A Small Town

Chapter Sixteen\ Snow Day Part One

The cold grey light slowly entered the bedroom and Bax noted with some surprise that it was snowing outside. The sky was overcast and big fat flakes drifted lazily down past the window like feathers. Lisa untangled herself from him and pulled on her jeans and a green sweatshirt. Her face was still puffy and red from crying but she looked calm. She and Bax had spent the early hours of the morning talking about the dream that wasn't a dream. Bax had been right, it was a shared experience.

Although they had both witnessed the main event, as it were, Lisa had not seen the hanging man. Bax told her about this in vague detail leaving out the empty eye sockets, the bat and the twisted smile for fear of sending her into another round of hysteria.

Lisa had experienced something else altogether. She had watched a disjointed tableau, seemingly from an earlier time. In this scene, the young Felice and Joseph LeTourneau along with their three little daughters danced and chanted with a group of others amongst a circle of stones in an otherwise open field. Finally, the youngest of the girls, Agathe who was no more than five, lay down upon a large flat stone at the circles' centre while the rest of the dancers dropped flower petals and other small offerings upon and around her as she giggled happily. Lisa described the brilliance of a spectacular sunrise that seemed to focus all of its energy on the girl through a slot in the upright stones with unmistakeable awe. Bax was relieved to hear that in this instance there was no sexual component and the ceremony was unsullied, almost holy.

They considered asking Pastor Black about these new insights into the LeTourneau history but quashed the idea almost immediately. Apart from the fact that the Priest would undoubtedly think they were mad, Bax did not relish the thought of describing the Penis Tree and what Agathe had done with it in any kind of detail. Besides, Pastor Black was convinced that Agathe and the other LeTourneau women were victims. Bax himself had thought the same thing until the dream, now he was not so sure.

Of course, he knew it wasn't a dream, these were memories and they had been given to them for a reason, but what that reason was, wasn't clear. Not yet, anyway.

"You're sure there's no way to leave Primacy?" He asked her, not for the first time.

Lisa's face was drawn and tired looking in the greyish morning light, which cast hard shadows under her eyes making her look older but no less beautiful. She was still the barn owl, even without her big glasses and brown sweater.

"No ones ever left, as far as I know..." she said, as she pulled her hair back in a tight ponytail. Bax was sitting on the edge of the bed in his boxers. He gave her a look of surprise.

"That's not right," he said. "You said you were born here... Heather Munday knew your mother, so you must have gotten out when you were a baby. Which means someone brought you out."

Lisa looked at him thoughtfully. "Well, I guess that's true. Unless she straddled the town line and I was born on the other side..."

There was a moment of silence as they pictured this unlikely act. Bax laughed first and then Lisa joined him. He hadn't realized just how tense he had been until that moment and now saw how necessary the laughter was for Lisa as well.

Once the laughter subsided Lisa spoke again, seriously this time. "I can't believe I never thought of that. Of course, someone got me out. The question is who?

"You said the note was written on the back of fuel order... was there a name?"

"I don't know... I only saw the rubbing on the back of the page for a minute and then Leo Hennessey took it with him..."

"Shit!"

"... but a fuel truck does come through town a couple of times a year. I've seen it..." She added, apologetically.

Bax pressed her gently. "Any idea who drives it?"

She shook her head, then brightened. "Bob Kout would know, wouldn't he? He must take the delivery!"

Bax smiled broadly. "Yes, ma'am!"

He dressed quickly checking the time. It was ten-thirty. Lisa was making breakfast and the smell of the eggs and bacon made his mouth water. He glanced out of the window as he buttoned his shirt and saw a man crossing the road and heading for the bookstore. A few seconds later he heard a knock at the door.

Lisa was opening it as he came down the stairs almost stepping on a grey tabby cat he had never seen before. The cat yowled and took off into the aisles.

"Whoa! Sorry, kitty!" Bax said. How Canadian am I? He thought. Now I'm apologizing to a cat!

The man at the door was just stepping inside. As he did so he removed his hat, and Bax saw the flash of a police emblem.

"Hello, Lisa." The man said pleasantly. He was smiling but had an air of authority about him. He was here on official business.

"Hi Chief," Lis said, shutting the door behind the squat bald man in the tan, shearling-style sheepskin coat. "Bax, this is Police Chief, Gerald Peters..."

Peters stuck out his hand for Bax to shake. "Mr. Baxter, just the man I'm looking for. I went to the hotel but they said you might be here."

Bax glanced at Lisa and she gave him a shrug that said, news travels fast in a small town. "Yeah, well..."

The police chief cut him off. "We've found your car Mr. Baxter."

"You did?" He couldn't keep the shock out of his voice, he was sure the car was gone for good.

"Yup, 'bout five miles up the road in near the old Simpson Mill. Sorry to say it's a right off, rolled and burned in the ditch. "I'll get it towed out and investigate, but it was probably just kids joy-riding..."

Bax nodded, "Of course it was," he said.

Peters raised an eyebrow his sarcasm but continued evenly. "I'll get the report filled out and drop it off at the hotel... or will you be staying here now?"

If Peters was trying to embarrass him it wasn't going to work. "Leave it at the hotel, chief, for what good it'll do. It's not like I can call my insurance company can I?"

Peters looked as if he as about to read him the riot act, but then took a breath and shook his head. He turned to Lisa. "Sorry for the trouble, Miss Turner. You have a good now."

Bax watched as the Chief put his hat back on and let himself out of the bookstore.

The little bell tinkled and, as she locked the door, Lisa gave Bax a worried look.