Here's Chapter 1, Chapter 2 and Chapter 3
And this is Chapter 4
4
‘5:15 To
The Mainland’
the Mount Stewart Train Station, Yune had to drive along Route 2. On his way, to ease the tension, he reflected
on some of the nice times he and Doctor Dewar had had driving all along that
very route. He enjoyed those drives
because he could enjoy the beautiful countryside, and she, because she claimed
the effects the motion of the car had on her brain enhanced her thought
power. She had even devised an experiment
which proved such, but Yune did not understand fully how she reached her
conclusion.
Route 2 was
the doctor’s favourite route in all of Prince Edward Island; better than the
much ballyhooed Trans Canada Highway, known as Route 1, because the Trans
Canada Highway merely crossed the Island from boat to boat, ignoring most of
Prince County and all of King’s County, starting or ending at Borden, depending
on your direction of travel, and ending or starting at Wood Islands, focusing
almost entirely on the central county called Queen’s. And while there were some lovely sights in
Queen’s County along the Trans Canada, they were certainly not the only beauty
the
from point to point, from Tignish in
in Eastern King’s. Doctor Dewar felt it
was truly the
had to agree.
The fast, short
drive to the train station, and Yune’s reflection on past drives, gave little
time for him to think on what he was about to do. And for that he was glad. Dismembering that last one, the Schprengel
girl, really made his stomach turn. It
was so messy that he threw up. He felt
dizzy the whole time he was carving her heart out. On the whole, he did a sloppy job of cutting
her up. And he didn’t take the usual
care in hiding the remains of the body that he did with the other three
girls. It must have been an easy trail
for Constable Maubery to follow down to
Marsh. It wouldn’t have been that easy
for him to identify what little remained of the remains. He’d have been able to tell Pristle’s body
because of the freshness of it. The
others would’ve been all putrefied.
Now, as he
was walking up the path that led to the station’s platform, he wondered if,
subconsciously his messiness was really a cry for help. Maybe he wanted to get caught and end all the
killing. But that didn’t make any sense,
because he was so sure of Doctor Dewar’s experiment being a success, and, as
she claimed, advancing the course of science one hundred years in one giant
step. And he was confident, he told
himself, as he turned the corner around the station house, that the taking of
four girls’ lives was worth a hundred year advancement in science.
Yune stopped
when he saw the girl on the platform.
Make that the taking of five girls’ lives, thought Yune. He started to approach the girl.
“Yune Mune,”
shouted a voice, “what in the heck of Hades are you doing down here?” Yune turned around to where the voice
had come from. It was Constable Maubery.
My God, thought Yune, I’m caught.
“Thank God,” he barely heard himself say.
“Constable,
hello,” said Yune, offering his hand.
The Constable shook it.
“What are
you doing down here, Yune?”
Yune found
himself wanting to tell the constable everything. Despite the certainty of what he was doing
was right, he couldn’t ignore the heavy feeling of guilt that was weighing him
down. I’ve come to murder another girl, screamed Yune’s brain.
“Me? Oh, nothing,” said Yune, not able to look the
Constable in the eye. “I mean, I am
doing something here, at the station. Yes.”
The
Constable looked at Yune suspiciously.
“And what would that be, Mr. Mune?”
“I am here
for a reason,” said Yune, stalling, trying to think of a reason to be
here. A legal reason to be here. “I am looking for some ginsing,” he blurted
quickly.
“What?”
“Ginsing,”
repeated Yune. “Sarah’s, I mean, Mrs.
Dunsford’s cousin is coming in tonight from
me.”
“What’s
ginsing,” asked the Constable.
“It’s
liquor, far as I can tell,” said Guy Maddox, coming out of the station house,
buttoning up his fly.
“No, it is a
medicinal root,” said Yune.
“Like a
beet?” asked Constable Maubery.
“More or
less,” replied Yune.
Guy Maddox
walked over to the other two men. “You stupid
Chinaman, Yoooon. Weren’t you listening
to Mrs. Dunsford this morning? Her
cousin’s coming in two nights’ time.”
“Two nights’
time? My, yes, you are correct, Mr.
Maddox. I must have got mixed up in my nights, that is all. I guess the horrible news about those girls’
murders has taken a toll on me.”
“It’s taken
its toll on all of us,” said the Constable.
“That marsh crime scene was the most horrific thing I ever seen. The girls, all torn up, mixed together like a
human tossed salad.”
“I’m just
glad my Josie got away, safe and sound,” said Guy.
“Your Josie
has got away, Mr. Maddox?” asked Yune.
Guy Maddox
nodded his head as he pulled a package of chewing tobacco out of his overall
bib pocket and proceeded to fill his cheek.
“Yes, the train pulled out ‘bout five minutes ago,”
said Constable Maubery. “I came down to
make sure she got outta here safe and sound,” said Constable Maubery. “I don’t want anymore girls dying around
here.”
“It was
lucky we got here early enough,” added Guy Maddox. “The train came in early, and was about to
leave early. That idiot Mavor Glick
couldn’t conduct himself to his own funeral, let alone conduct the trains on
time.”
Yune was
surprised that he breathed such a huge sigh of relief. He realised just how heavily the murders were
weighing on him, and how glad he was that the girl was gone. He wouldn’t have to kill her. He tried not to, but couldn’t help thinking
about how upset Doctor Dewar would be with his change of heart. Her experiment may well be ruined, and he
would undoubtedly be fired. She had
worked so hard and so long on the experiment.
Was he being selfish?
“Not only
does he screw up the timetable regularly, but he also drops people off at the
wrong stations. That girl,” said
Constable Maubery, pointing behind Yune, “that girl was supposed to be dropped
in Cavendish, up on the
home, and here she winds up in the heart of murderville. I phoned up to Angus Ferguson to come down and
pick her up in his truck and drive her all the way up to the Shore. Told him I’d give him some money and two
bottles of whiskey for his effort.”
That
girl? What girl? wondered Yune. And then he remembered the girl he saw on the
platform before the Constable diverted his attention. Yune turned around and looked at the
girl. She had flaming red hair and was
sitting patiently prim and proper, on her little suitcase. That girl.
A girl. Again, Yune surprised
himself with another big sigh of relief.
Over the last few moments, all he could think about was the immense
disappointment that Doctor Dewar would have at having to call the experiment
off. It made him realise again just how
important the experiment would be to the world.
He couldn’t let her down, he decided.
He must get that girl.
“Well, let’s
get going, Constable,” said Guy Maddox.
“We should drop up by Art’s place and see how they’re all doing. Bring him some comfortin’ booze to make him
forget.”
“No,” said
the Constable, “I should wait here for Angus and make sure the girl gets away
okay.”
Yune turned
back to the two men. “I will wait here,
if you would like to go see Art, Constable,” he said. “I’m sure Art would be comforted by your
presence. I will wait here for Angus to
drive the girl to her new family.”
The
Constable looked Yune in the eyes, and shaking his hand said, “Thanks, Yune. You’re a good man. That rich lady done you a disservice giving
you your reputation like she did.”
“You could
be waiting a while for that Angus, though,” laughed Guy. “He’s probably driven his truck into a ditch,
drunk out of this world, the dumb Irishman.”
“Come on,
Guy,” said the Constable, “let’s get up to Art’s.”
And with that, the two men were gone.
Yune turned
back to the girl. She looked over at him
and smiled. Yune smiled back.
“Are you
smart?” Yune asked the girl.
“Oh, yes, I
should say so,” said the red haired girl.
Yune walked
over to where she was sitting. “How do
you do,” he said. “I’m here to take you
to meet your new sisters. And if you’re
as smart as you say, I dare say you’ll
become the brains of the family.”
Yune shook the girl’s hand. She’s an orphan, thought Yune. Killing an
orphan isn’t so bad.
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Next up.... Chapter 5 - "Amalga-Girl, Hello"
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