Alex Barclay - Harm's Reach

Eleanor Jensen was guiding Gary through the door of the library, a spectacular room with a line of floor-to-ceiling arched windows overlooking the grounds. The remaining walls were lined with mahogany bookshelves.

‘Wow,’ said Ren, as she followed behind. ‘This is beautiful.’

‘Please take a seat,’ said Eleanor. ‘I believe you are the bearers of bad news.’

‘Yes,’ said Gary, waiting for the women to sit down before he did. ‘I’m afraid we found the body of a young woman on Stoney Pass Road. We’re trying to piece together what happened, and we’d like to ask you a few questions.’

‘Oh my goodness,’ said Eleanor. ‘That’s terrible... what happened? Can you say?’

‘It was a shooting,’ said Ren. ‘We found her in her car.’

‘I can’t believe it,’ said Eleanor. ‘It’s so safe here. I’ve never questioned that for a second.’

‘We’d like to talk to everyone who was here today,’ said Gary. ‘How many people live here?’

‘Thirty-four,’ said Eleanor. ‘At least I can make your workload a little lighter; the bus you met... there were twenty-two women on that who have been in Boulder for the past two days. We lend our support to different causes in different places, depending. Eight more women are in Denver at a seminar. So, including me, there were just four of us here.’

‘If we could get a list of all the residents before we go, that would be great,’ said Gary. ‘Just mark in the four who were here. Investigators from the JeffCo Sheriff’s Office will be arriving to take care of interviews.’

‘OK,’ said Eleanor.

‘Can you give us a sense of what you do here at the abbey?’ said Ren. ‘What kind of women come here, how does it work?’

‘Well, a lot of women have come here from very different lives,’ said Eleanor. ‘They’re looking for freedom of all kinds. Usually they’ve been controlled by something else — addiction, a violent partner, sex, money... They don’t want to feel controlled by anything else, by what they may see as the restrictive nature of being, for example, in a religious order. It’s psychological. So the abbey suits them, in that it’s a spiritual community.’

Gary’s cell phone rang. ‘Excuse me,’ he said. He stepped outside.

‘I’m sorry,’ said Eleanor. ‘I’m talking too much, I’m babbling... please stop me. I know you’re busy people...’

‘You’re being very helpful,’ said Ren. ‘Don’t worry. I was wondering, could you tell me a little about The Darned Heart?’

‘Well, they’re a private organization — some of those kids are from important families. And they’re vulnerable. The owners are very protective.’

Ren nodded. ‘Your property adjoins the ranch — do you see much of the kids?’

‘A little,’ said Eleanor. ‘They’ve got stables, so we often see the kids trekking. And we take care of the ranch’s laundry. Sometimes Kristen sends kids over here to work — she wants to show them a different life to what they’re used to. These are often privileged kids, they have everything done for them, they have that sense of entitlement — you can’t really blame them. It’s all they know. They have no respect for anything. It’s really sad that their parents have allowed that to happen. And in a few hours here, there’s little we can do to change that. All I could wish for is that they see something that inspires them to change, but I’m probably being a little naïve. They probably laugh at us over there, I’ve heard them call us Dyke National Forest... you know, the ranch borders Pike National Forest... but some of them, some of them are nice, polite, respectful kids. Some of them talk more than others, tell us a little bit about their lives. Others come in, do their duty like it’s the worst penalty they’ve ever been given.

‘We told Kristen and Ken that if they want to send a child here, the condition is that they help prepare, serve and eat a meal with us. Whether they’re here to wash one of the pick-ups, build a wall, clean out a barn, they need to get a feel for what it is like to be more than just a republic of one. They’re alone a lot at home, they have parents who work, they communicate with people through technology. They’re disassociated. And when they’re together with their friends, it’s not exactly a time for spiritual growth.’

Ren nodded.

Eleanor’s gaze drifted. ‘I’m sorry. I’m just... shocked by all this.’

Ren nodded. ‘I understand.’ She stood up and walked over to the window.

‘Do you think this was a random shooting?’ said Eleanor.

‘We don’t know yet,’ said Ren. At the edge of the property, she noticed a small timber cabin.

‘What’s that cabin over there?’ said Ren.

‘In there is the closest thing you’ll find to a nun at Evergreen Abbey,’ said Eleanor, joining her. ‘We kind of inherited her. Delores Ward. She’s in her seventies, she’s been here forever. She might be moving into the abbey, though... there’s an ongoing boundary dispute with the ranch. Technically, the land Delores’ cabin is on belongs to the ranch. None of us knew until the Faules had a survey carried out when they decided to build the theater. When they realized, the land — it’s about four acres — was incorporated into the building plans by the Faules’ architect, without consulting us. They all just assumed that we’d go along with it, because it was the law. Obviously, it’s not as simple as that. Delores has been there for over fifty years. She wants to live there until she dies.’

‘Well, I guess it’s her home,’ said Ren.

‘Of course,’ said Eleanor, ‘but it got water-damaged. One of the excavators struck a pipe. The cabin’s damp now, it smells. Delores could have a beautiful room here overlooking the grounds, we’d do it just the way she wanted it, but she won’t hear of it.’

‘What’s the current state of play?’ said Ren.

‘Well, it had reached a stalemate,’ said Eleanor. ‘Realistically — who is going to sue a little old lady and an abbey devoted to charitable works without bringing down a load of bad publicity on top of them? The abbey’s been here over a hundred years. The ranch, in this incarnation, only four. The Faules can’t rock the boat around here. They need the local community.’

Ren nodded.

‘They’re being very understanding, actually,’ said Eleanor.

As they try to flood, then burn a little old lady out of her home. What next?

‘Really?’ said Ren.

‘They drained the land, repaired the pipe and agreed to halt construction works for six months to see if Delores would reconsider. They even offered to buy her a new cabin and install it wherever she wanted on the grounds of the abbey.’

‘Well, that’s very generous,’ said Ren. ‘I’m surprised she didn’t take them up on that. Does it really matter exactly where the cabin is? Is it a matter of principle?’

‘Principle, sentimentality, fear of change... I don’t know. I tried to reassure her about helping her with the transition, but she was steadfast. She’s a tough cookie for such a lady.’

‘It can’t be the warmest place in the winter,’ said Ren.

‘It isn’t,’ said Eleanor. ‘I just have to keep reminding myself it’s her home.’

‘Were you here earlier today?’ said Ren.

‘In the library, no,’ said Eleanor.

‘Did you see smoke over at the ranch around lunch time?’ said Ren.

Eleanor nodded. ‘Yes — actually Kristen called us to let us know that a car had caught fire by the cabin, but that it wasn’t at risk, that we weren’t to be alarmed. And I knew Delores was in the chapel, anyway.’

‘Can you please check with the other women if they saw anything?’ said Ren.