“I’ll call him right away,” Delorme said. She hung up and dialled Cardinal’s cellphone number.
55
TERRI HAD WOKEN FOR A WHILE—long enough to take in the full horror of their situation—but the drug Leon had given her had taken hold again and she was mercifully unconscious. Meanwhile, the nail had become the absolute focus of Kevin’s universe. It was as if he lived inside the rope, as if he himself were twisted among its fibres, numbering every strand. His wrists were raw and bleeding, but the knot was definitely looser.
He worked at what remained of the knot, fixing it under the nail and then leaning forward, tugging it looser with his weight. The muscles in his arms were in torment, and he hadn’t been fed since the moment he’d been thrown into this cell. Lack of food and the lingering effects of withdrawal made his muscles tremble. If he did get a chance to fight Leon or Red Bear, he would be no match for them.
The knot came a little looser. It was getting harder to pull at the rope without it slipping off the nail. Across the darkened cabin, Terri groaned and looked up. “Oh,” she said softly. “God help us.”
Kevin leaned forward and felt the rope slip out of a loop. It was the second loop he had undone. He was fairly sure there was only one more left to undo.
He adjusted his position and hooked the rope under the nail once more. It was right up against his wrist now. If he couldn’t undo the last loop, he might be able to saw his way through it.
“I can’t move at all,” Terri said. “It’s too tight.”
“I think I’m getting the rope off,” Kevin said. “Just a little longer.”
Terri nodded. Her eyes filled and tears ran down her cheeks.
“I’m trying,” Kevin said. There was nothing else to say. “I’m trying.”
The nail caught this time. He could feel it had a good purchase on the last loop. He strained forward, and the rope seared his wounded wrists as it moved against his flesh.
Voices from outside, then a key in the lock. Red Bear came in, followed by Leon.
“Let us go,” Terri said. “Just let us go. We’ll get as far away from here as possible and never bother you again.”
“Why, little princess? You scared?” Red Bear stood smiling at them, hands on hips.
“Please,” Terri said. “We don’t care about your dope operations, or anything else you’ve done. Just let us go.”
“You should see the moon tonight. A beautiful crescent. And it’s growing. That’s the crucial thing. It’s growing. That means we have perfect conditions for a sacrifice.”
Leon set down a bundle on the work table. Kevin heard the clank of steel.
Red Bear opened a large briefcase and pulled out a gleaming blade, which he showed first to Kevin, then to Terri. Terri started to scream, and Red Bear tossed a roll of duct tape to Leon.
“Shut her up.”
Leon tore off a long strip and wrapped it around Terri’s face.
“We’ll take it off as soon as we begin the sacrifice. Then it will be important to hear the screams.”
Red Bear lifted up another knife. “These small blades are good for removing fingers and toes. I will show you how it’s done, using the girl. When I finish, you can sacrifice the other one.”
“I’m ready to learn, man. I’m psyched,” Leon said, rubbing his hands together. His eyes were glittering, and Kevin could see he was cruising the stratosphere. There would be no reaching him.
Red Bear was holding up more tools.
“These medium-sized blades you can use for cutting off whatever else strikes your fancy. All of it goes into the nganga. We will create a spirit that is made up of both male and female blood. It will be supremely powerful.”
“Fantastic,” Leon said. “What’s it gonna do for us?”
“Anything we want.”
Cardinal backed the car up and parked a little way outside the camp.
“Better switch off your cellphone, if you’re carrying one,” he said. “Don’t want to make any unnecessary noise at this point.”
“It’s off,” Clegg said. “But it doesn’t look like there’s anything going on here.”
Even without getting out of the car, Cardinal could see fresh tire tracks in front of them. “I wouldn’t be so quick to say that. There’s obviously been people coming and going.” He pointed across the dark field. “And there’s a light on outside that large cabin there.”
“For security only, I’m sure. The cabins are all dark.”
“Whose security? Eagle Camps is bankrupt, remember? Why are you in such a rush to bail?”
“Sorry,” Clegg said. “Been a long day. And then I got a long drive ahead of me later.”
Cardinal got out of the car and led the way around the edge of the camp, keeping behind the cabins. When they had gone about fifty yards, they could see around the end of the biggest cabin. There were two vehicles parked there, one of them a black Trans Am.
Cardinal said, “I’m calling for backup.”
He pulled out his cellphone; the readout told him Delorme had tried to call.
Clegg pulled out his service revolver and aimed it at Cardinal’s head.
“That’s not going to happen,” he said. “You make one move, and I’ll blow your head off. And don’t think I won’t, because at this point, believe me, I got nothing to lose.”
Clegg reached into Cardinal’s holster and removed his Beretta.
“You’re dirty,” Cardinal said. “And I thought you were just incompetent.”
Clegg motioned with the revolver toward the main building. “Walk ahead of me.”
Cardinal started across the field.
“Put some thought into this, Corporal. My DS knows I’m out here with you. If I don’t come back, every cop north of Toronto is going to be looking for you.”
“Keep moving.”
“Why’d you get into it, Clegg? Was it just the money, or are you wired to the stuff?”
“Just wanted to expand my horizons a little.”
“Look, you can still turn this around. Put the gun away and I’ll give you a chance to get out of here. We’re going to come looking for you—there’s nothing I can do about that—but at least you won’t be tangled up in any murder.”
This was not remotely true, and they both knew it.
They were at the door of the biggest cabin. A security camera stared down at them. Clegg rapped on the door—three short, two long—and waited. He kept the gun—Cardinal’s own Beretta—trained on him.
“You think by shooting me with my own gun it’ll somehow go better for you? What, the bad guys got my gun away and shot me when I tried to run?”
“Works for me,” Clegg said. “They must be in one of the other cabins. That way.”
Cardinal headed toward the row of cabins on the east side of the clearing. He wondered if Delorme had reached the other camp yet, if she had already turned around. If she had, then they would know that this was the place. Possibly, they wouldn’t need a call from Cardinal to send out more troops; when they didn’t hear from him they’d send in the cavalry. Or was that wishful thinking? His heart was pounding and sweat was pouring off his brow.
The line of cabins all appeared dark.
“Looks like you’re out of luck,” Cardinal said.
“There’s another cabin back there. Keep moving.”
Cardinal stumbled over a root and nearly fell. Then a dark cabin appeared in the thickets ahead of them. It was much more rundown than the rest and the windows were boarded up. There were voices from inside.
Clegg called out, “Hey, Red Bear!”
The door opened and a man came out. Shoulder-length hair, held back with a headband. Still, he wasn’t hard to recognize.
“Mr. Beltran,” Cardinal said. “It’s all over. No matter what you do right here, right now. It’s all over. There are other cops on the way.”