فصل 02 - بخش 10

2

Plainville Airfield sat in scrubland on the outskirts of the tired little city it served. There was a single runway, which Ralph thought horribly short. The pilot applied full braking as soon as the wheels touched down, and unsecured objects went flying. They came to a stop on a yellow line at the end of the narrow strip of tar, no more than thirty feet from a gully filled with weeds, stagnant water, and Shiner cans.

‘Welcome to nowhere in particular,’ Alec remarked as the King Air lumbered toward a prefab terminal building that looked as if it might blow away in the next high wind. There was a road-dusty Dodge van waiting for them. Ralph recognized it as the wheelchair-accessible Companion model even before he saw the handicap plate. Claude Bolton, tall and muscular in faded jeans, blue work shirt, battered cowboy boots, and a Texas Rangers gimme cap, stood beside it.

Ralph was first off the plane, and he extended a hand. After a second of hesitation, Claude shook it. Ralph found it impossible not to look at the faded letters on the man’s fingers: CANT.

‘Thank you for making this easy,’ Ralph said. ‘You didn’t have to, and I appreciate it.’ He introduced the others.

Holly shook his hand last, and said, ‘Those tattoos on your fingers … are they about drinking?’

Right, Ralph thought. That’s one piece of the puzzle I forgot to take out of the box.

‘Yes’m, that’s right.’ Bolton spoke like someone teaching a well-learned and well-loved lesson. ‘The big paradox is what they call it in AA meetings down here. I first heard about it in prison. You must drink, but you can’t drink.’

‘I feel that way about cigarettes,’ Holly said.

Bolton grinned, and Ralph thought how odd it was that the least socially adept person in their little party was the one who had put Bolton at ease. Not that Bolton had seemed really worried; more on watch. ‘Yes ma’am, cigarettes is a hard one. How you doing with it?’

‘Haven’t had one in almost a year,’ Holly said, ‘but I take it a day at a time. Can’t and must. I like that.’

Had she actually known all along what the finger tattoos meant? Ralph couldn’t tell.

‘Only way to break the can’t-must paradox is with the help of a higher power, so I got me one. And I keep my sobriety medallion handy. What I was taught is that if you get wantin a drink, stick that medallion in your mouth. If it melts, you can take one.’

Holly smiled – the radiant one Ralph was coming to like so well.

The side door of the van opened, and a rusty ramp squalled out. A large lady with an extravagant corona of white hair rolled down it in a wheelchair. She had a short green oxygen bottle in her lap with a plastic tube leading from it to the cannula in her nose. ‘Claude! Why are you standin around with these people in the heat? If we’re gonna roll, we should roll. It’s getting on for noon.’

‘This is my mother,’ Claude said. ‘Ma, this is Detective Anderson, who questioned me on the thing I told you about. These other ones are new to me.’

Howie, Alec, and Yune introduced themselves to the old lady. Holly came last. ‘It’s very nice to meet you, Mrs Bolton.’

Lovie laughed. ‘Well, we’ll see how you feel about that when you get to know me.’

‘I’d better go see about our rental,’ Howie said. ‘I think it’s that one parked by the door.’ He pointed at a mid-size dark blue SUV.

‘I’ll lead the way in the van,’ Claude said. ‘You won’t have any problem followin along; not much in the way of traffic on the Marysville road.’

‘Why don’t you ride with us, honey?’ Lovie Bolton asked Holly. ‘Keep a old lady company.’

Ralph expected Holly to refuse, but she agreed at once. ‘Just give me a minute.’

She beckoned Ralph with her eyes, and he followed her toward the King Air as Claude watched his mother turn her chair and roll back up the ramp. A small plane was taking off, and at first Ralph couldn’t hear what Holly was asking him. He bent closer.

‘What do I tell them, Ralph? They’re sure to ask what we’re doing here.’

He considered, then said: ‘Why don’t you just hit the high spots?’

‘They won’t believe me!’

That made him grin. ‘Holly, I think you handle disbelief pretty well.’