I hope we don’t have to stay up here for long because it’s not comfortable. The harsh bark is poking through my trousers. By the end of this hideout, my backside will look like a raw slab of steak.
We have little time to spare because the sounds of cars coming our way disrupt the silence. Today they’re coming with three cars. Who do they think we are? An army of Al-Qaeda trying to take on the NZ government? Altogether eight police officers step out of the cars, including Maddie’s female officer. This time they brought two people in white coats along. I can smell the hospital disinfectant on them from up here.
“The two people in civil clothes are doctors, I swear. They’re coming to get us.”
“You’re right.” I’m glad, Sky finally agrees with me.
The group knocks at the door and spreads out around the house when nobody answers. In the end, they break the back door open and roam through the house. Prince is barking at them inside the house. Good old Prince, defending his home against the intruders. It doesn’t take long, and the group comes out again.
“She’s gone. Dammit, I thought we had it all in the can.”
“She can’t have gotten far without a vehicle.”
“I urge you to do everything you can to find her. We have her medical file from Auckland. That woman is as crazy as a mud hen, a danger to herself and others. Who knows what she’s capable of in her grief about her husband’s death?” The bold guy in civilian clothes almost trips over his high-pitched voice.
“She said he’s not her husband.”
“See, crazy as.”
Amadeus is busting to come out and get his hands on the doctor guy, but I hold on. Nothing is gained by a punch-up. One of the police officers reaches for his radio thing on his shoulder.
“I’ll call through her details for a regional search.”
“There’s another cabin further up the road. We should check in case she’s there.”
The redhead with the glasses, the one Maddie recognized, plants herself against the front door. “I’ll stay here in case she shows up. You pick me up on your way back.”
I don’t have any experience with the police, but I feel outdone. They may not be the brightest of the force, but they are making me sick. What chance do we have if everything is stacked against us? I’m holding my breath. What does the witch want? She looks around as if she expects us to be hiding anywhere. I’d like to shout down to her, ‘Look under the doormat you twit,’ but of course I don’t. I’m not stupid.
“Elizabeth? I know you are here somewhere. Remember me? I’m a friend of your father’s. You don’t have to be afraid. We are friends. Friends from way back. I can help you.”
Why would I respond to her? Friends from way back? Did she expect we’ve forgotten what happened? Some adults don’t comprehend that childhood memories have a way of staying alive. Hah, I can sit in my tree for hours, even though it’s bloody uncomfortable.
“Okay, if you don’t want my help, see where you get without it.”
I see her pulling a plastic bag out of her pocket. Is that a gun? It’s hard to see from up here. She takes the plastic bag with whatever is in there into the house. When she comes out again her hands are empty, and I know I have reason to worry.
It takes another thirty minutes until the cars come back to pick up our ‘friend from way back.’ But instead of getting into the car, she stops her colleague. “Let’s search the house one more time. If she’s running, she’s guilty. Why else would she flee?”
That was a clever move. We must stop underestimating the people we are dealing with. Before I recover from my surprise, a police officer comes out of the house, wielding a gun.
“I knew something was wrong with the woman. She acted strange and there was something in her eyes that told me she was lying.”
They finally leave, but I’m sure they’ll send someone to watch the house.
“Our house is not safe for us anymore. Let’s get Prince and get a move on.”
“I hate uprooting the Tribe again.”
“We can’t stay. You know we have no chance. Once they catch us, we are history. When things have cooled down, we can let Scottie know where we are.”
“I know. You’re right.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Luke: 3 December 2015, Early Afternoon, On The Run
I’m working on a solution to our problem. When looking at it logically, there is obviously only one. We have to find another home base. The timing is annoying because the Tribe is settling well into Wright’s Homestead. We have the choice of three options.
1. Staying and trust the judicial system will operate on the premise of innocent until proven guilty.
2. Going back to Waitakere Flats and Helen and negotiate with her some form of cohabitation.
3. Finding alternative accommodation and investigate ways to fight the current false accusation.
All three options pose a dilemma of some sort. But the fact is we have to do something. We can scratch 1) because from experience institutions have not only let us down, but also other victims of abuse. Their track record is abysmal. The same goes for option 2). There is no evidence to support that Helen Reid has a caring bone in her body and hopes of negotiating decent living conditions are unrealistic. That leaves us with option number 3.
I anticipated for a few days now that it would come to this. I didn’t anticipate the murder, of course, but I feared Helen would find us. As the Tribe’s resident strategist, I’ve looked at maps, weighed up options, and explored a few escape scenarios. Not for a minute would I pretend that we are prepared. This murder business
