and looked at the towel on the counter, almost as if she instinctively knew that there was a gun inside. “Where did you and Beth rush off to?”
“Do you really want to know?”
She nodded.
“We…” He paused again. “We had to go and stop the hit-man Beth had hired, before he executed Bob out by the old Sumper gas station. We got there just in time.”
“That’s good,” Jane replied, as if the news didn’t shock her at all.
“And then…”
“And then what?”
“And then I took the hit-man further out of town.”
She stared at him. “I see,” she said finally.
“And -”
“I get it,” she added.
He paused. “Thank you.”
“You did what you had to do in order to protect your family,” she continued. “You knew Beth wouldn’t have been safe.”
“The guy would have come back for her,” he replied. “I know how these things work, he couldn’t risk having people know who he was. He’d have come back and killed her, and Bob and that other girl, and me too. In the circumstances -”
“One life instead of four,” she said, interrupting him. “That seems like a fair trade.”
“It wasn’t quite so easy.”
“But you still managed to do it?”
He paused, before nodding.
“Well,” she continued, “I hope you dealt with everything properly. I really don’t want to have to deal with some hit-man’s corpse showing up.”
“Of course not, but…” He watched her for a moment. “You’re okay with this?”
She shrugged.
“Jane, listen -”
“I just don’t want to have to think about it,” she continued. “I don’t see any kind of threat to anyone, and like I said, you did what you had to do in order to protect your family. Right now, I completely understand that impulse.”
“I’m not done yet.”
“I guessed.”
“I have to…” He paused, before looking over at the towel with the gun inside. “I have to go and do something I should have done a long time ago.”
She nodded.
“I’ll make it as neat as possible,” he continued, “but -”
“I’m coming with you.”
“No way.”
“You can’t stop me,” she told him. “I’m an officer of the law, remember? The Border has to be closed down, it has to be ripped out from the heart of this town and destroyed. We’ve let it fester long enough.”
“We should have done this years ago.”
“We should.”
“Jack would still be alive.”
She nodded.
“So would a lot of people,” he added.
“We can’t change the past,” she replied, “we can only change the future.”
“Are you going to get Alex involved?”
She shook her head.
“Are you sure? He might -”
“This is so far beyond Alex’s ability to understand,” she continued, “that I don’t think he’d have a chance. You and I know about that place, Ben. We’re the ones who should do something about it.”
“Well, I’ve got a gun now,” he pointed out.
“I’ve got a gun too, and access to a couple more.”
“So what do we do?” he asked. “Go in shooting, guns ablaze, and keep on firing until the Border has been cleared out?”
“I’ve heard of worse plans.”
“Do you have a map of the place?”
She shook her head. “Do you?”
“I know the first two levels pretty well. Beyond that, no.”
“We’ll figure it out.” She paused, before heading to the door. “I’ll get those guns.”
“When are we going?” he asked.
“Tonight.”
“And then this’ll be over, right?”
She turned to him. “I’m not going to let the Border last any longer. The things that happen down there, they ripple up into the town. Even the people who don’t know about it, they feel it in their souls. Our children…” She paused. “It’s too late for us, Ben. Whatever’s driving the Border, it got into our souls long ago and froze, and the cracks are too wide to be repaired. But Stuart and Oliver, and Lucy… There’s still time for them. They don’t have to grow up with that place under their feet. Think about
“Do you really want to know?”
She nodded.
“We…” He paused again. “We had to go and stop the hit-man Beth had hired, before he executed Bob out by the old Sumper gas station. We got there just in time.”
“That’s good,” Jane replied, as if the news didn’t shock her at all.
“And then…”
“And then what?”
“And then I took the hit-man further out of town.”
She stared at him. “I see,” she said finally.
“And -”
“I get it,” she added.
He paused. “Thank you.”
“You did what you had to do in order to protect your family,” she continued. “You knew Beth wouldn’t have been safe.”
“The guy would have come back for her,” he replied. “I know how these things work, he couldn’t risk having people know who he was. He’d have come back and killed her, and Bob and that other girl, and me too. In the circumstances -”
“One life instead of four,” she said, interrupting him. “That seems like a fair trade.”
“It wasn’t quite so easy.”
“But you still managed to do it?”
He paused, before nodding.
“Well,” she continued, “I hope you dealt with everything properly. I really don’t want to have to deal with some hit-man’s corpse showing up.”
“Of course not, but…” He watched her for a moment. “You’re okay with this?”
She shrugged.
“Jane, listen -”
“I just don’t want to have to think about it,” she continued. “I don’t see any kind of threat to anyone, and like I said, you did what you had to do in order to protect your family. Right now, I completely understand that impulse.”
“I’m not done yet.”
“I guessed.”
“I have to…” He paused, before looking over at the towel with the gun inside. “I have to go and do something I should have done a long time ago.”
She nodded.
“I’ll make it as neat as possible,” he continued, “but -”
“I’m coming with you.”
“No way.”
“You can’t stop me,” she told him. “I’m an officer of the law, remember? The Border has to be closed down, it has to be ripped out from the heart of this town and destroyed. We’ve let it fester long enough.”
“We should have done this years ago.”
“We should.”
“Jack would still be alive.”
She nodded.
“So would a lot of people,” he added.
“We can’t change the past,” she replied, “we can only change the future.”
“Are you going to get Alex involved?”
She shook her head.
“Are you sure? He might -”
“This is so far beyond Alex’s ability to understand,” she continued, “that I don’t think he’d have a chance. You and I know about that place, Ben. We’re the ones who should do something about it.”
“Well, I’ve got a gun now,” he pointed out.
“I’ve got a gun too, and access to a couple more.”
“So what do we do?” he asked. “Go in shooting, guns ablaze, and keep on firing until the Border has been cleared out?”
“I’ve heard of worse plans.”
“Do you have a map of the place?”
She shook her head. “Do you?”
“I know the first two levels pretty well. Beyond that, no.”
“We’ll figure it out.” She paused, before heading to the door. “I’ll get those guns.”
“When are we going?” he asked.
“Tonight.”
“And then this’ll be over, right?”
She turned to him. “I’m not going to let the Border last any longer. The things that happen down there, they ripple up into the town. Even the people who don’t know about it, they feel it in their souls. Our children…” She paused. “It’s too late for us, Ben. Whatever’s driving the Border, it got into our souls long ago and froze, and the cracks are too wide to be repaired. But Stuart and Oliver, and Lucy… There’s still time for them. They don’t have to grow up with that place under their feet. Think about
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