Mystery at Saddle Creek (28 page)

The drive home from the show was very quiet. Hannah, Bird and Julia had the truck to themselves. Liz had gone with her mother and Phil, and Lavinia had taken Kimberly to the Malone's farm, where they were working out the details of Moonie's sale. Eva and Stuart had gone home to unpack their clothes, and were coming to Saddle Creek later for dinner and to pick up the girls. Paul had headed off to a horse emergency.

Bird lay down in the back seat. Her head was full of what Mack Jones had told them. She could scarcely believe that her grandfather had actually tried to set up four innocent men. Justice for the Innocent. How ironic.

A quotation from English class floated into her mind. “Oh what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.” She sighed. That poet really knew what he was talking about.

Bird had just started to doze off when Hannah jammed on the brakes. The horses clattered and bumped in the trailer as they regained their footing, and Bird rolled off the back seat onto the floor.

“What?” Bird blurted, jolted awake. “What happened?”

In the front seat, Julia trembled. Her hands covered her mouth and her eyes bulged. Hannah's knuckles were white as they gripped the steering wheel.

“What's wrong?” Bird demanded.

“Stay where you are.” Hannah opened the truck door and stepped out.

Bird pushed the seat forward and jumped down from the truck. What she saw caused bile to rise in her throat.

The body of a small grey coyote lay on the road at the end of the Saddle Creek lane.

“No!” screamed Bird. “Nooooo!” She fell to her knees on the gravel and felt for a pulse. The coyote was still warm. She licked her wrist and put it near his nose to feel his breath. There was no sign of life. “Cody! Oh my dear Cody.” Bird sobbed. “Did we hit him?”

“No,” answered Hannah. “He was already here.”

This had to be a dream, thought Bird. It was impossible that Cody was dead. She bent her head to his prone body and buried her face in his fur. “Cody! This can't be true.”

How could this have happened? Cody was too wary to fall in a trap. He would never have been hit by a car. He never ate food left out, so he couldn't have been poisoned. A hunter? A brush wolf? Natural causes?

Bird pushed her fingers through his fur and felt for a gun shot or teeth marks. Nothing on the body. She worked her hands up the animal's neck and felt his skull.

There, between his eyes. Something small and round had hit him hard, causing a deep skull fracture that must have killed him instantly.

“I hope you didn't suffer, my friend.” Bird snuffled and wiped her dripping nose and tears on her arm. “I can't believe this.”

Hannah reached down and put her hand on Bird's head. “I'm so sorry, Bird.”

Julia knelt down beside her. “We'll have a funeral. Remember when Hector died last summer? His funeral was lovely. We'll have a lovely funeral for Cody, too.”

A sudden terrible wail from the bushes beside the road interrupted the quiet moment. Somebody was there, gasping for air and sobbing.

Bird knew it was Tanbark.

Slowly, horribly, things started to come together. Tanbark ... Tanbark hunted his food in the wild, and he did that with a ... slingshot. A slingshot. Bird's fists clenched and her jaw locked. That's what had killed Cody. The hole in his skull, right between his eyes, had been made by a rock flung from a slingshot.

She stood up, seething with rage. “Tanbark Wedger, you come out here right now.”

Hannah gasped at Bird's sudden anger. Julia huddled close to her aunt, and together they watched what transpired next.

Tanbark emerged from the shrubs and walked slowly to the lane, head down and shoulders slumped. “I didn't mean to kill him. I promise, Bird. I didn't mean to kill him.”

“Then why did you?” Bird shouted. “Why did you kill him if you didn't mean to?”

“I wanted food.You said Cody would bring me food! I saw him and I followed him and I kept asking him for food. He looked at me like I was crazy! I lost my temper and pulled out my slingshot.”

“Cody didn't have any food for you, Tanbark! How could he have? Even if you'd come around the house, like we agreed, I was gone all day, so he couldn't tell me! If I'd been here, I would've sent him to you with food, but I wasn't!”

“He should've had food for me! I was hungry and you said he'd bring me food! I was mad!”

“So mad you killed him? Did you mean to kill him, Tan?”

Tan's shoulders slumped even further. “I knew it was wrong as soon as I did it.”

“I never should've helped you! Everyone is right. You're crazy — and now Cody is dead!” Bird sank down on the ground beside the dead coyote and cried. “You killed Cody!”

Tanbark crumpled, completely deflated. He covered his head with his arms. “I'm sorry,” he whispered. “I'm sorry.” His voice became louder. “I'm sorry!” His body heaved with sobs. “I did something very, very bad.”

Bird girl.

Bird raised her head slightly and studied the dead animal on the ground beside her. What was this? Was Cody speaking to her, even in death? Cody? She gently patted his fur, ignoring Tanbark's cries.

Yes, it's me.

Did it hurt much?

What?

The stone to your head?

I know not of what you speak.

Bird sat up. Something was very odd.
Where are you, Cody?

Beside you, in the cover of brush.

Are you alive?

Very much.

Show yourself.

There are many people, but look now beside the tree.

Bird looked. There was Cody, in the flesh, peeking back at her from the bushes! She stared at the dead animal on the lane. Then she stared back at Cody. Alive.

I thought this was you, Cody! Dead. On the lane.

No. That's a wild coyote. Not a nice one. He stalked the wild man.

Why?

He thought the wild man might lead him to food.

The picture was becoming clear. The coyote wanted food from Tan and Tan wanted food from the coyote. And he'd gotten angry when the coyote didn't understand. But Bird still was furious; Tan had thought the coyote was Cody, and he'd killed him anyway.

“Tan, I will never forgive you for this.”

“I couldn't stop myself, Bird. I got so upset.”

“So why do you continue like this? Look at yourself! You know you need help. You told me so when we were down in the cave.”

Tan gnawed on a fingernail. “I know,” he whispered. “I know.”

“Will you get help now?”

Tan's teeth chattered, and he wrapped his arms around himself. He looked utterly, completely miserable.

Bird asked the question a different way. “What do you think I mean by getting help, Tan?”

“I'll go to a doctor. I'll take medicine. I'm so confused! I feel afraid and out of control, and I don't like it! I've done something horrible and I know it. I'll go to a doctor if you want me to.”

“It doesn't matter that I want you to.” Bird allowed her voice to soften. There was no reason to yell any more. “This will only work if you do it for yourself. You have to want to get better.”

Tan stood up and placed his hand over his heart. “I want to get better, Bird. I never want to do a thing like this again.”

“I have witnesses, Tan. Hannah and Julia heard you say that.”

“I know. I mean it. I want to get help.”

“Today?”

“Yes. If that's what you want.”

“No, Tan! It has to be you who wants help today. Not me.”

“Then I want to get help today.”

“You won't run away like last time?”

“I won't run away.”

Bird relaxed a little. “Then we have a deal. Go with Aunt Hannah to clean up and get some clothes.” Hannah nodded in agreement. “Julia and I will bury the ... body of our ...” She didn't know what to call the animal now that it wasn't Cody.

Julia finished her sentence. “The body of our dearest coyote friend.” She began to cry again.

Hannah and Tanbark climbed into the big rig. Hannah carefully steered it around the dead coyote and drove up to the barn.

Bird waited a moment before speaking, then she confided in Julia. “This is not Cody.”

Julia didn't say a word. She stared at Bird, then at the dead coyote, then back at Bird.

Bird tried again. “Seriously. This is not Cody. Cody is in the bushes.”
Show yourself to Julia, Cody.

Cody's head popped up again.

Julia gasped. “I can't believe it! Cody's alive!” She jumped in the air gleefully and hugged Bird. “Cody's alive!” she repeated. Then she stopped. “Did you know all along?”

“No! Would I have hugged a wild coyote? Especially a dead wild coyote?” Suddenly both girls realized that they could be covered in germs. “Yuck! I need a bath!” Bird exclaimed.

“Me, too!” Julia paused. “But why didn't you know it wasn't Cody?”

Bird wasn't sure. “I assumed it was Cody. Same size, colour. It didn't occur to me that it could be any other coyote, I guess.”

Julia shrugged. “Same with me.”

“Let's bury this poor animal, then soap up in the wash stall.”

“Good idea! We don't want to bring cooties into the house. Where should we bury it?”

“In the hole behind the barn where we thought we'd bury Saul.”

Julia nodded. “The horse that never dies. He's thirty-four, isn't he?”

“Yes. At least. Hannah got the hole dug years ago.”

Julia nodded. “There's plenty of room in there for this little guy.”

“You take his back feet, I'll take his front. Look sad as we pass the house.”

“It is sad, Bird! This coyote didn't deserve to die.”

The two sisters began their journey to the barn, carrying the body.

“Are you going to tell Tan the truth?” Julia asked. “He's miserable.”

“I need to figure that out. He meant to kill Cody.” Bird was quiet for a few paces.“I think that's why he realized he needs help.”

“Because it shocked him? That he could do that?”

“It might have made him understand that he really can't control himself.”

Julia considered this. “Weird, isn't it, how his mind works.”

Bird nodded. It certainly was.

35

 

HELP

Tan let the warm water of the bath surround him. He had no feeling left. He didn't care if he lived or he died. Bird had meant something to him. He could relate to her, and she'd cared enough about him to seek him out, listen to his story, clear his name and save his life. Nobody except his mother had cared this much about him. But Bird had cared, and now she hated him. And Cody. His soulmate. He'd killed him with his slingshot. It had taken Tan three tries — the animal was quick — but he'd gotten him with the fourth rock. Between the eyes. And he'd been happy about it. But only for a moment.

PAUL ARRIVED AT THE BARN as Julia and Bird were scrubbing themselves, fully dressed, in the wash stall. Soap was everywhere. They were wearing rubber scrub gloves on their hands and singing “Rubber Ducky” at the top of their lungs to break the tension.

Both saw Paul at the same time, and gasped guiltily at his expression.

“It wasn't Cody,” explained Julia.

Paul's puzzled expression intensified. “What wasn't Cody?”

“Sorry!” Bird said. “One minute while we rinse ourselves off.” They stood under the shower until the suds disappeared, then Julia turned off the water. Bird grabbed two big towels and handed one to her little sister. She told Paul how Tan had shot a coyote with his slingshot, a coyote he thought was Cody. “He feels so bad,” Bird explained, “that he actually said he wants to get help.”

Paul listened carefully. “This could be a very significant event.”

Bird nodded. She certainly hoped so. “Do I tell him that it was a wild coyote?” she asked. “If he knows he didn't kill Cody, will he decide he doesn't need help?”

Paul thought about it. “I see your point.”

“But we have to tell him sometime,” said Julia. “Otherwise he'll never trust us again.”

“I wasn't going to not tell him. It's just when and how.”

“Let's see how things are going at the house,” suggested Paul. “Then we can decide how to deal with it.”

Bird inhaled deeply as they headed down the lane, taking in everything around her. This was her last day at Saddle Creek.

She admired Sunny and Charlie as they grazed contentedly in the front field together. Bird felt at peace amidst the rolling green fields, the scent of the vibrantly coloured flowers and the sound of birdsong. She thought of all the things that made her happy. Winning at the horse show with her beloved horse, being surrounded by people whom she loved, having helped solve a mystery. Knowing that Cody was still alive. Knowing that Tan was going to get help. She sighed again.

We really showed them today, Bird.

I had a great time. Thank you.

I like to win, Bird. I'm glad we won.

Me, too.

You admit it now?

Yes, of course! But we'll never win if we forget why we're out there.

I know, I know. To have fun. You're getting boring.

When they entered the house, Lucky jumped on Paul and wagged his tail. “Down, boy,” he commanded.

Why do you still jump up on Paul, Lucky? You know better.

Because he expects me to.

He tells you not to.

He doesn't mean it.

Bird smiled and patted his head. Smart dog.

Hannah was at the sink making a salad. “Wash up, folks! Eva and Stuart will be here soon.” Then she saw Julia and Bird, soaking wet. “Oops. I guess you girls don't need a bath.”

“We washed the dirt and coyote germs off,” said Julia.

Hannah stopped what she was doing and turned to face her. “Coyote germs? That's a little insensitive, Julia. Cody was far more than a coyote, he was like a pet.”

Julia didn't say anything. Bird looked around the kitchen. “Where's Tan?”

“Upstairs in the tub. Why?”

Bird told her about the mistaken identity.

“Thank heavens,” said Hannah with a huge smile on her face. “That sweet animal. We would've missed him so badly.”

“But here's the problem. How do I tell Tan?”

“Good question,” Hannah answered. “We have to do this right. Mack Jones is dropping by shortly to talk to him.”

“Did you call the hospital?” Bird asked.

“Yes. And they've been in touch with CAMH, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto. They'll take him in. Alison Wedger has been wonderful, too. She'll be here tomorrow morning to drive him down to the city.”

“Is Tan okay with all of this?” Bird worried.

“He knows it's the right thing, and the right time.”

“I'm glad he's getting help.” Bird choked on her words and wiped away a tear.

“We're all glad.” Paul turned for the stairs. “I'll go up and make sure Tan knows what socks to wear. He can't have my argyles.”

“I'd never give him your argyles!” Hannah teased.

When he'd gone, Hannah's expression turned wistful. “You're going home tonight, girls. I'll miss you both. I've loved having you here with me.”

Bird and Julia hugged their aunt tightly.

Bird was deeply sad to leave. She loved Hannah. Hannah was a good and kind and strong person. She'd looked after her and raised her while Eva was learning how to look after herself, and had always done her best for Bird, even through very difficult times. This holiday had reminded her how much she felt at home here among the horses and the farm work. Life in the country suited her.

“Can you babysit us again some time, Aunt Hannah?” Julia asked.

“Of course! I want you here every chance I get,” Hannah answered. “Maybe you girls can stay forever. Oh my heavens, I will miss you!”

Hannah and Bird and Julia were locked in their hug when Stuart and Eva walked through the door.

“I guess my girls weren't too much trouble,” Eva said with a sniff.

“Aren't we lucky?” Stuart quickly put his arm around her waist. “We can go on holiday anytime, and never worry.”

Eva smiled tensely. “We are lucky. I'm glad Julia and Bird love their Aunt Hannah so much.”

“We love you, too, Mom,” said Bird, recognizing their mother's insecurity.

“We love you more,” Julia enthused.

Paul came down the stairs and greeted Eva and Stuart. Then he turned to Bird. “Please come upstairs. Tan needs to talk to you. Now.”

Bird took in Paul's expression with a sinking feeling. Something was very wrong. Julia would have to deal with Eva's issues alone. She ran upstairs and went straight into the bathroom. Tan lay in the tub, covered in luxurious bubbles. His eyes were red and swollen.

“Bird,” he said,as soon as he saw her. “Cody was a wonderful animal. He should be alive right now, and I should be dead.”

Bird put the toilet seat down and sat. “Tan, listen to me.”

“No. There's nothing you can say.” Tan's voice was oddly calm — not like the other times he'd been angry or upset. “Paul said not to worry, but I can't help it. It's over. I don't want help, Bird. I'm too tired. I don't have the energy.”

Bird gazed at Tan's haggard, ravaged face. She felt his exhaustion. She could only imagine how daunting the prospect of rehabilitation was for him.

“Do you have the energy to go back into the woods?”

“No.”

“I understand, Tan.”

“I don't know how you can.”

“Trust me, it's one thing I'm good at.”

“But I killed Cody.”

Bird hesitated before she spoke. “Tan,you did an awful thing. You were mad at Cody, and you aimed your slingshot between his eyes, where you knew a stone would kill him.”

“You're right.”

“And you told me you'd get help.”

“Yes.”

“Because you can't control yourself, right?”

“Right.”

Bird took a deep breath and plunged in. “It turns out that it wasn't Cody that you killed.”

Silence.

“You killed a wild coyote.”

Silence.

“An innocent, wild coyote. He followed you around, thinking that you'd lead him to food. You thought he was Cody. He wasn't.”

Silence.

“You killed a coyote, Tan. Just not Cody.”

“I killed a coyote, but it wasn't Cody?” Tan blinked, trying to understand. “I didn't kill Cody?”

“You did not kill Cody.”

“He's still alive?”

“Yes.”

“It wasn't Cody,and you didn't tell me!” Now Tan was shouting. Oddly, Bird much preferred this emotion to the flat, lifeless tone he'd been using before—at least he cared enough to yell.

He continued. “I can't believe you'd be so horrible. Cruel, Bird! You let me think I killed Cody and you knew I didn't? I hate you!” Tan thrashed angrily in the bubbles, sending soap all over the bathroom.

“I thought it was Cody! I didn't know until later.”

“When did you find out?” Tan peered at her disbelievingly.

“When Cody showed up. I thought it was his ghost.”

“You didn't!”

“I did.”

“That's stupid! There's no such thing as ghosts!”

“Well, I thought it was his ghost, and then I realized it was him.”

“You're crazy.”

“As crazy as you?”

Tan became quiet. He made circles in the water with his hands. “I am crazy. I've been crazy for a while. I don't know why.”

“But you're going to get help, Tan. Your mother is coming.”

Tan began to cry. “I want to see her. I haven't seen her in a long time.”

Bird noticed someone at the bathroom door. It was Hannah. Bird quietly moved to the door and whispered, “Mrs. Wedger should come tonight.”

They looked at the bathtub, where Tan was quietly crying.

Hannah nodded. “She's on her way from Toronto. Paul had the same thought, and already called her. Mack sent a cruiser, and he'll ride back down to Toronto with them.”

Bird turned back to Tan. “Hang on,” she said softly, as she returned to her perch on the toilet. “I'll wait with you until she comes.”

Alison Wedger arrived within the hour. Her tired face was kind and intelligent, Bird thought. And beautiful.

Tanbark stumbled to her as she walked in the door.

“Mom,” he cried as he buried his face in her shoulder. “Mom.”

Alison held him tight.

“Please sit down Alison, Tan,” said Hannah after a minute. She pulled out two chairs. “Make yourselves comfortable until Mack comes. Tea?”

Alison nodded. “That would be lovely.”

Paul sat with them while Hannah busied herself at the counter. “Alison, I'm Paul. That's Hannah over by the sink.”

Hannah waved.

“And this is Bird.”

Bird smiled at her. She noticed the worry lines around Alison's eyes.

“Hello, everybody. I'm a bit of a mess right now. I hope you understand.” Alison kept her arm around Tan, whose head was bowed. “I haven't seen Tanbark for so long.” Her voice cracked, and Hannah brought her a tissue. “I wondered if I'd ever see him again.”

Paul nodded. “Of course. I'm glad you could get here so quickly.”

“I just dropped everything. I'm so glad he's safe and wants to get help.” She couldn't say anything more.

“Tan is lucky to have a mother like you,” said Bird, “who has always cared so much for him, through everything.”

Alison looked at Bird directly for the first time. “Thank you, Bird. I cannot count the sleepless nights.” Her smile looked intensely sad. “You're the one who found him, aren't you?”

“I guess. But really, he found me.”

“But you understood that he was good. That means a lot to me.”

Bird chuckled softly. “Tan and I've had a few trials, that's for sure.”

Alison stroked Tan's forehead and smoothed his unruly hair. “He wasn't always like this, you know.”

Hannah brought the cups to the table. “I remember him when he was fifteen or so. He was on top of his game.”

“What a difference.” Alison sighed. “Tanbark was the best at everything. Smart. Athletic. Popular. Then came the chemical imbalance.”

“It can happen to anyone,” said Paul.

“And it does,” answered Alison. “It came as a complete surprise to me.”

Hannah poured the tea. “Milk? Lemon? Sugar?”

“Just clear is perfect.” Alison smiled at her hostess. “The good news is that a chemical imbalance can be treated successfully once the ill person decides to get help.”

“But how do you know you need help,” asked Bird, “when you think that you're fine and it's everybody else who needs help?”

“That's the big problem,” Alison smiled sadly. “I guess something finally happens to make a person sit up and see what the people who love them have been seeing for a while.”

Bird thought about the dead coyote. At least he'd given his life for a good cause. “Do you think Tan will get better? Will he be like he was before?”

Alison cocked her head in thought, and smiled. “That's what they tell me, and I want to believe it!” She tightened her grip around her son's back. Her eyes held conviction and strength. “I'm told that once the person has admitted that he needs help, which is now, this disease can be mastered. It won't be easy. With treatment, counselling and hard work, it'll take some time, but we've begun the healing—thanks to all of you.”

Mack Jones arrived as they were drinking their tea. “It's best we get to CAMH as soon as possible,” he said after introductions were made. “There's a room all made up for him. They're waiting for us.”

Bird studied Tanbark. He was holding on to his mother, his face still buried in her shoulder. It must be scary to be him, she thought. She considered how brave Tanbark was. His greatest fear had always been confinement. Now he must face that fear, and many more.

“Goodbye, Tan. I'll miss you.” Bird gently touched his trembling arm and said, “I'd like to visit you sometime.”

Tan turned his head and squinted, his eyes blurry. He said, “Yes! Visit.” He bent his neck and rested his head on his mother's shoulder.

“Time to go,” said Mack in a quiet voice. “The car's waiting.”

Without a backward glance, Tanbark, with his mother and Mack at either side, walked out to the cruiser and got in. The tires crunched on the gravel road, and they were gone.

Bird let the tears fall down her cheeks.