Chapter 2

“Get some sleep.” Hart patted his shoulder again. “It’s been a rough week.”

Gabriel watched in horror as he walked towards the door. “You’re leaving?” He hated the pleading tone in his voice. If he could have taken it back, he would, but the words were already out.

“Yes, I need to head back. Someone will drop by with a car so you can get into town. They should be here any minute.”

Gabriel nodded and gave Hart’s back a weak wave as he exited the cabin. Darkness closed in on him, making his heart pound in protest as his lungs shrank.

* * * *

Chris sighed and rested his elbows on the edge of the conveyor belt. It had been twenty-four minutes since the last customer, and there were still forty-seven minutes until he could close the shop for the day. Why he kept it open, he didn’t know. He spent most of his time in here, stacking and re-stacking shelves, and he had nothing to show for it. The shop barely made a profit, and if it hadn’t been for the flat above, he wouldn’t have anywhere to live. No way he could afford to buy something, not even in Nortown where the prices were low.

The wind gained strength outside, and Chris sighed again. There probably wouldn’t be any more customers today. If the weather was turning bad, they all stayed inside unless they absolutely needed something.

He got up and went to look at the magazines. He’d already read most of them several times, and only a handful held any interest at all. Then, as he reached for some glossy, colourful thing, the bell by the door chimed.

“Troy?” Chris grinned until he saw the haggard look in Troy’s dark eyes, and the smiled slipped from his lips. “What’s up?”

“Good to see you, Chris. You doing all right?”

“Yeah.” Chris studied Troy more carefully; his eyes were red and hollow. “Is Louise all right?”

“Yeah, she’s fine, everything’s fine.”

Chris breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t see Troy very often these days, not since he and Louise had moved to Whiteport. “You need a place to stay?”

“Nah, I’m heading back. I just…” He picked up a couple of chocolate bars and a bag of crisps and put them on the belt. “I’m here because of work. We have a situation, and I wanted to tell you I’ve stashed someone in Gran’s cabin.”

“You’ve what? It’s freezing up there!”

“It’s only for a couple of days, and it went fine the last time.”

“Last time was in the middle of the summer. It’s supposed to be even colder next week, more snow. The cabin is hardly insulated at all.” Chris couldn’t imagine staying there in the winter; the poor woman would freeze to death. He’d have to go up there and make sure she was all right. Or maybe he could send Jen. Some of the women Troy worked with couldn’t handle a strange man showing up on their doorstep, and the last thing he wanted was to make matters worse.

“Yeah, I know, but the situation called for it.”

Chris ground his teeth. There had to be a women’s shelter closer to Whiteport; somewhere the poor woman could be safe without having to live in an icebox. “She has to be in real danger, then?”

Troy chewed on his lip. “It’s not a typical case, and he’ll only be there for a few days.”

“He?” Chris couldn’t hide his surprise, though he guessed men could suffer from domestic abuse, too.

Troy frowned and then shook his head. “I just wanted to let you know, so you didn’t go up there and get a scare.”

“Yeah, okay.”

“And…no one is supposed to know he’s here.”

Chris scoffed. “The first time he sets foot in town everyone will know he’s here.”

“Yeah, I know. But if someone who doesn’t belong comes around…Never mind, it’s only for a few days.”

Chris nodded and handed Troy his sweets. “I didn’t know you worked with men, too.”

“We don’t, this is a favour to a friend in the—” Troy glared then shook his head. “It’s a police matter, that’s all I can say. I should get going.”

“Sure you don’t want to stay the night? You look exhausted.”

“Thanks, but I need to get going.”

Chris watched him leave and then glanced at the clock—twenty-nine minutes ‘til closing time. 2: Caramel Lattes and Knitting Ladies

Gabriel couldn’t stop shaking. He hadn’t slept all night. The cold had kept him shivering; there had been moments of teeth chattering. At one point, he’d managed to get a fire going, but the smoke had poured in and then it had died again. The only difference from before the fire was his stinging eyes.