no shadow of a doubt, that they had happened…
“
Give it to me – I require it!
”
“I … I…” The effort of mumbling those two small words made Gabe break out into a sweat. And then the dam broke and everything poured out. “If I had it here, believe me, mister, I’d give it all to you in a
second
, I would! But I
don’t
have it, OK? I don’t. Not right now. But I can get it … yeah, I can… I can get it.” As he spoke, Gabe could hear the desperation in his voice.
What am I saying?
he thought.
Exactly
how
am I gonna do that? Is nice Mr Cecil LeBarron just going to turn right around and sell the bracelet, on which he has no doubt made a tidy profit, back to me?
“I didn’t
know
it belonged to anyone! I just found it, right? I didn’t know it was yours, how could I? If I had I wouldn’t have taken it, I wouldn’t… It was an accident.”
“
Trouble
… bad
trouble…
”
“Trouble? You gonna call the cops? Hey, you don’t have to do that!” Gabe saw an owl land behind the coyote; he pointed at it. “Look, the damn bird was there, the coyotes too. The owl saw…”
Gabe stopped, hearing how ridiculous and close to tears he sounded. He had gone crazy, he must have. What other explanation could there be? He was seeing things, he was babbling like a loonytune and any minute now some doctor was going to jab a loaded hypodermic in him and he’d wake up somewhere strapped to a hospital bed.
“Why didn’t anyone stop me?” Gabe stared, transfixed by the red glow that flared in the man’s eyes.
“
It has been so long, so very long…
” Once again his lips, slightly parted to reveal a ragged collection of yellowed and uneven teeth, didn’t move. “
I was not strong enough, but I am getting stronger…
”
Before Gabe had a chance to wonder how it was he could hear what the man was saying when he didn’t appear to be talking, a bony, iron-hard fist slammed him in the gut. He folded over and fell to the ground, completely winded and unable to breathe, sharp stones in the asphalt biting at his face.
“
Such
bad
trouble … if I do not get it back…
”
Gabe, eyes squeezed shut, felt the man stoop over him and he flinched, waiting to be hit again. A dank smell wrapped round the whispered words fading away inside his head. In the long silence Gabe was sure he must have died, before figuring out that if you died maybe you wouldn’t hurt any more…
“Gabriel? Gabriel? Are you OK? What happened?”
Stella? Gabe slowly unfolded himself. Stella was kneeling down next to him, silhouetted against the sky. How long had he been lying here?
“Did you get hit by a car? Did you see it?”
“No –” Gabe pushed himself off the ground and stood up, a little unsteady – “and no.”
“You haven’t broken anything, have you?” Stella reached out and touched his face. “Are you sure you’re OK?”
“I’m OK… Just need a hand up…”
Chapter Twelve
Sometimes a bad thing happens, and then a good thing happens right afterwards, like a reward, or karma. Something like that. Gabe’s thinking circuits were kind of blown from being bounced around. But he did know that while it was Bad to be trashed by some old dude with a real shitty attitude, it was Good being found by Stella, who had a car and hadn’t minded driving him and his bike home.
Gabe thought he’d get away with Stella simply dropping him off and going on her way. No such luck. She was coming in and making sure he was all right, no argument. So it was also Good that no one was there when they walked in. Empty house, because it was parents’ evening at Remy’s school. Result.
“Thanks for, you know, everything, but I totally am fine.” Gabe put real effort into his smile.
“Maybe you are –” Stella hung her camera bagoff the back of a chair – “but you have cuts and I have a girl-scout badge in first aid.” She looked round the kitchen. “So, where’s the emergency kit?”
“In the bathroom, I guess.”
“
Give it to me – I require it!
”
“I … I…” The effort of mumbling those two small words made Gabe break out into a sweat. And then the dam broke and everything poured out. “If I had it here, believe me, mister, I’d give it all to you in a
second
, I would! But I
don’t
have it, OK? I don’t. Not right now. But I can get it … yeah, I can… I can get it.” As he spoke, Gabe could hear the desperation in his voice.
What am I saying?
he thought.
Exactly
how
am I gonna do that? Is nice Mr Cecil LeBarron just going to turn right around and sell the bracelet, on which he has no doubt made a tidy profit, back to me?
“I didn’t
know
it belonged to anyone! I just found it, right? I didn’t know it was yours, how could I? If I had I wouldn’t have taken it, I wouldn’t… It was an accident.”
“
Trouble
… bad
trouble…
”
“Trouble? You gonna call the cops? Hey, you don’t have to do that!” Gabe saw an owl land behind the coyote; he pointed at it. “Look, the damn bird was there, the coyotes too. The owl saw…”
Gabe stopped, hearing how ridiculous and close to tears he sounded. He had gone crazy, he must have. What other explanation could there be? He was seeing things, he was babbling like a loonytune and any minute now some doctor was going to jab a loaded hypodermic in him and he’d wake up somewhere strapped to a hospital bed.
“Why didn’t anyone stop me?” Gabe stared, transfixed by the red glow that flared in the man’s eyes.
“
It has been so long, so very long…
” Once again his lips, slightly parted to reveal a ragged collection of yellowed and uneven teeth, didn’t move. “
I was not strong enough, but I am getting stronger…
”
Before Gabe had a chance to wonder how it was he could hear what the man was saying when he didn’t appear to be talking, a bony, iron-hard fist slammed him in the gut. He folded over and fell to the ground, completely winded and unable to breathe, sharp stones in the asphalt biting at his face.
“
Such
bad
trouble … if I do not get it back…
”
Gabe, eyes squeezed shut, felt the man stoop over him and he flinched, waiting to be hit again. A dank smell wrapped round the whispered words fading away inside his head. In the long silence Gabe was sure he must have died, before figuring out that if you died maybe you wouldn’t hurt any more…
“Gabriel? Gabriel? Are you OK? What happened?”
Stella? Gabe slowly unfolded himself. Stella was kneeling down next to him, silhouetted against the sky. How long had he been lying here?
“Did you get hit by a car? Did you see it?”
“No –” Gabe pushed himself off the ground and stood up, a little unsteady – “and no.”
“You haven’t broken anything, have you?” Stella reached out and touched his face. “Are you sure you’re OK?”
“I’m OK… Just need a hand up…”
Chapter Twelve
Sometimes a bad thing happens, and then a good thing happens right afterwards, like a reward, or karma. Something like that. Gabe’s thinking circuits were kind of blown from being bounced around. But he did know that while it was Bad to be trashed by some old dude with a real shitty attitude, it was Good being found by Stella, who had a car and hadn’t minded driving him and his bike home.
Gabe thought he’d get away with Stella simply dropping him off and going on her way. No such luck. She was coming in and making sure he was all right, no argument. So it was also Good that no one was there when they walked in. Empty house, because it was parents’ evening at Remy’s school. Result.
“Thanks for, you know, everything, but I totally am fine.” Gabe put real effort into his smile.
“Maybe you are –” Stella hung her camera bagoff the back of a chair – “but you have cuts and I have a girl-scout badge in first aid.” She looked round the kitchen. “So, where’s the emergency kit?”
“In the bathroom, I guess.”
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