Morgan Nyberg - Since Tomorrow

“The water won’t have any salt in it?”

“No, the salt water is heavier, so it sinks. By the time the tide gets this far up the river the salt water is on the bottom.”

“Can you attach the flywheel?”

“No problem.”

They were standing on the riverbank near the unfinished water wheel.

“Could we have it working by the summer?”

“Sure. When all this is over.”

Frost nodded. “Yes, when it’s…. Daniel?”

“What?”

“That day the dogs were poisoned — who all was with Jessica when she cut up the rabbits?”

“Granville.”

“Anyone else? Was Brandon there?”

“I think Jessica said he was there. Being a pest. Watching her work. Singing some stupid song.”

“No one else?”

“Grace. Grace was helping cut them up. Jessica said she was good at it.” After a second he looked sharply at Frost, but Frost turned away and walked down to the water’s edge. Daniel Charlie followed him.

Frost was staring across at the big building near the foot of Fundy’s Bridge. He said “I think we’d better attack. We could surprise them. They’d never expect us to attack.”

“They’d use Wing’s women for shields.”

“There aren’t that many women.”

“They’d kill them, then.”

“Then they wouldn’t have any shields.”

Daniel Charlie said “Either way Wing’s women die.”

“Tyrell would say attack.”

“Tyrell would always say attack. He’d say we could rescue the women. But we couldn’t. They would die.”

Frost nodded again, said “I wonder if there’s another way.”

There was a sound somewhere behind them, grass bending under a foot, an exhalation of breath. They turned. It was Granville. He was trying to smile, showing his five rotted teeth.

Daniel Charlie said “Where the hell did you come from?”

Granville cleared his throat and said “I can be quiet when I have to.”

Nothing about him had changed since that evening when Frost and Daniel Charlie and the guards stood among dead dogs and vomit and diarrhea, watching Granville disappear down the bridge. His mat of red hair was a little longer now, as was his sparse golden beard.

Frost said, ” “Did Langley send you?”

Before Frost finished the question Granville was already shaking his head. He looked afraid. He said “I ain’t seen Langley.”

“You been with his men?”

Granville shook his head vigorously.

Frost and Daniel Charlie stood looking at him. After a minute Frost said “Well?”

“Yeah, I know, Frost. I mean…. I mean….”

“It was you poisoned my dogs, wasn’t it?”

“No, Frost, no.”

“Stop shaking your god damn head. Why’d you run off?”

Granville cowered, looked down. He was trembling.

Frost said, more softly “Just tell me where you went. Come on, we’ll walk.”

Frost and Daniel Charlie, with Granville between them, walked slowly toward the domicile. No one spoke for a few minutes. Then Granville said “I know you think it was me. ’Cause I brung the meat. You think Langley give me skag and I poisoned your dogs for him.”

Frost said “Yes, that’s right. You brought the meat. And you were there when it was cut up.”

“That’s true too. But it wasn’t me.” Granville stopped, looked at Frost, gripped his arm. “I’m a citizen, Frost. You helped me. I wouldn’t do nothin’ to hurt you.”

Frost seemed affected by the claim. “Well then, where were you?”

“I was in the burbs. I made a little house out of branches and that green stuff.”

“Moss?”

“And I come back and snuck into the spud room to get spuds to eat.”

“King didn’t bark?”

“King knows me. I’m the guy who brings the meat.”

Daniel Charlie said “Jesus Christ. It must’ve been cold.”

“Cold. You can say that again.”

Frost said “Why’d you come back if you were scared?”

“No, that’s right, too. But I’m a citizen, Frost. I come to help.”

“Help.”

“Yeah, Frost. I can help.”

“You look like you’ve been thinking about this.”

“I been thinkin’, Frost. I can help. I got an idea.”

“You?”

“I got an idea, Frost.”

“Well, tell me.”

“I can get into Langley’s buildin’ where Wing’s women are.”

Granville waited for a response, but both Frost and Daniel Charlie just gaped. He continued “I can find out stuff. Maybe I can even get them women out.”

Frost and Daniel Charlie exchanged glances. Daniel Charlie said “Do you know how dangerous that would be?”

Granville shrugged, said “Yeah, that’s true too. You can say that again.” He shrugged once more.

Frost said “I have to discuss your idea with Daniel. Right now I want you to go over to Fundy’s. Those other two addicts will be thinking you ran off to get skag. Tell them you didn’t. Tell them you came back because you want to help out. But don’t tell them your idea. Don’t tell anyone.”

“Oh, no way, Frost. You can say that again.”

Granville headed off toward Fundy’s. Frost and Daniel Charlie circled the domicile eight times, walking slowly, discussing Granville’s proposal. Then Daniel Charlie headed back toward the river, and Frost went to the clinic.

He closed the door behind him and stood for a minute looking around the interior. The white sheet still covered the couch. There was a litre bottle half full of alcohol. The hacksaw, the knife and the pliers were on a shelf, and on another shelf the plastic basin and the pages from medical books. There was no skag powder and no bottle of skag-in-water. There was no plastic bag of bandages.

Grace was crouching by the fireplace, where embers glowed and flickered.

Frost said “I’ll distil some more alcohol for you. You ought to find some cloth for more bandages. Why don’t you cut up this sheet?”

Grace stood. The light from the window in the north wall made her wrinkles conspicuous. The skin seemed to adhere to the bone beneath, revealing the shape of her skull.

Frost said “You’ve lost weight. Are you all right?”

She smiled and came to Frost and hugged him, with her face turned away. She said “I should eat more. I know. I’ll try.” Her shaky voice was weak. She pulled the sheet from the couch, which was a dull olive green with a raised pattern. The cushions were collapsed but not torn. “Yes. I’ll wash this and cut it up. We don’t need it on the couch.” She dropped the sheet on the table and sat beside Frost on the couch.

Frost said “We’ve got to be ready. Alcohol, bandages, whatever else we might need.”

“I know, Frost. We’ll be ready. I promise.”

She leaned against him, and he put his arm around her.

He said “If we lose you’ve got to run away. Go back to South.”

“We won’t lose. You’re too smart. Anyway, I won’t leave you.”

“You would die for me?” He pulled away from her slightly so he could look at her. But again she turned her face away.

“I would, Frost. We all would. We all love you. What would this farm be without you? What would any of us be without you?” Now she looked at him. Her smile was trembling. She rubbed his chest, kissed it. “You can win, Frost. You can do it.”

He said “Granville came back.”

She stiffened. She stopped rubbing. She did not look up. She rose, went to the table, started folding the sheet. She said “Did he poison the dogs?”

“Yes.”

She paused, then finished folding the sheet. She laid it again on the table. She leaned on it. She looked out the window at the sallow light. “That’s what everyone thought. But why did he come back?”

Frost stood. “He thought he could lie.”