Chapter 9
Phillip watched nervously as David stirred.
Dr. Hoffman had told him that there was no danger now. So why did they keep David chained by the ankle to this bed? If it was safe, why do that?"
He had to bring David food twice a day, at least, and make sure he ate all of it. Dr. Hoffman did not want David to suffer from malnutrition.
Which wasn't easy. David was still half-doped. Junkies have notoriously poor appetites, and Dr. Hoffman should know that.
Phillip sighed. It could be worse, he knew. The...sanitary arrangements could be even more unpleasant than they were. And Barnabas had given him a raise for the extra work.
It wasn't that much money. There was a limit to what Barnabas could spend. But it made saving easier.
"Hey you!" David said.
"You want to eat?" Phillip dreaded taking the tray up to him. It was safe, and he had been given a silver weapon to protect himself "just in case". And a doped undernourished kid was no match for a gown man. But he still didn't like getting close to David.
"Can you get me a saw, man?" David asked "I could pay you well."
That would be a solution. Let David escape. Then abrupt cold turkey.
Then a posse with silver bullets.
No. No silver bullets. Tranquilizer darts. Sent back to Barnabas and start all over again...
"Pay me, how? I don't see any pockets in that outfit of yours."
"I know somebody who has."
"You mean your drug acquaintances? I would forget them if I was you. Amy's been singing like a bird and the police has busted that drug ring...You try contacting them and you may get yourself killed."
"I can find other ways."
"I don't know why Barnabas bothers with you. You are just a lousy pusher. The only thing that keep you out of jail is that you are a werewolf. You have been declared mentally incompetent and unfit to stand trial. And Barnabas is legally your guardian because no one else in your family would touch you with a ten-foot pole. Now do you want to eat or not?"
"Some day" David muttered "some day..."
Willie sat down in the chair that Delia pointed to him.
"He's not here, now" Delia said "He's at your wife's bedside."
"I wanted to talk to him."
Delia shrugged "Whether he would tell you the truth or not..."
"What you mean?"
"He's in love with her. He wants her for himself."
Willie's heart sank "It isn't true." he tried to protest.
Delia couldn't repress a smile. Willie was ready to believe anything. He wanted Louella as much as she wanted Derek. But unlike her, he didn't have to watch the one he loved go through the motions.
"I saw Louella the other day, shopping. I noticed that there were marks on her throat. You know what kind. You know that Barnabas keeps away from her, Megan's out of town - and she prefers men. That leaves Derek.
"Did you ask him?" Cold fear was mounting in Willie.
"Yes. He told me that I wasn't the one paying him to watch Louella. That Barnabas was, and as long as Barnabas was happy, he'd go on doing what he was doing."
"Did you try to tell Barnabas?"
"He didn't believe me." Delia invented fast. "Derek had told him that I was jealous because...because he wouldn't go along with..."
With some of her tough SM stuff. Now that Derek wasn't hiding out, he had begun to complain about her roughest games... Willie knew that.
But if he was repulsed by Delia, was it so strange that he was attracted to someone as gentle as Louella?
What Delia had said just might be true...and if it was...
"Have you tried to contact that girl?"
What girl?"
"Beth Chavez. Maybe she could be exorcized."
"Barnabas said that it was too risky..."
"More risky than letting Derek take care of her?"
Willie rubbed his temples, tried to think...
"I have a friend who is a medium. We could hold a séance and try to free your wife from that ghost..."
The ghostly figure circled around Barnabas. Not too close. He was thankful for that. If she were to touch him...
He looked at the figure. Was he to be followed by her forever? That Indian woman...so long ago.
"I never knew your name" he spoke to it. "I never cared to find out if you had one."
"Just another stinking squaw" as the soldiers said.
She wasn't the only one. Not in those ugly skirmishes that men tried to disguise under high-sounding names. A policy of genocide from the start...
And he had forgotten her so easily. When he had courted Josette, when he had married Angelique, he hadn't spared a thought to those broken fingers. And when his curse had come upon him, he had said he had done nothing to deserve it, and believed it.
And...now...he tried to pass himself as a friend to the Indians...
"But I do want to help your people now." he pleased to those staring eyes "I want to make up for it. Is there no forgiveness in you?"
It moved away. It floated slowly on top of the trees, leaving him there, trembling.
He began walking away. He didn't dare fly. He knew that his wings would have no strength after seeing that face.
Something moved behind him.
He tensed up, afraid that the apparition had come back.
"Who is that?"
Elsa came out of the bushes.
"What are you doing here at his hour? he caught her by the arm "don't you know it's dangerous?"
"Are you...? I mean, am I in danger from you?" Elsa did her best to look scared.
"No. But there is plenty of trouble you can get into. Like the dog pack."
"Dog pack?"
"There's been report of a dog pack in the area. Don't get any idea of their being cute puppies. They would tear you to pieces and eat you in five minutes."
"But..."
"Do you know where a dog pack comes from? Summer tourists. They think it is nice to have a puppy or a kitty when they are here. When they go back they abandon them. The cats that do not starve become feral. And the dogs that do not starve form packs. They are like wolf packs, but worse since they have no fear of man. Well, now that I have scared you, I'm taking you home."
"Will you tell mama? Please don't.
Barnabas sighed. "I'll make you a deal. This time I won't. But next time I catch you, not only I will tell her, but I will tan your hide personally."
"You wouldn't!"
"If I ever catch you here at this hour I will. And what were you doing here, anyway?"
"I have this school project.."
"You have plenty of other times for that." He did not like to make Elsa weep, but if that kept her out of trouble, he would do it.
"But you are not up, then." Elsa sniffled.
"Are you making this about me?"
"No. About...Indians."
Barnabas stopped, feeling a deep stab.
"I mean, I figured that you were here during the Indian wars and you could tell me about it."
Barnabas closed his fists. "Wars are nothing pleasant to talk about. They are ugly and brutal. The best thing to be said about a way is that it is over.."
"Not even the Revolutionary War? You were there too, weren't you?
"I was. All I can remember of it is the cold and the mud. Maybe we were surrounded by glory. I don't recall ever seeing any. But I guess that the war had to be fought.
"You ever saw George Washington?"
"From a distance. Didn't think much of him."
"You didn't?
"I was just a stupid kid. How was I to know that he'd become President? My favorite was Aaron Burr."
"About the Indians" Elsa was now hanging from his arm and actually leading him to her house. "you think they'll get their land back?"
"It is not that easy."
"Do you think they should?"
"I am not sure about it."
"Is it true that Indian shamans can talk to animals?"
"Not talk. But they feel they have a rapport with the spirit of everything that lives."
"If I were an Indian shaman and could talk to the animals I'd tell them to go wipe out the white men and take the land back."
"Good thing that you are not one of them."
Derek stared at Louella. She was tossing in her sleep again. And Beth's locket was held again in her fist.
Tomorrow, unless Quentin called, it would be worse.
Her lips were moving, as if talking to someone. Someone who attacked her and forced her to plead and try to defend herself.
He wondered if he should take the locket away from her. It certainly didn't do her any good.
But Dr. Hoffman had said leave it there, and Dr. Hoffman was in charge.
And on top of everything, Delia was getting jealous. And of Louella of all people! Ridiculous! Louella, that mousy churchwoman. A born victim, if there was ever one.
He felt sorry for her, that was all.
Harry Redwolf felt like a fool...To ask Collins that kind of question...
He had to be crazy to do it.
But, if it was possible, it was a solution to the Munsungan problem.
Barnabas came in, looking somewhat distracted.
"How are things going?"
"Bad. Remember Munsungan?"
"Your ayatollah?"
"He's getting out of control fast. More and more people listen to him, and less and less to me. I don't know for how much longer I can hold him off. And now he's having visions... He sits there and neither moves nor speaks. And there is talk that he is in direct contact with a spirit who guides him, and tells him what tom do to get our land back... You cannot stop that kind of talk."
"Maybe he has seen something.." Barnabas said, thinking of the woman dogging his steps.
"Not you too. I want him stopped before he can do any more damage. And I know how to do it."
"How?"
"First let me make sure of one thing. Look at his." He pulled something out of his pocket and showed it to Barnabas."
It was a small cross.
"Why? " asked Barnabas turning his face away.
"So it is true." Redwolf said "Save yourself the explanations. I just want some yes and no answers."
"What do you want to know?"
"You can turn back. I put it in my pocket again. Can you force people to do what you want?"
"Sometimes...I don't do much of it lately. I don't like it."
"Do it to Munsungan."
"Do that to the old man? You know how it is done?"
"I don't know and I don't care. Do you want the waterfall or not? I want the deal. I want that money to come to our people. I want Munungan stopped. Do you know that he's talking the tribe to reject modern sanitation because it means white man's ways?"
"I don't like the idea."
"You handle Munsungan. I will ask no questions afterwards."
