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“Why?” His voice rose in panic. “I’ve told you everything.”
“It’s okay,” Tucker said. “We’re not here to get you in trouble.”
Jacob’s eyes flicked to the big man.
“This is Deputy Tucker,” Barbara introduced. “He’s helping out.”
Jacob swallowed. “Right.”
“You walk all the way from Stephen’s house?” Barbara asked.
“Yeah, I didn’t want to cause his mom any more hassle.”
“You stay there a lot?”
He shrugged and shuffled his boots in the snow. The boy seemed more on edge than ever this morning.
“Is everything okay?” Barbara asked more softly.
He looked at her. “What d’you mean?”
“I mean, if there are problems at home, there are people you can talk to.”
She saw Jacob’s eyes shift, from her to the house. She turned. Nathan Bell had appeared in the doorway. He stood there, watching them and smoking.
“I need to go,” Jacob said, and started to walk away.
“Jacob—”
“I’m fine, okay. Just leave us alone.”
He put his head down and hurried toward the house. Barbara watched him run up the steps and disappear inside. Nathan shut the door behind them.
“Dammit.” She climbed into the truck.
“Nervous kid,” Tucker said.
“Yeah.”
“What d’you want to do?”
There was nothing she could do. And that was the problem.
“Okay,” she said, trying to get her mind back to the job at hand. “Let’s head on up to the Doc’s. See if we can find anything else up there.”
She started the engine and gave the Bell house a final look.
History repeating.
She sighed. She sure as hell hoped not.
30
Athelinda hurried across the settlement. Snow fell heavily around her. The main street was deserted. Most of the Colony were inside at this time of day, sleeping. The place she was visiting was on the outskirts of the settlement. Here, the buildings straggled out. Most of this area had fallen into dereliction, sliding down the mountainside toward the river. A small stream cut through. Only a couple of lopsided houses and one other, bigger building remained.
It was here they took those like Merilyn. Larger than some of the other dwellings, it offered space and privacy. It also meant that the rest of the Colony didn’t have to confront what was happening inside. An old sign, half faded, still read: Hospital.
Athelinda reached the door and, with a heavy heart, raised a fist and knocked three times. After a moment, the door eased open. A young red-haired woman peered out. Henny. She was a nurse here in the Colony. Not formally qualified, of course. That avenue was closed to her, as any form of employment or education was to all Colony members. But Henny had a passion for biology and medicine, and she had taught herself through stolen and donated medical textbooks.
