‘An interesting place, Oregon,’ said Johan conversationally, following my gaze. ‘Exports a huge percentage of the world’s turf and grass seed. My brother works as an agent for a large seed company. I should have guessed sooner where he would go to ground after so many moves around the world; he was always keen on plants as a child.’
‘And what were you interested in, Uncle Johan?’
He gave a flick of a grin. ‘Nothing.’
Dangerous topic. ‘And his wife, Alex’s mother, what does she do?’
‘Miriam? She hides.’
‘Do you mean she hides out in the home?’
He put a finger up between us, warning me to stop. ‘Enough questions.’
The threat was sufficient to make further words wither. I was so tired—tired of being terrified rather than physically weary. I curled my knees up to my chest.
‘Feet off the seat.’
I put my legs down. I turned slightly so my head rested on its side away from him and closed my eyes. I would make myself unobtrusive so he had no call to use his powers on me. I hated that sensation of absence. He took away my basic right to life with his control over my consciousness. One nudge further and I’d never wake up again.
Many hours later, the car drew up outside a motel.
‘I’ve made a booking for you as you requested, sir, for the largest and best-equipped cabin,’ said the driver over the intercom. ‘Your hire car will be with you at nine tomorrow morning and the keys will be left under your door.’
‘Thank you, Chandler.’
‘Thank you for choosing Silver Fleet. Enjoy the rest of your stay.’
‘I have every intention of doing so.’
Johan gave me a look, not even specifying what he expected from me as I already knew. I nodded. Chandler opened the door on his side and Johan got out, tugging on my bound wrists to signal that I should follow. The bright lights of the motel spilled out into a foggy night, stopping only metres from their source. The motel was a series of large cabins with a parking space in front of each. It was possible to go straight in and out of your room without passing through any public areas—no doubt why Johan had chosen it. If Chandler thought it odd that a rich man like Johan had picked a three-star motel over a luxury hotel, he made no comment.
‘I’ll fetch the key for you, sir. I called ahead to warn them of our arrival; the door is unlocked.’
‘Excellent.’ Johan gave him a crisp nod, waited for him to set off for reception before opening the door of Number Five. ‘Make yourself comfortable in the bathroom, Misty, while I say goodbye to our driver.’
I hesitated, wondering if this was another chance for me to run. Only my wrists were bound.
Johan anticipated me. ‘Remember that any resistance on your part will only get other people killed.’
I walked into the bathroom and sat on the edge of the tub. It had recently been refurbished: dark slate floor and tiles, shiny vanity unit, and pure white basin and bath. The grouting was bright chalk-white; the place looked barely used. Little soap wrapped up in fancy lavender cellophane. No windows. The ceiling fan hummed, drowning out the brief conversation between Johan and our driver. The cabin was very big so they were quite some distance from me in any case, even without the motor noise.
Johan tapped on the door. ‘It’s safe to come out now.’
I emerged to find that he had drawn the curtains. Two double beds divided by a shelved unit, and a kitchenette completed the spacious facilities. A picnic dinner was spread on the circular table by the window.
‘Wrists.’
I lifted my hands and he sliced the ties. My skin was raw after wearing the plastic for so many hours. Johan tutted as if that were my fault.
‘I suggest you bathe those in cold water.’
I returned to the bathroom and stared at myself in the mirror in a vacant way. I felt empty. My face was paler than normal, grey eyes wide with a permanent state of shock, hair in a wild tangle. I splashed some water into my face to stimulate my brain. I had to keep my wits, keep looking for that weakness.
I felt a faint hiss at the very edge of my mind.
Bokkie?
Alex? Relief flooded me.
Thank God—finally! You’re still alive. I knew it. His voice was faint but even so he had to be close enough to talk to me, else I was hallucinating. But I was at the back of the cabin, Johan up by the window: maybe that was far enough to get away from his influence. Even at the terminal buildings he had only just been on the other side of glass as he had parked so close; we’d never been this far apart. His desire for a grand accommodation here had proved the first flaw in his scheme.
Is it really you?
Yes, really. Where are you?
Oregon somewhere.
We know that. I’m in Portland. We landed an hour ago.
How do you know that?
I sensed him falter. Tarryn.
How did Tarryn know I was here?
Her gift. She saw you with my parents. Victor traced them to Oregon.
‘I see a person’s fate,’ Tarryn had told me in Cape Town. Cold lodged in my stomach. Am I going to die then? I asked but my mind was already screaming.
No. I won’t allow it.
Lie.
‘Oh God, oh God.’ I collapsed to my knees. I couldn’t feel Alex in my head any more. The reason soon presented itself: Johan was at the door.
‘Hurry up, Misty, I want to eat.’
‘Coming!’ I croaked. I had to get him back down the other end of the cabin and return to the bathroom without him suspecting me. I came out.
‘You don’t look well,’ he said solicitously.
‘Are you surprised?’
He patted my arm but that only made me tremble twice as hard. ‘No, I suppose not. You’re doing very well, considering.’ His face brightened. ‘And I’m sure it’s nothing that a meal and some sleep won’t put right.’
He really believed his own words. He couldn’t understand how someone under a death sentence imposed by him might suffer. But then, he had given hints he didn’t see what he did as bad; he thought it painless. Now you’re here, now you’re not. A kind of game.
I made an attempt to eat. I couldn’t swallow anything solid so toyed with a yogurt. Banana flavour. It didn’t taste anything like the fruit, more like those sweet chews in the shape of one. Johan tucked into an overfilled roll with pastrami and salad falling out. He held it out to me.
‘America,’ he said happily, thinking the sandwich was illustration enough.
I dabbed my lips with a napkin, hoping this read to him as impeccable manners. ‘Would it be OK with you if I had a bath? My wrists are really aching.’
‘Fine, fine. Don’t take long. I’d like a shower before going to bed.’ He got up and moved to the kitchenette to make some coffee. Damn. That put him much nearer the bathroom. ‘There are more clean clothes for you. I’ve put them on your bed.’ He indicated the bed furthest from the door. ‘Use the T-shirt to sleep in.’
I grabbed the items he described and closed myself in the bathroom.
Alex? Alex?
Nothing. Johan had to be in the middle of the room outside. I kept calling Alex’s name while I bathed but Johan remained stubbornly too close. Drying off, I dressed and emerged from the bathroom to discover why: he had stretched out on his bed and was reading a newspaper.
‘I’m finished,’ I said.
‘I’ll grab that shower then.’ He took off his reading glasses and dug inside his case for his wash bag.
I tried not to look too pleased. I wandered over to the table and began tidying.
‘Leave that. It’s what I’m paying for. You don’t need to do it.’
Giving him a faint smile, I got into my bed, trying to signal that I was intending to go to sleep.
‘Good night, Misty.’ He closed the bathroom door behind him.
I leapt out of bed and hurried to the opposite end of the cabin.
Alex?
What happened?
/>
Johan stops me communicating. There’s only one spot in our room where I’m far enough away.
He wasn’t surprised to hear me mention Johan’s name so I guessed that Tarryn’s vision had included him. I wanted to comfort him for this betrayal but there was no time.
Listen, we need to know exactly where you are.
He’s planning some kind of confrontation with your parents using me. They live in a town called Florence on the coast.
Victor traced where they live and we’ve got their house under surveillance and there’s no one home. We have to stop you reaching my family.
I’m in a motel. I think it’s called Harbour Inn.
He was repeating the information to someone else. That’s a chain. Do you know which one?
No, but we’re heading for the coast—I saw signs to the coastal road when we left the airport.
That’s great—that should be enough to find you. Whatever you do, Misty, don’t let him take you to my family, OK? We’ll get to you first.
How exactly can I stop him? He can kill with a fingertip.
Just do your best. Alex couldn’t disguise his anxiety. It shivered down our connection like a chill breeze. He wasn’t sure how long I had.
If this was to be our last conversation, there was so much to be said. Alex, I’m sorry I got upset at the pizza restaurant.
And I’m sorry I didn’t handle things differently. I was too caught up in meeting an uncle and winning the competition to imagine how you felt being left out. I was a jerk, taking you for granted, just as your father said I would.
Who’s with you? If something went wrong, I didn’t want him to be alone.
Everyone—your parents, Uriel, Tarryn, Victor, Crystal, Xav. More are coming. We’ve called in every law-enforcement agency we can. He’s not going to get away with this, Misty, I promise you.
I’m sorry about your uncle.
Yeah, well, with a family like mine, I’m better off adopting yours, aren’t I?
I wondered fleetingly what my father was thinking, because this was his worst nightmare. I couldn’t imagine him giving Alex an easy ride. If I were gone, my family would be a mess, unable to look after Alex. He’d need someone. I saw a photo. I think you have a brother.
I do? Really?
He looks about our age—or a little younger.
I don’t remember him. He sounded sad now on top of anxious.
And I bet he doesn’t know about you. You’ll be able to start fresh.
Misty, you’re so sweet—worrying about me when this is about saving you.
I rubbed hot tears away. Just don’t blame yourself, OK?
It’s not going to come to that. Tell me what I can do for you now?
Just be with me.
He must have sensed I desperately needed the comfort because he began to sing very softly one of my favourite songs: ‘Are you afraid of being alone?
’Cause I am, I’m lost without you.’
Oh, Alex.
‘I’m lost without you,’ he whispered.
As I was without my soulfinder. His song was like a gentle stroke, dulling the edge of my terror. I could hear sounds at the bathroom door. He’s coming back. Find me. Love you.
I signed off quickly before Alex could reply. There was no time to cross to my bedroom so I decided it was better to be caught trying the front door rather than standing suspiciously quiet by the window.
‘I suppose I should’ve expected that,’ sighed Johan, seeing me with my hand on the doorknob.
‘I just wanted some air.’ It wasn’t a lie. I wanted to run outside as far away from him as possible.
‘So not thinking of escape?’
‘Of course I’m thinking of escape.’ He knew I couldn’t lie.
‘And you’re not hoping to get help from people outside, are you?’
‘At this motel? No.’
He rubbed his newly shaved chin. ‘Maybe I should put you out, just in case. I want to sleep well without worrying about you sneaking off.’
‘I won’t sneak off,’ I promised. I was hoping for a rescue party battering down the door.
He shook his head. ‘I know you can’t lie but you may be twisting your words. Better safe than sorry. I suggest you get back in your bed. It doesn’t bother me if you spend the night as my doorstop but I think you’d prefer the alternative.’
If he put me out, there were no guarantees he’d wake me up again if the others did arrive. I’d be a dead-alive hostage. I couldn’t think of a way of stopping him. My rescuers had to be warned.
‘Can I just visit the bathroom again then?’
He shrugged. ‘Fine, but hurry up. I want to sleep.’
I had to get him over by the door so I could send my warning. On the bedside table, he had his phone and reading glasses. Using a touch of telekinesis, I yanked the glasses off the bedside table and dragged them over by the window at floor level so he didn’t see the movement. I made his phone follow. Hopefully, he’d want to find them before sleeping.
‘I won’t be a moment.’ No, I’d be several long moments. I dashed into the bathroom and closed the door.
Keep calm. Panic bubbled inside me.
Alex? Alex?
Nothing. How long would it take Johan to notice he was missing a few items?
Alex?
Misty?
I’ve seconds. Johan is putting me out again. When he does that, only he can bring me back. If you bust in, there’s no guarantee that he’ll do it.
O—
The rest of the OK was cut off. Johan had found his phone and glasses. I flushed the toilet and came out. My mind morbidly suggested that these cream motel walls and brown curtains might be the last things I saw. I slipped into the bed and waited. Oh God, help me.
Johan nodded, paused at my shoulder, fingertip raised. ‘Sleep well. Tomorrow it will all be over.’
That was supposed to be a comforting thought?
He’s mad: don’t tell him where to go even though it’s what you want to do.
Screaming inside, all I could do was edit my words. ‘Please, Uncle Johan, you will wake me up, won’t you?’
Johan just smiled. ‘One, two … ’
‘Rise and shine!’
Johan was horribly chirpy. That meant no one had broken down the door overnight, that I was still his prisoner, but also that he had woken me up. The last was the good news.
‘Happy Thanksgiving.’ He put a cup of coffee on my bedside table.
‘Thanks.’ I sipped the bitter brew. The taste confirmed that I really didn’t like coffee this early.
He slapped my leg through the cover in a matey gesture. ‘Hurry up and drink it. We’ll have a quick breakfast then head on out. We have to reach Roger by lunchtime.’
‘OK.’ My fear roared back from its hiding place during the night’s oblivion. Was this how the mouse felt when the cat played with it: glimmers of hope alternating with despair?
Forcing myself to keep going, I picked out some clean clothes from the ones he had bought me and went into the bathroom. I knew he was too close but that didn’t stop me constantly trying to reach Alex. When I received no response, it was hard not to imagine that was because there was no one there, that rescue had been a delusion.
Stop it. I splashed water on my face, cold enough to be a kind of punishment. You didn’t imagine those conversations last night.
Neither had I dreamt up Tarryn’s prediction of my fate.
The most likely time for my rescuers to strike was on the exit from the cabin. Surely by now they had had plenty of opportunity to stake out the motel? Alex wanted to stop me getting to Florence so this was the only chance before we hit the road. I had to keep a lid on my panic and make sure Johan opened the door to show I was awake; they wouldn’t move before then.
My mood more positive, I left my refuge and returned to the main room. I even managed to eat half a bagel, listening to Johan talk about American Thanksgiving customs. It occurred to me, listening to him and watching
emotion breeze across his waxen face, that he was a really lonely man. Pathetically, the foundation under the killer was a man in search of love. He was aiming to emerge from this with Alex as his family; those like me who fell by the wayside in that hunt were collateral damage, not really of any significance to his drone attack. I wondered if any of it was personal to me.
‘Did you break into my room, Johan?’
‘Oh yes.’ He smiled as if he had paid me a huge compliment. ‘I had come to the decision that I needed to clear you out the way so I was looking for more information about you.’
‘You destroyed any trace of me.’
‘That was a double message. I was hoping that Victor Benedict would assume it was one of Eli Davis’ people, but there’s a level on which it will make sense later, when all is revealed.’ He said the last like a magician running a trail for his best trick.
‘If all is revealed, you don’t really think Alex will still want to live with you, do you?’
He appeared genuinely surprised I doubted this. ‘Why not?’
Because you will have killed the other half of his soul. ‘I don’t think he’ll like some of the things you’ll have done.’
He slathered peanut butter on his bagel, gluey tan bumps scattered on the dry surface with a slick pass of the knife. ‘He’ll come round. He’ll understand I did it for his own good. Soulfinders are an irrelevance, a distraction.’ He took a bite and a third of the round disappeared. ‘I’ve managed fine without mine.’
There were doctors for psychiatric cases like him who would beg to differ.
I brushed the crumbs from my lap. ‘I’m ready.’
‘Good.’ He devoured the last bagel in three gulps. ‘You’re very brave, Misty, bearing up better than I expected. Not much longer now.’
I wasn’t brave; I just didn’t have a choice. Johan tied my wrists for what I hoped was the final time. Opening the door, he led me out. The hire vehicle, a cherry-red Chevrolet, waited on the forecourt.
Come on. Now! I willed my rescue to arrive.
‘In you get.’ He pushed the small of my back, urging me to climb inside.
Misty Falls Page 22
