The Repossession (36 page)

Miller touched his father on the shoulder and was happy to see him wake and look alert again.

‘You look good, Dad.’

‘Be better when they let me out of here.’

‘Tomorrow. Got something to cheer you up meanwhile.

I suggest you come to the window.’

‘What?’ Marshall frowned. ‘You got Schneider on a skewer down there? That I’ll look at.’

Max laughed. ‘Better.’

Marshall flung off his blanket, revealing he wasn’t wearing his prosthetic leg. ‘You’ll have to help me.’

Max was only too happy to oblige. He scooped his father up out of the bed and set his foot down on the floor. Marshall put an arm around his son’s shoulders to get support and together they moved towards the window.

‘Check out the car park.’

Marshall stood at the window and looked down. His eyes fixed on a huge refrigerated truck, with a trailer

behind it, loaded up with crates of boxed apples.

‘What?’

Max grinned and gave a signal. Nine heads popped up from behind his truck behind it and began cheering.

‘Rian. Who are the other kids? My God? Did they pick my whole crop? Where’s Genie? I don’t recognize her.’

‘The one with Moucher. They shaved her head.’

Marshall felt incredibly touched. They had done him a good turn and he felt quite emotional. He waved, not sure they could see him.

‘They picked everything. Pickard’s are taking them.

There’s a big demand for organic apples now. Couldn’t get it all in one truck. Got a good price too.’

‘They did all that? I don’t believe it.’ He watched them pile into his truck. ‘Who shaved her head?’

‘Get back into bed. I’ll fill you in. There’s going to be quite a showdown tonight.’

Marshall watched his truck being driven away. He was still feeling stunned. He had never managed to get his whole crop picked before. Those kids were amazing, but where they hell had they come from? At least two looked familiar.

Max was watching his reaction.

‘Don’t worry, I’ve got Carl watching out for them.

About the only cop I trust in this town any more.’

‘Carl’s a good guy,’ Marshall agreed, then frowned, puzzled. ‘Who are the other kids?’

‘I’ll tell you, but I’m afraid the surprise might finish you off for good. Remember all those cuttings you kept on the bathroom wall?’

Marshall blanched. ‘No! You’re kidding. Genie said she was talking to some of them, but I thought she was hallucinating. It’s impossible.’

He could feel his heart rate racing as he considered the possibility.

Miller smiled. ‘I had a very hard time believing it too.

Now get back into bed. I’ll tell all I know.’

Marshall hopped back to his bed. This story he wanted to hear.

The Church of the Free Spirits welcomes you: Witness Night – Tuesday 7 p.m.

Families and pets welcome – followed by Organic Coffee and HomeMade Cakes 9 p.m.

They watched Reverend Schneider’s Mercedes being towed away by RCMP forensics. The Vancouver-based investigators were waiting in their cars as people arrived for the Tuesday service, discreetly taking photos. Among them many strangers to the church, invited by Miller.

Parents of children known to be missing in Spurlake.

Some were about to get a big surprise.

Genie was worried. So many people were involved with the Fortress in Spurlake. Once the kids revealed they were back, they were immediately vulnerable. Anything could happen, including disbelief. How could they prove that they were used as lab rats? How could they prove they were held prisoner on computer servers? Even ones as powerful as theirs. Who on earth would believe that?

Most likely they’d laugh, it was so incredible. It was reluctantly agreed by all, that they would go home to Spurlake, say as little as possible to friends and try to get their folks to leave town. Leaving Spurlake was all they could think about and Miller tended to agree. They had all suffered enough.

He’d called all the big city newspapers and TV news people. It was a good story, kids claiming to have been abducted by a major corporation. Most promised to come.

This would be the protection they needed. Genie was concerned the choppers would fly over and they’d play the mosquito trick. But with journalists watching, it wouldn’t look so good if they all ended rolling on the ground screaming. First they had to confront Reverend Schneider at the Church of the Free Spirits. Then disappear again, real fast.

They gathered at the grand glass and steel structure on Fir Street that could accommodate five hundred souls. The Fortress had been very generous to its major conspirator.

Genie watched Denis Malone’s parents walk by into the building. They looked anxious. Denis’ little sister would be taller than him now – that would be embarrassing for Denis; he was very touchy about his height.

She watched Julia’s parents arrive too. They were rich.

Genie never did find out why Julia had run away from them – they looked pretty normal. Of course, they were already members of Reverend Schneider’s flock. Had they joined before or after Julia had disappeared? She’d forgotten to ask. Perhaps they didn’t even want little Julia back. Everyone in Spurlake thought her own mother was a good person and yet she had imprisoned her own daughter behind bars and screamed abuse at her for weeks on end. Genie wondered just how many other horrible secrets there were in her hometown.

Miho had already departed. Miller hadn’t wanted her to go anywhere outside of his protection but Miho couldn’t be stopped. She was desperate to see her sick mother.

Miller had made a friend of his drive her to Abbotsford and warned her to approach the hospital with extreme caution. He’d also given her a hundred bucks to get to Vancouver and an address of a safe place to stay. On no account, he’d told her, should she come back to Spurlake or call anyone there.

Rian took Genie’s hand. He was pointing to a wheelchair being lowered from the back of a Range Rover.

‘My mother.’

Genie watched a well-dressed woman getting into her wheelchair being pushed by a red-faced man who’d eaten way too many pies. She knew that face.

‘Mr Yates.’

‘Yeah.’

Genie looked at the car clock. 6.50 p.m.

‘It’s going to be full. What’s gonna happen, Ri?’

‘Reverend Schneider’ll go to jail for many years,’ Rian declared. ‘They’ll close the Fortress down and Spurlake can get back to being a normal town where the kids don’t disappear all the time.’

Genie squeezed his hand. She wasn’t so confident.

There were a lot of jobs at stake; people tended to vote with their wallets.

‘I wish I could believe that. I think Reverend Schneider will claim the kids all coming back is a miracle and he’ll be bigger than ever. Hell, it will even look like a miracle. I don’t think this is gonna work, Ri.’

‘I hope you’re wrong, Gen. I really hope you’re wrong.’

Miller walked over to his vehicle and looked in on them both. Genie smiled at him. He’d been so good to them. She didn’t want him to be disappointed if all this backfired.

‘You look sad, Genie. You should be happy. This is the night you get your revenge.’

Rian glanced at Genie and then back at Miller.

‘She’s afraid he’ll claim it’s a miracle.’

Miller hadn’t really thought about that, but he could

see that would make sense. He looked at his watch. He wondered where the press and TV crews were. He’d made the calls personally and they had seemed real keen to come. Surely they’d want to be here for this. It would be the scoop of the decade. Why weren’t the newspapers here? They’d promised. He was getting worried now.

Perhaps he should call it all off. Had the Fortress leaned on them? Maybe they thought it was hoax call? He dismissed that notion – some maybe might think that, but not all would stay away.

‘Keep the faith, kids. Focus on parents getting their kids back. They’re going to be angry once they understand. It’s hard explaining miracles to angry parents. They’ll realize that Reverend Schneider only pretended to care about the missing kids. The whole town trusted him and he lied to them all. Even if your folks never came to his church, he’s betrayed you all.

That’s what counts here. No one needs to be afraid of him any more.’

He looked at his watch again. ‘The RCMPs will be raiding the Fortress right about now. This time they know what to look for thanks to you guys. Come on. Let’s go. It’s showtime.’

Genie leaned in and kissed Rian. She was scared to death of what might happen next. She knew Rian was too.

They should be miles away and still running rather than facing all this. Being grown up about this stuff really sucked. Rian hugged her back.

‘Come on. We can do this.’

‘And then we run?’

Rian smiled but didn’t say anything.

‘Hey, there’s Renée,’ Genie shouted getting out of the car. ‘She looks so cool. What you wearing, girl?’

‘Charity glam. Same as you. Can’t believe what was left in the flood donation pile. Miu Miu, girlfriend. How could they not want this?’

Genie grinned. ‘Not many size zeros in this town, that’s why. This is the most electric-blue outfit I ever saw. People are going to see you coming all right.’

Renée laughed, really happy to be looking good again.

They hugged. Renée looking around.

‘Did my mother come?’

Genie shrugged. ‘We don’t know what she looks like.’

‘She’ll be here. She worships the Reverend. Bet she takes his side.’

‘Remember you’re with us, no matter what,’ Rian called out to her.

Renée smiled, but Genie could see the sadness in her eyes. She was the least happy to be back and the most scared to meet her mother.

A senior RCMP officer approached Miller to talk with him and Genie, Renée and Rian went into the church alone.

The reporter from
The Straight
slowed to a stop by the roadblock. Private security guards, not RCMP, were manning the block on the Highway 1 turn-off to Spurlake.

‘What’s going on?’ she asked a uniformed guard, checking the clock readout on her dash. She was supposed to be there for seven and it was already five minutes to.

‘Accident ahead. The police are dealing with it, they’re short-handed so we’re helping out. Might be a while until they clear it.’

The reporter couldn’t see any flashing lights or activity ahead.

‘Isn’t there another way in?’

‘Only road. Best park over there with the others. We have to keep the way clear for emergency vehicles.’

The reporter saw a CTV truck and another journalist she knew from
The Province
standing at the side of the road. She backed up and drove over to where they were talking. They waved in acknowledgment as she parked.

‘What’s going on?’ she asked, getting out of her vehicle.

The CTV reporter was putting on her coat; it was chilly waiting around.

‘They say there’s been a volatile chemical spill up ahead. Haven’t got verification though and there’s no signal on my cell. Yours?’

The reporter checked her phone and shook her head. ‘Uh-uh.’

‘You think this abduction thing is for real at the church?’

‘Cop who called said it was. We’re all being bottled up here. Don’t you think that’s kind of convenient, keeping all the media out?’

‘Don’t even try to walk it. These guys pulled their guns on Steven. They’re sticking to the chemical spill story, but I’m not sure I buy it. I can’t smell anything and we’ve seen no fire department trucks coming in. This small town couldn’t cope with a spill on their own.’

The reporter tended to agree and went back to her car to get her fleece. She noted that the security guards all sported Fortransco Synetics logos. Coincidence or conspiracy? Wasn’t this the company the cop was going to expose? Something wasn’t right here.

The service was in full swing. Reverend Schneider leading his flock in witnessing. It was important to witness God’s

work in this world and he called up his flock to account for themselves and their ways.

Reverend Schneider was dressed in purple flowing robes with a swatch of white cloth across his shoulders.

He looked like a medieval high-priest. He was looking triumphant. A full house meant a good night’s takings.

Genie looked around with growing nervousness.

Where were the TV cameras? Surely they should be in here, waiting for something to happen. She began to fret.

They had counted on them being there. The Vancouver cops had come but they kind of had to. Where were the journalists? It was starting to go wrong.

‘And who now will say their proofs?’ Reverend Schneider began. ‘Who will speak and bear witness to the special kindness of the Lord?’

There was that moment of tension when no one wants to go first. A woman looked as though she would get up and speak but Denis Malone stepped into the aisle.

‘I’m Denis Malone. You abducted me, took me to the Fortress and made me disappear. I am your witness. You kidnapped me, Reverend Schneider.’

A woman screamed, a man stood up, clearly shaken.

‘Denis? Denis? Is it really you?’

‘You’re not a member of this congregation . . .’ Reverend Schneider began, trying to shut this down quickly,

clearly amazed to see Denis in the flesh.

Denis’ father stepped out into the aisle and ran towards his son.

Genie saw Denis’ mother faint. His sister was staring at him with absolute astonishment. So far, so good.

‘What trick is this?’ Reverend Schneider began again.

‘I can bear witness too,’ Julia called out, standing up and walking into the aisle. ‘I’m Julia Wasserman. You said you would help me learn to eat again. You took me into the Fortress and they made me disappear.’

‘Julia?’ a woman yelled. A man and woman were frantically struggling to get past people to the aisle. ‘Julia?’

Tears streaming down the woman’s face. Genie felt a lump in her throat. Saw Julia break down into sobs as her parents reached her.

Sweat was appearing on Reverend Schneider’s upper lip and his eyes nervously swivelled around the congregation.