Breeds 2 (24 page)

“Didn’t have anything to do with it?”

Not a glimmer of comprehension. No guilty look. Just that hopeful shine of a person expecting a surprise. Or a treat.

“You’re like a big kid,” Haley sighed and pointed to the men’s washroom. “Over there. I’ll be over here.”

And to her shock, John went to the designated washroom door.

“Holy shit,” Haley whispered, watching him disappear inside. A good sign for sure.

John entered the washroom and went into a stall, ignoring the one guy leaning over one of three sinks and inspecting his beard. John checked on the toilet paper, as the one called Mario had demonstrated, and fumbled with the front of his jeans. He sat down on the toilet (again as instructed), tucked himself inside the seat, and did his business, staring at the glyphs and numbers on the back of the stall door. His mind remained a white screen, but every now and again he became aware of certain impulses. Movements that were very natural to him. Recalled memories, perhaps, familiar scenes that rippled in his mind’s fabric, glimpsed but not quite understood. Images of a nature he couldn’t quite grasp but knew were important. John didn’t know where they came from, was incapable of analyzing his condition, but when they appeared, he recognized them as significant. He spaced out for a good ten minutes, lost in smoky recall. He came to with a jolt, realized he’d finished. He stood up, fastened his jeans, and opened the stall door.

Hands. He had to wash his hands. Mario had showed him how.

There, blocking the washroom door, were the three amigos. Gregory, Adam with his baseball cap as if it had been permanently glued to his head, and Bernard.

John stopped within the stall.

“C’mon out of there, cornshitter,” Gregory rumbled, dislike narrowing his eyes.

Adam Skoll quickly grabbed John by the sweatshirt. Seams ripped. He threw the mute man against the wall, knocking over a full garbage can as he did. Bernard Shoop pinned one arm while Adam pinned the other, breathing into his profile. His breath smelled of ham and cheese.

“Now, I don’t like you,” Gregory said with his hands hooked into a belt and stopping not two steps away. His skin smelled of salt and brine, like he’d been sprayed by an Atlantic storm front. “And frankly, I don’t want to see you coming around here no more. The woman you’re with? I like. You? Not so much. So tell you what, chief. You leave nice and quiet here today, just saunter out the exit like you did last night, and I won’t kick your ass. As a bonus, Adam here won’t break your fingers. And Bernard won’t break your arms. Which, I haveta admit, I was looking forward to seeing. You ever see a chicken with its wings all fucked up? It’s funny.”

Gregory leaned in closer.

“But if you do say anything to anyone. If you do keep whatsherface from coming around here, well, Gawd as my witness, I’ll make certain you won’t use this again.”

Gregory’s open hand grabbed John’s crotch and squeezed, buckling the man’s knees and producing a gasp of pain. Adam and Bernard kept John upright, refusing to let him fall.

“Got quite the pair,” Gregory muttered, smiling at his companions. “I might be a little jealous. Course, if you can’t use it, then what’s it good for, am I right?”

He squeezed harder, crippling his captive even further.

Bernard snickered.

“You hear me?” Gregory whispered.

John’s head remained lowered.

“I said you hear me?”

No response.

“Goddamn it,” Gregory spat and gripped John by the shock of his hair. “If it’s one thing that bugs me it’s being fucking ignored.”

The older man yanked John’s head up and his voice crystalized in his throat.

John had bared his teeth.

And they’d become fangs.

The background noise of shelter inhabitants chirped in Haley’s ears as she waited beside the east exit. She watched the homeless guests sitting at their tables, chatting away, and noticed the washroom door swing open. John walked out, looked somewhat distressed, and marched toward her. He rapped a table with his hip, swinging the piece out of position, and slowed at the impact. He grimaced but ignored the questioning looks of the guests in the dining area.

“You okay?” Haley asked as he neared her.

But John marched past her and opened the door in a rush.

Haley regarded the onlookers, met the wondering faces of Heather and Louis, and briefly considered the closed washroom door. Before anyone could ask, Haley went out the exit and hurried after John’s departing form.

She didn’t hear about the blood pool, or how it had seeped out from underneath the men’s washroom door not five minutes after she left. Nor did she hear about how Mario himself discovered the gruesome remains of three men.

Haley had other problems.

Ominous gray clouds pressed down upon the city, squeezing daylight from deepening shadows. Kirk and Carma returned to his apartment parking lot and saw Morris outside with his midnight duster on, looking like a homicidal doorman.

“How you doin’, sunshine?” Kirk asked as he got out of his truck.

“Fuck off.”

Kirk shot a sideways glance at Carma.

“Where do I go?” Morris asked her.

“Head back on up to the northern tip of the city. Work your way back here. Call as needed.”

Morris walked off, heels clicking on drying pavement.

“He’s not happy,” Carma said, pulling open the door. “Not even by Morris’s standards.”

“I could go after him.”

“And do what? Listen. You think Morris is the kind to cry on your shoulder? Or in the mood to do so now? Or ever? No. So get inside before I let the door close on your ass.”

Despite wanting to follow the Pictou warden, Kirk didn’t mind following her orders. He liked being bossed around by Carma. The difficult part was not letting it show.

They walked through the building, not meeting any other residents, and reached the apartment door just as the three others stepped out.

“Where to, boss?” Janice asked, with Nick Dyer standing just behind her. The movement wasn’t lost on Kirk.

“Same as earlier.”

“Wouldn’t another area be better?”

“No,” Carma said. “Halifax and Dartmouth’s a big city. Lots of places to look. So get looking. Comb the same area. He might just pop up.”

Bryce distanced himself from the hallway huddle, apparently eager to get to work. Janice and Dyer followed, but nowhere in the same hurry.

“Supper’s ready,” Dyer said before he got too far away.

“Thank you, dear,” Carma replied and went inside. The smell of hamburgers lingered in the air, and Kirk saw a plate-full resting on the kitchen counter.

“He wasn’t joking,” Kirk said. “They did up a nice little feed here.”

Carma didn’t respond. She kept her back to him.

“Something wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing.”

Kirk left it at that. He saw the time on the wall and considered his phone. Since their talk in the truck, Ross Kelly lingered on his mind. A bad feeling had seeped into his chest, and Kirk wanted to clear it by checking in on the man.

“I’m going to make a call,” Kirk said, while Carma stood before the television. She didn’t answer him. He left her alone and peeked in on the prone form of Ezekiel, still unconscious.

Rubbing his chin, he dialed Ross Kelly and wandered inside the room.

The newest warden picked up on the fourth ring.

“That you, Dougie?”

Kirk winced. “Yeah, that’s me.”

“You worried about me over here?”

The man was sharp. “Something like that. Just a quick call. How’s the island?”

“Fine,” Ross replied. “As far as I know. It’s a pretty big island. Not that I’m rushed to get out there and explore it all in my new capacity as sheriff.”

“Good. That’s good. Ah…” Kirk stopped by the bedroom window and pulled back the curtain just a crack. In the parking lot, Bryce stormed off in one direction while Janice and Dyer went off in another. Together. That raised an eyebrow.

“Listen… never really talked about it before but I wanted to let you know, I’m sorry. For bringing you into all of this.”

Silence on the other end. “Bit late for that, ain’t it?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m learning as I go here.”

Kirk suspected he would.

“But… it’s not all bad,” Ross added. “Not at all. I… don’t mind it, to tell the truth.”

“You don’t?” That knotted up Kirk’s forehead. “What?”

“No, I like it. At times. I mean… I guess I was looking at leaving way back when all of this happened, y’know. Had to. Now, everything’s changed. I mean, the pay is still shitty, but whatever, y’know. I get to stay here. In this town. For a while at least.”

“For a while.”

“And even then, after I leave, I’ll get to come back.”

“Yeah. You will.”
Eventually
, Kirk thought.

“Things will be different, I know, but that’s life anyway, y’know? I could mope around about it, but I’m not like that. Don’t you worry. I’ve spent many a long night puzzling over things and thinking. And it’s like anything else. It takes getting used to at first, and then it’s what you make of it. I’ll make the most of it. I mean, really, some of those midnight runs through the bush are just glorious, I gotta tell ya.”

“They can be.”

“And Kirk?”

“Yeah?”

“Listen. All things considered, you saved me here. More ways than one, y’know. In the beginning I used to think I was fucked with all of this. Now? Not so much. Just the opposite, in fact. So don’t be worrying about me. I’ll be fine. I’m doing fine. Matter of fact, got something going on here that might even us out—if you’re feeling a little guilty, that is.”

“Sounds good,” Kirk smiled. “What is it?”

“Ah, not right now. But I’ll tell you. Certainly before you come visit, anyway. We’ll sit down and have ourselves a smile.”

Kirk pinched the bridge of his nose. “All right, Ross. All right. Good to hear. And thanks.”

“Thanks for callin’.”

He broke the connection and hefted the phone. Kirk stepped back from the window, letting the curtain close, and considered the open doorway beyond.

“Douglas?”

“Yeah?”

Carma appeared. She dialed a number on her phone. “The news is on. Police found a body in a park.”

The temperature plummeted as night descended upon the city.

Sensing it was only around five o’clock or so, Haley lowered her head into the cold and meandered along exit roads leading to the glowing Mecca that was the Martin and MacDonald Mall, an architectural wet dream of irregular angles and curves, gravity-defying arches and platforms, all under a glass and steel roof that shimmered at night like the moon on a calm bay. A modern-day coliseum of feral consumerism stacked four levels high in places. Haley stopped on a nearby hill to marvel at the structure’s lights, the sole attraction that kept pulling her back. The building’s glittering exterior reminded her of Christmas. And, as luck would have it, management had already placed Christmas trees out front, magnificent spires of bright, multicolor goodness that left her feeling warm despite the temperature. Haley loved the lights, the beautiful, beautiful lights. They were so calming. She could camp outside and stare at them all night.

“See that?”

John stood beside her and saw. A corner of his mouth curled into a smile. That was good. Just after leaving the shelter, vibes of negativity had radiated off him like a quivering red needle on a boiler gauge, edging into an area dangerous and palpable enough for Haley to cease talking to him. Whatever had happened back on Barrington had seeped out of him like bad gas. Perhaps a hunt for a coat would improve his spirits. Haley hoped so. She wasn’t bringing him back to her place if he was pissed.

“That’s where we’re going. Just on the other side of that parking garage and around the back. It’s a loading and dumping area. A lot of the shops have garbage bins back there. On some Wednesdays, when they get new stock in, you’ll find something interesting in those bins. Not always useful, but interesting. There might be a coat down there for you. Or something warm. Save us the trouble of walking over to the other shelter. Wanna check things out?”

John actually looked at her suspiciously then, as if wondering what glorious madness she was about to reveal. At least, that was how Haley interpreted the expression.

“I got this.”

She reached into a pocket and produced a small flashlight, which she demonstrated as functional with a quick click on and off.

“Come on,” Haley said and eased herself down over a yellow slope of grass. “Be careful you don’t slip here. It’s a bitch in the winter. One slip and you could slide on your ass right out into that.”

She pointed. At the hill’s bottom was an exit road curving away from a main drag. Cars turned off the street and coasted toward the parking lots.

Haley was halfway down the slope when John decided to follow.

They timed their crossing just right, able to sprint over the off-ramp pavement when no cars were passing through. Horns sounded near the mall and a man yelled
Hey Lorri
! which turned Haley’s head. The shopping paradise loomed closer, the bright glowing signs mesmerizing, displaying popular chains and designer outlets. People bustled along the mall’s front end, on their phones, in groups, or walking alone. John stopped at the fringe of light, on slick pavement that led around to the back of the superstructure. He stared at the bright lettering, puzzling over its meaning. Haley pulled him away by the hand and led him down another short incline, toward the mall’s less glamorous side. A wide open space came into view, paved and painted with lines, between the shopping center’s back wall and a looming hillside that had its slope cut away to better accommodate the expansive zone. What once was a slope had been removed and replaced by brickwork and wire mesh, rising some thirty feet or so into the dark. Globes of lights appeared, spaced at regular intervals and perking up the building’s concrete hide.

“Almost there. Stay out of the light. We only have a short time before someone sees us. Depending on who’s working and their mood, they might come out here or just straight up call the cops.”