Pet Delivery

Chapter 1: Iceboxes and Lion ClawsGabriel tried to make sense of what Officer Hart said—at least, he thought Hart was a police officer. These last few days had been a whirlwind of disasters, and before Gabriel knew what was going on, he’d been swept away, handed from one person to another. They had all introduced themselves; he was sure they had, but he couldn’t remember one single name. Well, except Hart, Troy Hart—tall, dark, and surly. One stern look was all it took for Gabriel to want to hide behind something. “It’s only for a few days, a week or two tops.” Hart clapped Gabriel’s shoulder and skipped up the three creaking steps to the door of the small cabin. The lightness in his stride should’ve belonged to someone else—maybe it did. Since they’d turned up on the narrow gravel road, some of the fatigue in Hart’s eyes had seeped away. He didn’t smile or anything, but the way he moved was more…casual. Gabriel stood, frozen to the spot. If he walked up those three steps, he feared he’d never come back to reality. The chilling wind sneaked around the corner of the cabin and hit him full on. It was the cold making him tremble—probably. “Are you coming?” Hart turned to stare at him from inside the door, his face betraying nothing about what lay ahead. Gabriel took a deep breath and pushed his hands into his pockets to keep them from shaking. The wind caught hold of his hair and shoved it in his face only to add to his misery. He cringed at the picture he must present. It had been so long since he’d cut his hair Emma had threatened to shave it off in his sleep. The steps protested loudly under his weight, and Gabriel fought a blush. The only thing missing was him falling through the stairs—fat bastard. Hart must think him an i***t—a flabby, scruffy slob who just had to ruin his day. Gabriel had heard him grousing to a colleague back in the city, whatever its name was. White-something, if he remembered correctly. Gabriel knew when he wasn’t welcome; he knew to keep to himself so as to not bother anyone, but he didn’t have any say in what was going on now. If he could have spared Hart his company, he would have. The cabin was dark, and as far as Gabriel could tell, the temperature didn’t differ much from the outside. The smell was stale, mouldy almost, like wobbly pages in a book left in a damp cellar. “The electricity is working, and the stove in the kitchen was replaced last year, so you should be able to cook without a problem. There’s one of those portable radiator heaters in the bedroom—you just plug it in the socket by the bed. As for warm water…” Hart pursed his lips as he eyed the wood-burning stove in the middle of the room. Gabriel broke out in a cold sweat. Please don’t say it, please don’t say it. “I don’t really know how it works,” Hart began, and Gabriel’s heart sank. “But there is a copper water pipe circling the stove…pipe.” Hart spun his finger. “This is more of a summer getaway place, but if you light a fire, there will be enough hot water for a quick shower…and…erm…it’ll get warmer inside, too. The radiator can’t heat the entire cabin.” Gabriel nodded. What could he do? He couldn’t go back, or so they’d told him. He’d had to leave Toffee and Caramel behind. Hart opened the door to a small bathroom. The space between the toilet and the basin was hardly big enough to let a normal-sized person sit down—Gabriel doubted he would be able to—and an old lion-clawed bathtub was crammed in the corner. It must’ve been placed there before everything else. An old rain-shower head was screwed to the wall, and the shower curtains looked like an old medallion tapestry. Gabriel refused to hug himself while Hart was watching, but he could really use a hug. “It’ll only be a few days. Once we’ve managed to find you a job, you’ll be moved and can start your new life.” Gabriel’s stomach knotted, and saliva flooded his mouth. He didn’t want a new life. He had everything he needed back home—a job he loved, his cats, his family, unlimited hot water. “I’m leaving your papers here.” Hart put an envelope on the rickety coffee table. Then he pulled out a phone and a charger from his pocket. “Credit card, ID, and a phone. You need to have the phone available at all times. Officer Ward or I will be in touch as soon as we know something about a job or a place to stay. I’ve already added my number, so if there’s anything you need, you can call me.” He gave Gabriel a wry smile. “They’re doing everything they can to hurry the trial along. The sooner, the better for everyone involved.” The ground shifted under Gabriel’s feet. He didn’t want to testify, feared to see those men again. He’d seen a person die, right before his eyes. He dreaded having to relive it. “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.