. Well, not just that one glove, but a pair of 'em. Sold 'em about three months ago."

  "Did you sell them to a young man? Blue eyes, blond hair. He would have called you dude?" Archer asked. "He would have been traveling with a light skinned black girl with short hair dyed blond."

  "Nope, don't recall anyone like that. Besides, those gloves were big. That's one of the things I remember about them. Paul Bunyan gloves. I told that joke to the guy who bought 'em. He didn't get it. Dumb shit. Just kind of stared at me. Blinkin' and blinkin' and wipin' his nose on his sleeve like a little kid."

  "That's not the trucker," Andre noted. "He was small."

  "What else to you remember about this guy?"

  The man snorted. "What's not to remember? He was something. Big as a house. I'm not kidding. A house. And his face was scary."

  "Mean scary?" Andre asked.

  "No, weird-scary. Like the whole of one side was all deformed or something. Red. Like a big red scar but real thick. Looked like he'd been tanned, I tell you. And then the other side looked all smooth like a baby's butt. I sure wouldn't want to wake up and see that face staring back at me."

  "Does he live around here?" Archer asked.

  "Naw. He passes through now and again. Seen him maybe twice in the last year. He comes down to get supplies and clothes. Sometimes he gets clothes for women but he's not all funny that way. The clothes he gets wouldn't fit him. He always had a set amount of money. No more and no less. He doesn't know to haggle. Told you, dumb as a rock."

  "Has he got a family?" Archer asked.

  "Kind of. He told me that he lives with a bunch of other folk up the river some."

  "Do you have any idea where?" Andre asked.

  "What do you think I am, the census taker?"

  "Just thought I'd ask," Andre pulled out a card and handed it to the man. "If you remember anything."

  "Yeah, I know the drill," the man said. "We done here?"

  "We are unless you have anything else for us."

  "Not me, buddy." The two men were almost out the door when he called after them. "Might try down at the landing. He comes in by boat. Someone down there might know where he hails from?"

  "Thanks," Andre said and held the door for Archer.

  Ten minutes later they had the information they wanted. Archer was going to see Josie soon
er than he expected because they were both headed to the same place: Clara's Landing.

  ***

  "Are you okay back there?"

  Duncan knew the answer even before he asked Billy the question. An hour earlier Billy's grip went slack, and his head fell so that his cheek rested against Duncan's back. Now with this last bump of the snowmobile Billy's entire weight shifted so Duncan hockey-stopped the big machine. Duncan shut down the engine and the silence was deafening. He caught Billy just before he fell off.

  "Get off me, man," Billy pushed him away.

  "Not doing too good, are you?" Duncan swung off the snowmobile.

  "I'm okay, dude. Just tired. Where are we?" Billy did a three sixty, checking out the surroundings as if he expected to find something familiar.

  "The middle of nowhere," Duncan said. "Stand up. Come on. Get off, and get the blood flowing."

  "No. Get back on, man. We've got to go." Billy motioned to him. "What do you think? Another hour or two or what?"

  Billy was pale as a ghost and almost frozen solid. Pity they hadn't thought to get him a hat before they left. Cold could befuddle even the sharpest mind, and Billy's was not in that category.

  "No can do, Billy. I'm the one driving. I need a breather," Duncan said. "Come on, come on. Up and at 'em. Five minutes won't kill you."

  Duncan laughed a little. Billy was annoyed, but he also knew Duncan was right. They had been on that sorry excuse for a snowmobile way too long. Billy swung off bent over and pounded on his thighs. His jeans were stiff and crusted with cold, and his muscles were so cramped they were painful.

  "Does it ever stop snowing?" Billy asked.

  "I think it's pretty. You probably didn't get much snow there in California."

  "That's stupid, dude."

  "Yes, I suppose it is. Just trying to lighten the mood," Duncan said as he paced. "I guess I misjudged how far we had to go. It's so much easier in spring, but spring isn't just around the corner, is it? Maybe I should make a fire. Just to warm us up a bit. We'll take an hour or so."