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“Yes, one more thing. Get my daddy or Briar Wilkes or someone to set you up with a room of your own. You can’t stay in here. This is the closest thing to a hospital we got, and I only have the one bed. Nobody needs it right this moment, but that could change at any second. I want you out. ”
“But—”
“But what? We’ve done established you’re healthy as a horse, and ready to run around the city with your friends. That means you’re healthy enough to have your own space, and get the hell out of mine. ”
“Well, ain’t you a sweet thing. ”
“I sure as shit am,” she told him as she ushered him out the door, pushing his shoulders.
He dragged his feet. “I still got things in here! Possessions!”
“You can come back and claim ’em anytime. ”
The woman had a reach like an octopus.
He fought her just enough to keep one foot in the room, saying, “Let me get my bag, would you?”
She threw her hands in the air and said, “Fine. Get your bag. Just go. I’ve got notes to write up. ”
“Notes about me?”
“Notes. And I write slow. ”
She slammed the door behind him, which Rector thought was unnecessary. How many people came and went from this hospital room that was so inhospitable? He knew it wouldn’t be his first choice, but then, it probably wasn’t anybody’s first choice. He reckoned it was the only choice.
As he hiked down the halls he wriggled his feet to better fit in the shoes, then stopped by the washroom. Then it was down to the kitchen, where Angeline waited. Zeke and Houjin were already there, chewing on raisins and drinking weak, odd-smelling coffee.
“Good God, boy—you rise and shine slower than any night owl I ever did see. ”
Confused by the comparison and too tired to argue with her, Rector waved and went to join the other two. He helped himself to a fistful of dried grapes and sat down heavily on the nearest stool. “What time is it?” he asked, in case the answer would absolve him.
“Eight o’clock. It’s ridiculous, being in bed at this hour. The sun’s up, and we’re heading out while the light is good. I’ve got extra filters, my seeing-glasses, and I’ve made these two bring a canteen apiece and a bit of food for lunch, so take whatever you find over there and stock yourself up, too. Water’s in the barrel by the door. We’ll find a sealed-off stopping point someplace along the way, and if we don’t, we’ll come on back. ”
Following Angeline’s lead was the easiest thing Rector had ever done. She called the shots, and since she knew where she was going and what she was doing, he sat back and let her be in charge. It took the pressure off him to lead the crew, and it meant he didn’t have to follow Houjin around at all, if he didn’t want to.
He pointed down at her feet. “What’s that?”
“That? That’s a cage,” she said. “I’ll set this over by the wall, near where you saw that fox. Maybe we’ll catch him, maybe we won’t. Maybe we’ll catch something else. ”
“Won’t catch no sasquatch with it,” Zeke grinned.
“Maybe a sasquatch foot,” she agreed. “We’ll need something bigger for him. ”
Houjin asked, “A bigger cage? Do they make cages big enough?”
“Actually, I was thinking we might have to stick ’im in jail. That’s a cage just about big enough, wouldn’t you say?” She spun off the stool upon which she’d been sitting. “The old jail. You know, the famous one. ”
“But the jail…” Rector fought to remember the old stories, hunting for a detail he’d never heard, or must’ve lost. “It was aboveground, wasn’t it?”
“Sure it was. But the basement opens up to the underground. It didn’t used to, but it does now—and the first floor is all sealed up from rotters, if not from the air. Downstairs there are a few more cells. The air will be much cleaner there, if not perfectly clear. Our experiment might have its flaws, but it’ll give us an idea of what to expect. ”
Houjin thoughtfully stuffed some dried cherries and nuts into a small canvas bag. “It’s not a bad idea. If cleaner air improves the sasquatch at all, then really clean air might make him all better. ”
“Or it might not,” Rector argued.
Zeke tried to have it both ways. “Maybe it’ll help, and maybe it won’t. But we should probably get it off the street nohow, don’t you think?”
Houjin remained dubious. “But how do we get it to the jail, even if we catch it?”
