‘It’s all I’ve got, man.’
‘I know.’
‘Like, I appreciate everything you did for me. For all of us. But I can’t.’
‘And normally I would just accept that and move on.’
‘Normally?’
‘There’s something going on in this town. I don’t know exactly what, but people are dying.’
‘Dying?’ Billy said. ‘The hell are you talking about?’
King pondered for a second. Could he trust this man? He took one look at the post office owner, scared out of his mind, desperately seeking answers. He could.
‘I didn’t tell you this when we first met, but I saw something on the way into town last night.’
‘What?’
‘A couple of construction workers. They were shot.’
Billy’s jaw visibly loosened. ‘This is Jameson. Nothing goes on here.’
‘Something is. And the more I think about it the more worried I get.’
‘What if you take my car and end up getting killed? I’ll never get it back.’
‘That would end up a little worse for me than losing your car would be for you.’
‘I know, but…’
‘If I make it through this alive, I’ll return it.’
‘Why don’t you just leave?’
King cocked his head. ‘Leave?’
Billy waved an arm in the air, gesturing to his surroundings. ‘This town. Whatever’s going on. It has nothing to do with you. You live off the grid anyway. Just keep walking. Forget you ever saw anything.’
‘I can’t do that.’
‘Why not?’
‘I just can’t. It’s hard to explain.’
‘You take it upon yourself to help people. It’s not your responsibility.’
King snatched a set of keys off the table between them. ‘I know it’s not. But I’m still doing it.’
‘What exactly are you doing with my car?’
‘I really can’t say.’
‘Why?’
‘You wouldn’t approve.’
Billy nodded, refusing to probe any further. King figured the man was taking effort to distance himself from the situation. The less he knew, the better.
‘Alright, King,’ Billy said. ‘I’m only doing this because of what you did for me.’
‘I know.’
‘Will I see you again?’
‘Maybe. Depends what I find out.’
Billy crossed the room and outstretched a palm. Despite his best efforts to appear calm, his hand trembled ever so slightly. King looked at the man and knew he was confused. Terrified, even. He lived a simplistic, uneventful life that had been upended by King’s arrival.
‘I’m sorry, Billy,’ he said.
‘Sorry?’
‘Maybe if I hadn’t shown up, none of this would have happened. I’m sorry I involved you. I’m sorry you got wrapped up in all this. I’ll do my absolute best to fix this situation, but right now I have no idea what I’m walking into. It could be anything. So I can’t promise that I’ll be back with your car.’
Billy shrugged. ‘It’s just a car. You’re risking a lot more than I am.’
‘It’s your future.’
‘Yeah, and I might die if you don’t work out what’s happening. So go right ahead. It was dumb of me to complain.’
King reached out and shook Billy’s hand. ‘Thank you.’
‘You’re the one who needs thanking.’
King paused. ‘Actually, I need one more thing.’
Billy looked at him. ‘And that is?’
‘You have video footage of the two men picking up the package, right?’
Billy nodded. ‘You want a copy?’
‘Please.’
He sat down at the desktop computer, looking relieved. King guessed Billy had been expecting a greater favour than a video. Especially after giving away his only vehicle. He slotted a USB drive into the computer and navigated through an array of folders on-screen. Once he found the file he was looking for he dragged it across. Ten seconds later, he handed the stick over. King tucked it into his back pocket.
‘I hope that helps,’ Billy said. ‘Good luck with everything, buddy.’
‘I think I’ll need it this time,’ King said.
He pocketed the car keys and headed for the entrance. He passed Billy’s daughter manning the register, sporting the same dismal expression. Like working at a post office was the worst job imaginable.
‘When will you be back next?’ she quipped as he moved past. ‘Seems like you live here now.’
‘Maybe never,’ King said. ‘You keep up that charming smile of yours in the meantime.’
He left her to scoff at the remark and exited the building. By now it was late afternoon. The walk from the police station had carved out a sizeable chunk of the day. The buzz of wildlife from the surrounding forest reached a crescendo as the sun dipped steadily toward the horizon, well past its apex. Judging by its position, it would not set for at least another hour. Plenty of time to carry out what he needed to do.
It wouldn’t be easy. Kate would be alert, probably still rattled by the altercation earlier that day. She thought King was someone he wasn’t, and that would create fear. Fear would lend her crucial speed. King got in Billy’s sedan and fired it up. It started with a familiar rattle. He checked the gas tank. Still more than half full. It wouldn’t need refilling for a few days, and by then he planned to be miles away from Jameson.
He pulled out onto the main road, wary that his profile had been raised. He was almost certain that the bikers had high-tailed it out of the area, but if they had decided to stick around they would be looking for him. Determined to end him for causing them trouble. Sure, they were incapacitated, but a confrontation would cause quite the scene. Something he was striving to avoid.
On top of that, he would be priority number one on Kitchener and Dawes’ to-do list. He hadn’t deliberately shut them off, but he’d spent almost his entire career operating outside of anyone’s jurisdiction.
He wasn’t about to change that.
He pulled out of the parking lot and kept a reasonable pace as he drove out of town. Passers-by glanced at him intermittently. Perhaps wondering what a massive stranger was doing driving the post office guy’s car around. It was irritating, but none seemed to let their gaze linger. None seemed to have ulterior motives.
Soon the buildings grew further apart and the woods wrapped around the road once again. It had taken him just over twenty minutes to walk from the post office to Kate’s street earlier that day, which meant it only took a couple by car. He swung the wheel when he saw the gravel path branching off to the left. The sedan’s suspension vibrated as it rolled over the new surface. The uneven ground distracted him for just a second.
He jolted when he looked up and saw Kate’s car rolling toward his from the other end of the street.
‘What the—’
He quickly realised it was a coincidence. She stared straight ahead from behind the wheel, not focused on anything other than the road. Even from a distance he noticed her vice-like hold on the wheel, knuckles white. Her face seemed paler than usual. There was something on her mind. It had lowered her spatial awareness. She didn’t notice him.
He had to act.
They would pass each other by within seconds. For a moment he considered swerving into her path. Then he dismissed it. A head-on collision carried with it the likelihood of serious injury. He had no intention of bringing her any harm. He just wanted answers. Such a reckless manoeuvre was unnecessary.
What he wanted to do would take precision. King took a deep breath and focused. He waited until the old Subaru had almost passed him by, then spun the wheel. The nose of his sedan crushed into her rear bumper. A horrid grating sound emanated from the impact point. The noise of metal scraping against metal. His car came to a halt just behind the Subaru, which also screeched to a stop as Kate slammed on the brakes.